when to plant the rockwool in hydroponic medium

How long should you let the plant grow in the rockwool before you transplant it into the hydroponic grow medium? Also, when you plant the rockwool in the hydroponic medium, how far should the nutrient water be from the bottom of the rockwool?

good question! i think it depends...

i can only tell you what my hydro system recommends (and what has worked for me so far). First - i should tell you i am using an aeroponic system so your mileage may vary. I can say i have heard advice that said the seedling roots should be well established before transplanting -- which seems like good advice to me. But...

The first thing my hydro system instructions say is you don't need to use rockwool - you can plant your seeds/seedlings directly into the Hydroton.

The directions also say - once the roots extend through the cups and INTO the nutrient solution you can change the watering cycle.

So it sounds like you can put the plants into the hydro system anytime you want provided your lighting is not too harsh on the plants. It also sounds like the rockwool should not be in the solution (again - i am using aero) but close enough that the roots can grow into the nute solution.

This is the system I use and it works pretty well but other more experienced growers may provide better/more accurate advice/recommendations.