Clones not rooting in rockwool. Need help!

$tolli $ensi

$tolli $ensi

Member
So out of 140 clones only 2 made it. I'm not sure what i did wrong. I used simple plastic trays with rockwool cubes.
I didn't...
-use heating pads
-foliar feed
-condition the rockwoll
I did....
-pre-soak cubes with 1/4 strength SuperThrive B1, and Canna Rhizzatonic
-take cuttings at a 45 degree angle and immediately put into ph cup of water to avoid stem embolism
-cut the tip of stem in half to expose more surface area for root development along stem
-put domes on to increase humidity
-scraped outside layer of stem...( i think this is where i screwed the pooch by ruining plant hormones!)

Any insight would be helpful and greatly appreciated.

Happy Growing!
 
BendBrewer

BendBrewer

Well-Known Member
Was the RW able to drain? They cannot sit in water.

You method seems very close to mine but I use Rapid Rooters. I mist them twice a day and make sure that the Rooters never dry. I too scrape the stem and think it is part of my success. Some strains are just a bitch though. I get this at day 12 with PowerKush. I use Clonex at 1/2 strength.

Clone Roots day 12.jpg
 
$tolli $ensi

$tolli $ensi

Member
BendBrewer said:
Was the RW able to drain? They cannot sit in water.

You method seems very close to mine but I use Rapid Rooters. I mist them twice a day and make sure that the Rooters never dry. I too scrape the stem and think it is part of my success. Some strains are just a bitch though. I get this at day 12 with PowerKush. I use Clonex at 1/2 strength.

View attachment 1748862[/QUOTE
Right on brewer. I had the RW slabs in a plastic tray with massive holes for drainage into the second plastic tray. So drainage wasn't an issue. I was only involved in the propagation and wasn't around to watch after them. I helped a buddy on his grow and now he's upset and thinks something in my method is what kept them from rooting.
I saw the rapid rooters on the shelf and was going to grab em but had never heard of them before. I havent cloned since 2006 so i was going from memory how i used to produce 200 babies every two weeks from 10 moms, never used heating pads, never domed, never foliar fed, and had proliferation of roots poppin out da cube. Just bad luck i guess. It could have been a stubborn strain (supposedly GDP).

After seeing your pic, im now convinced rapid rooters is a good way to go. Nice roots bro.
Now how do you scrape the stem? We took the scalpel and at a 90 degree angle to the stem scraped off like just 1/16" of the outer layer at bottom of stem. My buddy was told by another grower that scraping the stem and not foliar feeding for the first 3 days is where we dropped the ball. Wat do you think?
Click to expand...
 
Corso312

Corso312

Well-Known Member
did you use a dome? and why does everybody use superthrive? it is garbage and clones do not need nutes, i have never used a heating pad..the domes trap heat and it stays around 85 degrees..if i took 140 cuttings i would probably get 125 to root in my domes with rockwool with cloning gel(olivias) then i dip them in a powder(from home depot (rooting hormone) then into cubes and spray every other day
 
BendBrewer

BendBrewer

Well-Known Member
For 12 clones, I make a gallon of Clonex Solution 1/2 strength and ph to 5.5. I soak my rooter in half of this solution. I line my bottom tray with Perlite and drench the Perlite with some of the remaining solution. I cut the stem at a 45 degree angle then scrape the pack side of that cut about 1/4" up the stem. Just enough to expose the white of the stem. I then slice the stem in half about 1/8" up from the bottom.

Dip into Clonex Solution then a Cloning Gel and place deep into the Squeezed Out Rooter. I do have to make the hole a bit deeper in the Rooter first.

I then cut all the leaves in half, place the Rooters in a Rooter Tray that goes on my Perlite lined tray and use a Humidity Dome. I mist them with the remaining Clonex Solution twice a day and make sure the Rooters stay moist. Have to actually water them once or twice during those 12 days.

Lots of ways to do it, but this works for me and I bat 1000%.
 
MrGhettoGrower

MrGhettoGrower

Well-Known Member
You didn't pre-soak the rock wool?:lol:
This could give you very high ph! How wet
was the rock wool it's like seeds you don't
wanna get'em too wet. How wet is your water:lol:
 
$tolli $ensi

$tolli $ensi

Member
Corso312 said:
did you use a dome? and why does everybody use superthrive? it is garbage and clones do not need nutes, i have never used a heating pad..the domes trap heat and it stays around 85 degrees..if i took 140 cuttings i would probably get 125 to root in my domes with rockwool with cloning gel(olivias) then i dip them in a powder(from home depot (rooting hormone) then into cubes and spray every other day
Click to expand...
thanks man. i will spray next time. thats basically the only thing i did not do. I didnt think i needed heat pads since ambient room temp was 80*-85* F.
 
$tolli $ensi

$tolli $ensi

Member
i did pre-soak RW with regular water before placing cuttings in holes. As far as how wet the water is... i have no clue. Thanks for the input.
 
S

Stitllams

Active Member
I soak the Rock Wool in ph 5.0 water, shake water out and then use ph 5.8 water with rhizotonic until roots show, then weak nutes start.
 
TheOrganic

TheOrganic

Well-Known Member
I use superthrive mainly to lower ph in DIY cloner. I don't check Ph though just 1/4 tsp Superth. in a gallon of water. I get roots in 7 days then they get transplanted in soil.
 
1KARNAGE1

1KARNAGE1

Member
old thread just wanted to throw a suggestion for anyone with similar issues i have found soaking rockwool in around 5.8-6.0 ph water usually 1 liter i add 50ml of my veg water and i add some powered rooting hormone to the water mix it up good and soak the cubes 12-18 hrs i have literally had a 100% success rate since starting this method but also choose good quality rockwool cubes as ive tried cheaper ones and it seems to take longer to root they all root still but ive had ones go 3 weeks whereas same ones from same strains will root in 5-7 days couldnt tell you why lol
 
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