Rooted soil clones straight to hydroton/hydro

PLEASE ANY AND ALL ADVICE

I am considering taking a 3 week old clone currently rooted and what seems to be root locked, in a small clear plastic cup, with some generic soil and and white stuff perlite if im not mistaken, and place the cup and all in a net pot filled with hydroton in a sort of dwc bucket system.

concerns: root rot, stunted growth or hermie, dead plant, or just not possible due to any unbearable conditions.

facts: lights 8 cfl 4 of one and 4 of the other approx 5 inch away,1st week 24/0, previous gardener 24/0 2 weeks, 3rd week 20/4, ph of hydro was 7 now 5.8 after a week sadly, 2.5ml gh flora micro and 2.5 grow used in first week of transplant, now just .5 micro with new 5.8 ph, sprayed the soil clone once with a bottle of water with one drop of micro, yellow of lower leaves on larger hydro plant and soil plant none on little hydro, no tds or ppm meter until next week.

Background (not necessary for answer): This clone that Needs to be moved or given root space is one of three clones that were rooted and healthy in the above stated soil mix. I was told the strain was cherry cough? I currently have a hydro set up with 5 gallon bucket resavoirs each have an air stone and its own pump. I have transplanted 2 of the clones by gently removing 90% of debris in a tub of tap water and rinsing. The two transplants are set in hydroton, in a net pot suspended above a root feed tank basically a plastic bowl with an air stone and a water line being pumped from the main water resevoir being the 5 gallon bucket. After a week, the two plants grew healthy white roots reaching down and now some into the bowl. Although these plants have seem to have shocked little, as they are growing the same as the soil plant in question, one which is actually 25% larger than the other hydro trans has some yellow and brown on one tip of the lower 3 large leaves. I have read this can be from my ph, lights, nutes, transplant, or what makes the most sense is the lower leaves turning yellow because of new root development in the hydro and root lock on the soil plant.The big hydro plant because the new roots had to stretch to the source of water which was just fine misting it, and the soil one because the roots have no where to go. As the little hydro plant, same yellowing on lower branches. Everything seems to be growing just fine though i just dont want buy create get or make any soil. I figure why cant i just cut some extra holes in the cup and let the roots grow out into the hydroton, still top feeding or along with the hydro mist, and put the cup with hydroton around it in a net pot and boom in i would give it maybe 2 to 3 weeks max you got yourself one heck of a hybrid?

answer : CAN IT BE DONE (soil cup clones straight to hydroton

please and thank you

If you're careful, you can ever so gently rinse off the soil mass until it's cleared from the roots. I've done this before and replanted in soil, and it works just fine, you almost can't tell a growth difference from same generation plants that were not repotted. How you would place those cleaned roots into a hydro system is up to you water growers, I'm just telling you the plant is still perfectly healthy after rinsing the soil off.

Good luck!

I do not wish to rinse the roots. I have done this already with success. I want to do nothing more than cut out holes in the cup for the roots to spread out into some hydroton in a net pot in a dwc system. I believe this would be the very best method for getting soil plants into hydro no rinsing of anything. Can I do this WHO HAS ?

I really can't believe that would work. But good luck anyway.

I think it can work .... the challange would be getting the roots to establish in Hydroton. Because the roots won't like staying too wet in the dirt.

My last plant was 14 inches when I took it from dirt to ebb and flow, I washed the roots removed the soil and the plant never missed a beat. It looked stunned the first day but the next morning it was fine. Grew to over 5 feet bent before harvest. I am going to do that in the future it worked once why not again.

I'm poking around on google but everything I see is soil TO DWC and not soil IN DWC. I don't believe you can do it without major issues. The soil would just end up sitting on the bottom or your bucket, clog your airstone, and possibly mess up your PH and nutrients.

I would just gently unpot the plant and rinse the roots over a bucket then transplant that into the netpot with hydroton and go from there.

J Man said:

I do not wish to rinse the roots. I have done this already with success. I want to do nothing more than cut out holes in the cup for the roots to spread out into some hydroton in a net pot in a dwc system. I believe this would be the very best method for getting soil plants into hydro no rinsing of anything. Can I do this WHO HAS ?

Click to expand...

When I have new sprouts, or newly rooted clones in solo cups I bottom water the plants by setting the solo cup on top of another cup filled with whatever water or nutes I am giving and then I just leave it to do it's thing...in a half hour or so the soil has taken as much water as it can...but sometimes during that half hour, I forget that I am supposed to wait half an hour...so I had one clone and 3 marigold plants that truly needed to be transplanted out of the solo cups, but I am always pushing my scheduling because with little room there must be a time and place for everything, and I will damn well be the one to decide what time is the right time...anyway I got lazy and forgot these plants...the next day when I remembered and went to get them they had all grown roots into their cup...so I used a razor and cut out the spaces in between the drain holes and put the plants back over the cups...the roots just kept growing into the water...so it would definitely work...here is my only issue...since you would still have soil there getting wet from the DWC would that constantly wet soil not cause some issues...or will it be alright because the roots will be able to get their air from the DWC...I mean the plants in cups never looked overwatered and they didn't even have bubbles...just still water that I changed or added to everyday depending on what was happening...anyway it is totally possible cuz if I can grow with no bubbles into a random christmas cup then you should be able to go soil to DWC...I actually want to use a small bucket and try this myself...I kill things in hydro..but perhaps with soil on top it could make it...I mean the cup plants looked better than any of my failed hydro attempts and it doesn't get simpler than place cup of dirt containing plant over cup of water to be changed daily...lol

I am going to have to set up a bucket and see if i can grow a mostly hydro, with soil on top plant...I wrap a net pot in some pantyhose...water and roots can get through, but the dirt can't so easily...anyway I bet it will work...work nicely if my cup o marigolds is any idea of the mechanics...

I understand your wish not to rinse the soil completely, but I can't see it done if it is inside the cup, you can remove it from cup and remove the excess soil, you can keep the main root-ball just by the stem in soil and plant it shallow in the rocks there will be just a little bit of soil left only holding the main roots, then you can flush with water over a drain to waste, this will flush most of the soil away without too much stress on the roots, the remaining soil will not be a problem as it will disintegrate further over time. I would also suggest to do flood and drain, keep the flood level to below the soil level especially in the beginning. I do believe that it will be less stress on the plant if done right, though it is more work... good luck

that ph fluctuation was bad.. flush flush with h202 and give em microlife and little nutes