3 questions from a first timer

JoeSperk

New Member
I started my seeds off in rock wool cubes. just watered them and left them outside till they started to sprout. now i want to transfer them into my 5 gallon dwc buckets. i have 6" net pots with the clay balls. my questions are:

1)can i put the rock wool cube directly into the net pot with the clay balls? or do i need to get the rock wool off and only put bare roots into my net pot?

2)how deep down into the net pot should my plant sit?

3)where should my water line be in relation to my net pot? touching the bottom of the net pot?

any help is greatly appreciated. the details in the beginning steps are a little tricky for me. I'm 100% new to growing
 
i have no dwc experience, but i have seen folks put it on top of pebbles and back fill with more to surround and cover the cube with seedling just below top of pot level, below i think you want it where the bottom layer of pebbles are submerged not 100 percent sure bout that though.some one who knows will be along shortly to give a more definitive answer. regards
 
I can help you with this one:
I put in 2-3" of hydroton in the net and then put the rockwool in and fill around and I hand place pellets on top of the rockwool like so:
420-magazine-mobile650882162.jpg

Don't cover the hole though. Do not remove the rockwool!!! Keep water level 2-4" below net and make sure you have lots of bubbles!!!
 
I can help you with this one:
I put in 2-3" of hydroton in the net and then put the rockwool in and fill around and I hand place pellets on top of the rockwool like so:
420-magazine-mobile650882162.jpg

Don't cover the hole though. Do not remove the rockwool!!! Keep water level 2-4" below net and make sure you have lots of bubbles!!!

thanks a lot! but just to be clear about your picture.....the roots are not exposed out of the bottom of the rock wool yet? and also, if the water line is 2-4" below the net, and there is 2-3 inches of pebbles on the bottom of the net, then the water line is around 5-6 inches away from the rock wool and roots. thats correct? it just seems far away from the water to me. should the clay be soaked beforehand? maybe instead of inches there is a better way to explain. i mean, are you trying to get the rock wool wet? trying to get the pebbles wet? is anything submerged? lol sorry...i got questions for a lifetime lol. but thank u nonetheless
 
I started my seeds off in rock wool cubes. just watered them and left them outside till they started to sprout. now i want to transfer them into my 5 gallon dwc buckets. i have 6" net pots with the clay balls. my questions are:

1)can i put the rock wool cube directly into the net pot with the clay balls? or do i need to get the rock wool off and only put bare roots into my net pot?

2)how deep down into the net pot should my plant sit?

3)where should my water line be in relation to my net pot? touching the bottom of the net pot?

any help is greatly appreciated. the details in the beginning steps are a little tricky for me. I'm 100% new to growing

Make sure that the rock wool is not soaking wet around the seedling. It will drown the seedling. (Rock wool is old technology and probably best avoided. Certainly breathing the fibers is no good. Rapid Rooters are a much better bet.)

See the start of my hydro grow in the link below for a cautionary rock wool tale. ;)
 
Make sure that the rock wool is not soaking wet around the seedling. It will drown the seedling. (Rock wool is old technology and probably best avoided. Certainly breathing the fibers is no good. Rapid Rooters are a much better bet.)

See the start of my hydro grow in the link below for a cautionary rock wool tale. ;)

Ok, so if I use rapid rooters is it still the exact same process as rock wool? Does everything I've been asking about still apply to rapid rooters the same as rock wool?
 
For the most part yes but like they said rockwool can cause issues, I just have success with them so haven't needed to change anything up, u can drown the seed like sci said. Not as environmentally friendly either. First things first, you gotta rinse the hydroton you're going to use really well, there will be a lot of dust and residue on it straight outta the bag. If you're not using any type of drip ring setup you will need to hand water it until the roots emerge from the bottom of the net pot. You can let the water get closer to the bottom of the net pot if you want but you really don't want your net pot submerged. As long as you have bubbles your water will be oxygenated and the bubbles create a very nice humid environment that the roots will be searching for. The hand watering will keep the roots moist so they don't dry out but not saturated so they will still search. I feel like the hand watering helps the roots find their way into the bucket. And NO NUTES yet!!!!!
 
For the most part yes but like they said rockwool can cause issues, I just have success with them so haven't needed to change anything up, u can drown the seed like sci said. Not as environmentally friendly either. First things first, you gotta rinse the hydroton you're going to use really well, there will be a lot of dust and residue on it straight outta the bag. If you're not using any type of drip ring setup you will need to hand water it until the roots emerge from the bottom of the net pot. You can let the water get closer to the bottom of the net pot if you want but you really don't want your net pot submerged. As long as you have bubbles your water will be oxygenated and the bubbles create a very nice humid environment that the roots will be searching for. The hand watering will keep the roots moist so they don't dry out but not saturated so they will still search. I feel like the hand watering helps the roots find their way into the bucket. And NO NUTES yet!!!!!
Awesome answer, thank u! And u said no nutes, but I'm still adjusting ph though right? So, when do nutes start?
 
I have never understood why people don't want to feed seedlings. A seedling has roots, chlorophyll, and light, so it should be able to make use of a mild nutrient solution. General Hydroponics (whose nutes I use) recommends mild nutes from the start, and I have used them from the start with both hydro and coco. I realize that the plant can draw on nutrients in its cotyledons, but that doesn't mean it can use nutrients in the soil/media as well.
 
We don't give it nothing, we're using tap with a ppm of 120 so there's some traces, and we give her a root stimulator as well. We start earlier than some though, as soon as she tells us she's ready we start very light. But for a first time grower, I err on the side of caution and always just suggest they wait a week to two weeks before feeding because as a first time grower, it tends to be too much too soon that they wind up giving. Yes you still should ph your water. Ph is never not important.

This was what our current lady looked like, to give you an idea, when we have her her first taste of the AN sensi grow two part, which is potent shit.
420-magazine-mobile902460292.jpg

Ppm was like 240 so very light strength (keep in mind that included the 120 ppm tap)
Here she is now, we increased to about 375-400 ppm and this strain looks like a feeder because she's loving it
420-magazine-mobile920974818.jpg
 
I have never understood why people don't want to feed seedlings. A seedling has roots, chlorophyll, and light, so it should be able to make use of a mild nutrient solution. General Hydroponics (whose nutes I use) recommends mild nutes from the start, and I have used them from the start with both hydro and coco. I realize that the plant can draw on nutrients in its cotyledons, but that doesn't mean it can use nutrients in the soil/media as well.

When water will grow your seeds for a couple weeks, why risk the chance of burning, stunting. It is not about how much you feed your plant, its how effectively you feed. If you are not tracking EC, PPM, water consumption and RH, than you are trusting someone else to dose your plants. Any risk of burning/stunting your seedling is IMO far riskier than waiting a couple weeks before before a nute regiment on a healthy, hungry plant.

Not right or wrong, just another way to look at it.
 
When water will grow your seeds for a couple weeks, why risk the chance of burning, stunting.

With autos that start to bloom after just 3 weeks, I want as much vegetative growth as possible, so of course I feed. There's no risk with a mild nutrient solution. Personally, I think this whole "Don't feed seedlings" business I keep seeing here is just another pot growers' pseudoscientific fad. (BTW, I'm talking coco/hydro. Of course a seedling in soil is self feeding right from the start.)

Whatever people wanna do with their grow is fine with me!
 
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