AWnox
Active Member
Hello everyone,
I have recently started to use Rockwool for seed germination and as a starting block for the seedlings in the GH Waterfarms. I have ventured away from just placing the germinated seed in the hydroton because the last time I tried to LST there were several issues trying to keep the main stem from coming up or uprooted; using the Rockwool helps keep a firm base for the plant and a more stable platform to perform more arduous LST.
Before I started with the Rockwool I followed some guides here on RIU to first prepare it for the seed. I prepared a solution of pH'ed water (distilled) to 5.9 with a single drop of Micro and then proceeded to submerse the Rockwool cube in the solution for 10 seconds. After doing so I created some space in the hydroton and placed the Rockwool cube snug inside keeping the top of it level with the top of the hydroton; basically buried. I then proceeded to insert the newly germinated seed inside the Rockwool opening with the tap root facing down and gently pushed it inside a bit; about 1/4 inch deep.
After a day the seed had already shed it's shell and was shooting to the lights; everything was golden. After the second day the seedling began to show signs of slow growth. The first set of serrated leafs stopped growing and the new growth at the middle of the seedling started looking pale green almost yellow. It has now been 8 days from seed and it has finally started to grow it's 2nd set of leafs yet they still look pale green. The first set of serrated leafs does look all green now and rather healthy but the new growth still is coming out rather pale for my taste and still growing slow; not as slow as before but still slow. My guess is that the slow growth and the pale new growth color is due to the fact that the Rockwool may be over watered because the drip tube is always on and/or the pH level in the Rockwool is causing havoc in the system. Mind you I have filled the reservoir with a pH solution of distilled water to pH 5.9 with 100 ppm/g of Micro, total ppm of 2 gal reservoir is 200ppm. Strangely though the pH of the reservoir after it has been circulating for a while is 8.5, even though I have filled the reservoir with pH'ed water to 5.9.
In any case the seedling I think is finally taking off since it finally broke loose of the Rockwool yet growth is still slow. I have been trying to adjust pH over and over again and it stays at 5.9 for a bit then after a couple of hours it climbs back to 8.5 on the dot. Tonight I will do another reservoir change since it's finally drinking more water; water will be pH'ed to 5.9 with 250ppm of Nova Bloom and Micro to start the second (and a 1/2) week.
If anyone has any thoughts on how I could fix the pH issue with the Rockwool or comments about the slow growth please chime in, I'm all ears. Thank you for your time and for the long read. I really would appreciated some info if anyone can share any. Thanks again everyone.
Best Regards.
I have recently started to use Rockwool for seed germination and as a starting block for the seedlings in the GH Waterfarms. I have ventured away from just placing the germinated seed in the hydroton because the last time I tried to LST there were several issues trying to keep the main stem from coming up or uprooted; using the Rockwool helps keep a firm base for the plant and a more stable platform to perform more arduous LST.
Before I started with the Rockwool I followed some guides here on RIU to first prepare it for the seed. I prepared a solution of pH'ed water (distilled) to 5.9 with a single drop of Micro and then proceeded to submerse the Rockwool cube in the solution for 10 seconds. After doing so I created some space in the hydroton and placed the Rockwool cube snug inside keeping the top of it level with the top of the hydroton; basically buried. I then proceeded to insert the newly germinated seed inside the Rockwool opening with the tap root facing down and gently pushed it inside a bit; about 1/4 inch deep.
After a day the seed had already shed it's shell and was shooting to the lights; everything was golden. After the second day the seedling began to show signs of slow growth. The first set of serrated leafs stopped growing and the new growth at the middle of the seedling started looking pale green almost yellow. It has now been 8 days from seed and it has finally started to grow it's 2nd set of leafs yet they still look pale green. The first set of serrated leafs does look all green now and rather healthy but the new growth still is coming out rather pale for my taste and still growing slow; not as slow as before but still slow. My guess is that the slow growth and the pale new growth color is due to the fact that the Rockwool may be over watered because the drip tube is always on and/or the pH level in the Rockwool is causing havoc in the system. Mind you I have filled the reservoir with a pH solution of distilled water to pH 5.9 with 100 ppm/g of Micro, total ppm of 2 gal reservoir is 200ppm. Strangely though the pH of the reservoir after it has been circulating for a while is 8.5, even though I have filled the reservoir with pH'ed water to 5.9.
In any case the seedling I think is finally taking off since it finally broke loose of the Rockwool yet growth is still slow. I have been trying to adjust pH over and over again and it stays at 5.9 for a bit then after a couple of hours it climbs back to 8.5 on the dot. Tonight I will do another reservoir change since it's finally drinking more water; water will be pH'ed to 5.9 with 250ppm of Nova Bloom and Micro to start the second (and a 1/2) week.
If anyone has any thoughts on how I could fix the pH issue with the Rockwool or comments about the slow growth please chime in, I'm all ears. Thank you for your time and for the long read. I really would appreciated some info if anyone can share any. Thanks again everyone.
Best Regards.
