I germinated some seeds in a paper towel and they all cracked. I then soaked 1x1x1 Rockwool cubes in 5.5 ph water for several hours after flushing under tap water for a couple minutes. I spun the cubes mostly dry in a salad spinner (down to 6 grams), put the cracked seeds in the cube (taproot down), closed the hole in the cube above the seedling by pinching the cube with tweezers on top, and then added about 22 ml of 5.5 ph water to the cubes for a total weight of around 28 grams. I stuck them in my propagation tray that is sitting on a heat mat set to 80 degrees and sitting under 4 four foot 32 watt flouros. The flouros are about 5 1/2 inches above the cubes. The ambient air temp around the cubes is 77-79 degrees. The rate of water loss is ranging around 1 gram per hour. I figure in 24 hours I will re-water. My question now has to do with the lights. Are the lights too close to the cubes or does it matter at this point? Once the seeds sprout where should my lights be in inches above them? Does everything else sound ok?
Seedlings in Rockwool Cubes.
- Thread starter Paola
- Start date
nongreenthumb
Well-Known Member
Sounds like you've done some reading and got some good stuff going on there.
How i would do things differently though is I would soak them for just half an hour in 5.5, get some water out until its only mildly moist, then put the seeds in. Theres not much point rinsing them after soaking them in 5.5 nor is there much point in drying them and then and re soaking them to 28 grams.
wafflehouselover
Well-Known Member
as said many times before, you can really actually put the plant RIGHT UNDER the flouro it will not burn. Being that its seeding of caurse you wouldn't want the flouro right on top of the rockwool.
1. Because light can get through rockwool not fully but it can reach down a little bit and maybe reaching into the white part of the root shocking the seedling.
2. Once the seed sprout you want it to reach for the light.
So you have the lighting just right, just watch them because they can grow really fast once the first set of leaves set in.
1. Because light can get through rockwool not fully but it can reach down a little bit and maybe reaching into the white part of the root shocking the seedling.
2. Once the seed sprout you want it to reach for the light.
So you have the lighting just right, just watch them because they can grow really fast once the first set of leaves set in.
I typed the rinsing parts kind of ass backwards. What I did was I rinsed the cubes for a few minutes under tap water and then soaked them in 5.5ph water for a few hours. I only spun them dry because I was paranoid that the water they had been soaking in was full of lime dust, or whatever the hell is in Rockwool that makes ph climb, and wanted to whip up a fresh batch of 5.5 ph water.
Good deal. I'll leave my lights at their current height for now. When they sprout and begin shooting up I'll back the lights off a tad. What would the desired light height be for young seedlings and at what point will they be strong enough to withstand some clooooose lighting?
wafflehouselover
Well-Known Member
last time i had a "clone" that was right under the flouro about 1 inch after it rooted. Just make sure theres airflow in there because u wouldn't want the heat to burn it, as long as there is a little bit of airflow going through it you should be fine.
Oh yea answering your question for your seedling i would put it 1inch away from the flouro once it reach like 2 node.
Oh yea answering your question for your seedling i would put it 1inch away from the flouro once it reach like 2 node.
beenthere donethat
Well-Known Member
paola Yer the first person I've seen actually who follow the directions for prepping yer cubes correctly. Most folks think a soak is all they need. Wrong. Soaking only puts the limestone dust in solution and fails to rid the cube of it. As a result, the pH will always climb and the bitchin and moanin about rockwool sucking as a growing medium will begin!
good luck
bt dt
good luck
bt dt
LocoMonkey
Well-Known Member
Sweet post paola! None of the rockwool post in the GrowFaq's talk about draining your rockwool first then soaking, but it makes sense.
Thanks btdt. I'm simply following the instructions per more experienced growers on this site.
I wish I could take credit for it all, but I can't. A few experienced growers on here imparted their wisdom (Al B Fuct mainly) to me and I'm simply trying to live up to the instructions. I'm glad the information helps you though.
BloodShotI'z
Well-Known Member
Im 4/4 with planting in rockwool. I didnt go as far as you to prep them...but it worked nonetheless.
Im more worried about the way clones take to it. Since I have a few and await the rooting. Still waiting.
Good rinse job before you dropped seed.
Im more worried about the way clones take to it. Since I have a few and await the rooting. Still waiting.
Good rinse job before you dropped seed.
nongreenthumb
Well-Known Member
I didnt rinse in this manner and yet my clones and seedlings never have a problem with it.
Thanks. Hopefully the clones work out for you and my seedlings work out for me.