Conditioning Rockwool

12SQFT

12SQFT

Well-Known Member
Have clones in stonewool cubes 1x1 and am transfering to 4x4x4 cubes

Is it important or not to condition the stonewool? Looking for all your answers please donate all knowledge.

I have heard many people soaking in pH'd water for 6 hrs all the way to overnight????

I've heard some say add nuttrients to the water while soaking wouldn't this be hard on the clone or would it be better for some reason? Root Stimulators maybe?

Store bought Conditioners? Are they worth the money? Do they work? If so which one(s) did you use/prefer?

Thanks again for all donated knowledge fellow tokers
 
Roseman

Roseman

Elite Rolling Society
Once a cube is SOAKED, it can't soak more.
You should pour some pH adjusted water on them FIRST , to reduce the dust you might breathe.
 
12SQFT

12SQFT

Well-Known Member
Roseman good to see you again on the threads. . .I gained some valuable knowlege last time we talked. Now by what your saying I understand that means if I do soak the cube can't take up nutes so this would be detrimental correct? or good cuz after transplant I want to leave them alone only watering every other day? could you clarify?
 
Roseman

Roseman

Elite Rolling Society
Depends on the size of the clones and are you introducing them to a DWC or soil or what?
I know a lot about Rockwool cubes, and clones, and DWC and HYDRO, but not anything about Soil growing.
Normally, if I see 4 leaves, (not counting those little tiney sprout leaves) I use 1/4 strenght Nutes, and if I see over 4, I use half. If I see over 6 leaves, I use full strenght nutrients.
 
12SQFT

12SQFT

Well-Known Member
Roseman said:
Depends on the size of the clones and are you introducing them to a DWC or soil or what?
I know a lot about Rockwool cubes, and clones, and DWC and HYDRO, but not anything about Soil growing.
Normally, if I see 4 leaves, (not counting those little tiney sprout leaves) I use 1/4 strenght Nutes, and if I see over 4, I use half. If I see over 6 leaves, I use full strenght nutrients.
Click to expand...
They are going into an ebb and flow 4x4x4 cubes and the clones are on the smaller side. . . here is a pic
 
12SQFT

12SQFT

Well-Known Member
what? there is a 1 gallon resi underneath and it bubbles the nutes up the little cubes were soaked with some nutes as directions stated for my propagator but no roots on the bottom of any of them? Should I wait for the roots to pop out or place them in the bigger rockwool cubes and start vegging at 1/2 strength nutes?
 
12SQFT

12SQFT

Well-Known Member
Any ideas roseman? Should I:

1. Throw them into full veg right now in the 4x4x4 cubes under my 500w dual bulb set up 250w MH and 250w HPS?
or
2. Leave them how they are until the rooots come out the bottom of the 1x1's? They are in a separate room under (2) daylight 20w 24" floro's with propagator and dome. Should I just Leave em' for now till I get roots then transplant? the dome is about 9" tall and three are hitting the top so they must be growing but still no roots wtf!!!! I dont know what to do Im fully frustated with these little guys Im gonna medicate and be back in a little.
 
G

GreenFire

Active Member
I have soaked cubes for 24 hours and for a few seconds and never had a problem either way.

For me it has never made a difference that I could see but I still usually soak em overnight just to be sure.
 
Roseman

Roseman

Elite Rolling Society
12SQFT said:
Any ideas roseman? Should I:

1. Throw them into full veg right now in the 4x4x4 cubes under my 500w dual bulb set up 250w MH and 250w HPS?
or
2. Leave them how they are until the rooots come out the bottom of the 1x1's? They are in a separate room under (2) daylight 20w 24" floro's with propagator and dome. Should I just Leave em' for now till I get roots then transplant? the dome is about 9" tall and three are hitting the top so they must be growing but still no roots wtf!!!! I dont know what to do Im fully frustated with these little guys Im gonna medicate and be back in a little.
Click to expand...
I would gues there are roots present, but not able to see them just yet. They will probably pop out tomorrow.
I'd go ahead and feed them 1/4 nutes and start the VEGGING, in 4/4 cubes, with the lights slightly higher than normal for a day or two. This is not really my expertise and I'm just offering my opinion, based on my experience with baby sprouts.
Good Luck, bro
 
corral hollow kid

corral hollow kid

Well-Known Member
I don't just soak em and put seedlings in them. I soak them overnight, then I shake out the water until the cubes are fairly light again. Then I put the seedlings in the little hole.:-P I only do about 10 cubes at a time for now. If I go bigger I'm gonna do the Al B Fuct thing and get a salad spinner to get the water out of the cubes!
 
Roseman

Roseman

Elite Rolling Society
IF you read up on rockwool cubes, you will read they are speciffically designed for HYRDO use, to hold water, after being dipped momentarily in water. That is all it takes to soak them. I want mine to hold the water to keep the seeds wet. They are designed to take a soaking and still hold together.
What is the purpose of soaking them for hours? Are you trying to get MORE water into it and get it more wet? Then why shake the water back out? What's that all about? I don't understand the reasoning.
 
Return of the Spork

Return of the Spork

Well-Known Member
I always thought it had to do with the Cubes tending to be more alkaline I think. Something about that even if your nutes are 5.5 ph or whatever, that the ph in the actual cube rises as the nutrients evap/used up.

Soaking them I think brings their natural ph down to where we want it, and also rinses out extra glues and stuff in the cube.

But take it as you will, im a noob just a few things ive read.
 
Roseman

Roseman

Elite Rolling Society
you know what is funny to me? or strange?
I have a gas fireplace in my house, a nice one that looks real.
It has ROCKWOOL on the gas outlets to make flames and it has HYDROTON ROCKS for the base of the bottom.
 
12SQFT

12SQFT

Well-Known Member
Return of the Spork said:
I always thought it had to do with the Cubes tending to be more alkaline I think. Something about that even if your nutes are 5.5 ph or whatever, that the ph in the actual cube rises as the nutrients evap/used up.

Soaking them I think brings their natural ph down to where we want it, and also rinses out extra glues and stuff in the cube.

But take it as you will, im a noob just a few things ive read.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure that this is the reasoning but roseman does have a point with the soaking and shaking if you add the nutes and soak why shake it out after?
 
N

NoDrama

Well-Known Member
I don't think it makes any difference, I have soaked some for hours, some for almost no time at all. I DO shake my cubes when I initially stab the cutting in, but otherwise just water lightly 1/day. The only reason I shake em is cuz they tend to drip on my pants, and I like my shit to be clean and dry. I tend to do about 50 cuttings at a time, sometimes small sometimes they are pretty good sized, depends on how many people need some. so far after many rotations still got 100% success rate.
 
LonghornFan

LonghornFan

Well-Known Member
I don't shake my cubes when putting the germinated seedling in it. I rinse it, let it get to a drip, put the germ seed in, set it on its hydroton bed and let it roll, of course mine also sit on top of a drip tube that drips water until the roots fall below the netpots and into their buckets.
 
corral hollow kid

corral hollow kid

Well-Known Member
Return of the Spork said:
I always thought it had to do with the Cubes tending to be more alkaline I think. Something about that even if your nutes are 5.5 ph or whatever, that the ph in the actual cube rises as the nutrients evap/used up.

Soaking them I think brings their natural ph down to where we want it, and also rinses out extra glues and stuff in the cube.

But take it as you will, im a noob just a few things ive read.
Click to expand...
That's why. The RW is processed with limestone and it tends to leech out and make the pH of the medium creep up. If you put pH water adjusted to 5.5 it's "supposed" to solve that problem. Supposedly.
 
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