Confused rockwool grow roots question?

[Hashassinz]

Everything I ever read about about cannabis says bigger pot bigger roots bigger buds and plant. So if that is true how is it that rockwool cubes are so small yet can grow huge plants. Don't the roots grow through and past the cubes fast and light kills roots. So on NFT tables I see nothing is covered near the cubes. How is this possible growing huge plants. Yet my plants grow to like average 5ft tall and 5 gallon bucket is full of roots that imo no size rockwool cube could hold or am I missing something. Only reason I ask is cause I grow my own meds and 5 gallon buckets get heavy to move when you have back issues and arthritis. I would rather move little cubes. But seems I would take a hit in amount produced per space. That I would get from 5 gallon vs to me seems like little cubes that don't hold enough roots if they where grown the same size. Am I missing something. Is there like a cube to size ratio showing how big of a plant can rockwool grow. Might be to long but it happens when you smoke some of your meds before you post a question I guess hah.

 

[Papageno]

The RW cube is not the medium. It only is a place for the clone or seed to take root. The actual root mass grows outside of the RW in some medium or air depending on the system. The RW is not really used for anything but structural sturdiness in the net pot or whatever is sits in. Many people don't use RW at all as it has nothing to do with the way roots work or any nute uptake or overall root mass.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Some people do grow in rockwool as a medium, but they use the same size pots as everyone else.

 

[Papageno]

Yeah and "that" is not recommended. I mean I can grow weed a lot of ways and I can make it grow in ways most people would not accept or believe. That doesn't mean we should be doing that. RW should be used only as a rooting medium and if you want to grow soilless use coco and perlite. If you want to do flood and drain uses clay pellets or grow stones. RW has issues that you don't want to deal with. it has its place and that is for rooting.

If someone wants to grow that way this community should try to steer them in the right direction. We do it all the time with poor soil blends. Why should any non-soil medium that is inferior be considered different?

In this case specifically however he was asking about NFT where the medium is air. You run the solution very thin. And the roots air grow. Like aero where the medium is mainly air with a misting and some at the bottom. Some Flood and Drain uses just RW but again that is not required nor recommended.

Using RW beyond rooting is like you said in another thread just people working too hard to reinvent the wheel to do something they don't need to do. And RW has many disadvantages in general so it isn't like it is the best thing out there. I avoid it at all costs personally...but I am just an idiot.

 

[Weaselcracker]

I know we are getting sidetracked here, but... What do you see as the issues? There is a style of growing called 'Cap'n style'. Uses rockwool cubes in DTW hydro, frequent feedings similar to coco, along with the use of teas. Those plants grow amazingly well. I'm growing a few dtw rockwool plants in the solo cup grow competition right now and they're doing great.

 

[Papageno]

I have seen CAPn done without RW. And yes Capn is great but it isn't the RW that makes it special.

RW can be miss handled easily and have a few issues related to pH. Many newbs use it incorrectly at early stages burnning and sometimes killing their plants. those are easy to avoid but lets not go there until someone knows what they are doing.

Also...Now don't shoot me here...but RW is just flat out bad for the environment. Not that anyone really cares about the planet anymore nor do a few pot heads avoiding it matter... but there are a few things I like to avoid and I bite the bullet because they shouldn't be used. RW is one of them where there is no need to use it for any reason what so ever but it is a product that does not biodegrade nor can be recycled. It is not "just available" naturally like peat. So you have to spend energy to process it to make a product that will eventually live in a landfill forever like a plastic bag.

Okay you can shoot me now.

 

[Weaselcracker]

That's actually the very last issue I would ever shoot you for. In fact, if I was ready to pull the trigger and then you told me this, I'd probably spare your life, no matter what the rest of the villagers said. I care more about the state of nature than I care for much else. It does matter to take a stand, even if it doesn't. Which is why I boycotted McDonalds in my life, almost 30 years ago now. I agree, rockwool is kind of like the styrofoam coffee cup of grow mediums. Good point. That would definitely stop me from regularly growing in it. The amount I have used for cloning in the last 6 years of my current setup hasn't filled a 5 gallon pot yet. When I get enough of the recycled fluff though I'll grow something in it.
I haven't had any ph issues with the Grodan ones I use- can soak my new grow cubes in water overnight, with no change in ph to the water.

 

[Papageno]

Yes things and be done easily to avoid problems...and then we read about them constantly on here. And it would be one thing if it were something worth using but there are umpteen alternatives to RW for every use.

I am not trying to tell people not to use them I am just asking why not use something better?

 

[Onkruid]

Just another view on that. For me, RW has performed consistently and homogeneously over six years in the same DWC/drip system. I treat it in pH adjusted, mildly nuted H2O for 24 hours to condition and temp stabilize. As long as feeding/watering is specifically tailored to the volume of the cube there's no reason, once knowing this, that any losses or problems should be incurred... Outside influences withstanding.

I've experienced no negatives or even the hint of one with RW. Further, I can usually calibrate a level on my canopies, yet when I tried Hydroton for a few cycles I was never able to achieve the same degree of uniformity. From that I could only anecdotally discern that the extra 'jossling' of the roots during transplant from aero was the only induced variable. Transplants into RW are mild and sans trauma.

As for it's alleged unfriendliness to the environment, if it's any consolation it's organic and merely takes up space rather than contaminate the space it's in. True, it doesn't biodegrade, but then again nor do the 100% organic rocks from which it's spun. If one is allergic to picking up a stone and skipping it, those persons should avoid handling RW. Used cleverly, it makes a fine, renewable, highly insulating, fireproof/resistant wallboard. Mine goes into a landfill that I'll be placing a new home upon and I don't feel bad about that. If I ever do I'll live on my words.

Thought the topic was a worthwhile divert.