rockwool alternative? giving up.. help

for some reason my seedlings take forever to grow in rockwool.

i soaked the cube 24 hours in ro water (shaked off excess water), had a sprout the next day and it's been five days and hasn't grown much, has two tiny true leaves and seedling is about 1 inch tall.

when i saw the root coming out the bottom of the 2 inch cube i put it into net pots and surrounded the cube with hydro rocks and places them in the sprayer tank.

i have the right lighting and correct distance, temp, ph, is all fine.. but they just aren't growing!! this is my second attempt using rockwool. they look healthy but been one inch tall for 4-5 days

i'm running out of seeds and no success any other way to get seedlings into hydro without using rockwool?

Did you soak the rockwool cubes in a slightly acidic solution first? Rockwool cubes naturally have a slightly higher pH. They need to be soaked in an acidic solution for a day or so to get it into optimum range. Also, 4-5 days is nothing. Relax dude.

I saw some new stuff like rock wool but was made out of recycled plastic, snow white in color.
I can't remember the name go figure But the Hydro store was raving about it.

i am a new to this but i have had luck with rapid rooters all u do is add water and the price isnt to bad

Mcgician said:

Did you soak the rockwool cubes in a slightly acidic solution first? Rockwool cubes naturally have a slightly higher pH. They need to be soaked in an acidic solution for a day or so to get it into optimum range. Also, 4-5 days is nothing. Relax dude.

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maybe that's my problem, i didn't use the lemon like they showed. i figured soaking overnight in ro (ph 5.5 water) was enough.

is that my problem then? how can i fix the cubes that have seedlings?

smokeitd said:

maybe that's my problem, i didn't use the lemon like they showed. i figured soaking overnight in ro (ph 5.5 water) was enough.

is that my problem then? how can i fix the cubes that have seedlings?

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To be honest with you, I think you're just not being patient enough. Rarely is pH a big deal so early on when they're only days old. From this point forward though, give them a nice mild nutrient solution with a pH of about 5.7-8, and you should be fine.

Actually, I didn't read your comment about the pH until I posted. It sounds fine to me. I usually like it to be a little higher during the vegetative state though so the plant has an easier time absorbing the nitrogen.

alright.. i will wait a few more days.. if they don't grow im going to scrap them and switch to soil.. bought 10 ice seeds and down to 3..

Just be patient. I'm growing in rockwool that I didnt soak at all. Once they get going they will take off. Hand water a half cup of distilled water from the top twice a day for a couple days. Once those roots drop they will take off. GL.

screw rockwool and switch to hydroton , i was setting up my current grow about a month ago and im glad i switched . ive never grown with it other than cloning but ive herd to many horror stories . RW fibers are health hazards too i think

I don't know what you guys are talking about. Rockwool is really easy to grow in as long as you don't over water it. To the OP how often do you water? Also it is common for the plants to slow growth for a bit early on then they will start to take off.

Wohjew said:

screw rockwool and switch to hydroton , i was setting up my current grow about a month ago and im glad i switched . ive never grown with it other than cloning but ive herd to many horror stories . RW fibers are health hazards too i think

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