Anyone use Floram Foam?? (oasis)

I dont think I quite understand how to start my seedlings while using an Ebb & Flow system. What I did was cut my floral foam in starter cubes, pressed a small hole in the top, dropped my germed seeds in, closed em up (12) and placed them in a tray with x3 40 Watt soft white CFL's.

I watered them twice in the past 3-4 days, waiting for the oasis to dry up almost completely... thing is, I dont feel like this is the correct way to do it. They havent even popped up yet. So please guide me in the correct direction.

After a day or so I planted a seed in a 4 gallon pot of some soil I dug up outside in an old garden, placed one 40w soft white cfl over it and it is already about 2 inches tall... and this seedling is younger than the bunch in the e&f system.

Honestly I think I should just buy some rockwool cubes....

Another question, after the seedlings take root and overgrow the oasis/rockwool then I should take that cube and place it in my netpot w/medium in it correct? I was planning on using the miracle grow perlite/vermiculite mix. And then watering twice a day for 30 minutes, no nutes for about 2-3 weeks.. is this all correct?? sorry im high and up too late... or is that early....

would love some starting advice, if anyone would like to chime in,

Dude, get some rockwool cos oasis is no good.

minimojoman said:

Honestly I think I should just buy some rockwool cubes....

Another question, after the seedlings take root and overgrow the oasis/rockwool then I should take that cube and place it in my netpot w/medium in it correct? I was planning on using the miracle grow perlite/vermiculite mix. And then watering twice a day for 30 minutes, no nutes for about 2-3 weeks.. is this all correct?? sorry im high and up too late... or is that early....

Click to expand...

That is correct but water once a day to start with and use real weak nutes to start, say 1/4 strength cos the medium used in hydro contains no nutes whatsoever

alright so, the first transplant marks the change in feeding and the starting of vegetative growth correct? I just ordered foxfarm big grow and foxfarm big buds nutes, shall I start the 1/4 strength big grow at the first transplant?? And with the E&B system would 2 feedings of 30 minutes each work?Using x3 40w 2600lumen/each CFL's?

The seedlings in my oasis are reallly tiny, and dont seem to be holding water under the CFL's correctly, I think due to the oasis. The cfl's were about an inch away from the oasis, and I have to laugh b/c I feel like a moron, but the oasis is slighty brown due to drying/burning id say. It doesnt seem like the plant can push through the foam correctly. I am going to botch these seedlings and start some new ones in the rockwool I just ordered, thanks a lot.

oh.. and as far as the perlite/vermiculite mixture i want to use in my netpots, would 50%/50% mixture be correct?? or more like 60% perlite/40% vermiculite?? ph should be around 5.8 correct? +/- .4