How to grow plants in Rockwool - maximum yield, how to use rockwool cubes for growing, seed starting, and more.

It is easier to enjoy growing high yielding crops with these rockwool grow tips.Professional growers have used Rockwool as a high production soilless grow media for decades.The control that experienced growers have over air to water ratios in the root zone allows them to push growth and increase yields with rockwool.Not understanding how to work with rockwool can lead to unfavorable results.Follow our rockwool grow tips to get the most out of your crop.

The quality and performance of rockwool varies.The physical structure of the rockwool determines how much water it can hold as well as how water moves through the medium to supply crops.Fast draining structures are more difficult to repair.Rockwool irrigation automation can be done with a pump and timer.Rockwool growing can be used for irrigation systems with dosers.

Rockwool is best used with formulas that don't contain organic matter.There are serious problems caused by organic particles in the rockwool.For the best results, keep it clean and sterile.

One way to work with rockwool is to keep increasing the size of the cube, slab or container until the final transplant for bloom or fruiting.For example.

Start seeds in rockwool plugs, established transplants into 3 or 4 inch cubes for veg, transplant well veg'd cubes onto bigger cubes, slabs or containers of granules, bloom or fruit plants in final size until harvest or termination.

You don't need a lot of rockwool for a small plant.Less is more with rockwool.The amount of media around the roots causes water to drain away faster.Plants have more air and you can use it to irrigate.This is better for plants and production.Don't push it too far though, if a pump misses a cycle or a line you will have a hard time getting your crop to grow.

A 6 inch cube or pot is the minimum.A small slab or a 1 gallon pot with granules can be used to support a plant that is two to three feet tall.

It's nice to work with, they come wrapped in plastic sleeves and there is a notch on the bottom of the cube that allows drainage even on a completely flat surface.The structure of the fibres in cubes causes them to drain fast.When fully saturated, rockwool cubes may hold a little too much water.As plants grow, start with the smaller sizes and work your way up.Once plants have strong root systems, you can stack a cube on top of a four or six inch cube.They are great for flood and drain irrigation systems.

Rockwool slabs have a horizontal fibre orientation so they drain slower.Rockwool slabs are usually just wider and longer than cubes.Once plants are established in a rockwool cube or mesh bottomed pot, they are placed on a plastic wrap that has a spot in it for roots to contact, anchoring the pot or cube and giving plenty of room.Slabs are almost exclusively irrigated with top feed drips and spaghetti lines.

There is great value and flexibility here.The rockwool is supplied in a big compressed bale and is used to fill pots, beds, containers, etc.Inexpensive to buy and you don't need much per plant, a one gallon mesh pot of absorbent flock can support a three foot tall bush with frequent irrigation.Good for flood and drain applications.

Pre-treatment is needed for Rockwool prior to use.This step should not be skipped.Grockwool needs to bebuffered with a mildly acid solution for 24 hours prior to use.The pre treatment helps remove any unwanted particles from the manufacturing process.Dry rockwool can cause irritation to the skin and lungs, while wet is easy and safe to work with.

One of the best rockwool grow tips is to let it dry out between waterings.Get to know how heavy a cube, slab or container of rockwool is after fully saturated.You want the Rockwool to be filled with air and water.Crop production will suffer if you irrigate too frequently and the pore space will be full of water and not enough air.

Plugs and cubes with a humidity dome.If the domes are ready to come off, there won't be any need for an additional solution.

3 inch to 6 inch rockwool cubes and slabs, after pre-treatment and transplant, it is not likely any additional water or nutrients will be required for at least a few days.When the next irrigation is required should be monitored closely.

It is easy to set up compared to top feed systems.The pots with rockwool are irrigated from the bottom up through a Hydroponic table.At the end of the flood cycle, a timer shuts off the pump and the media and table drain, drawing in fresh air for roots while providing water and nutrients for the crop to feed.Very reliable.

It is a good idea to top feed with a mild solution and drain to waste once a week or two in order to keep the build up in the upper portion of the rockwool to a minimum.

Initially, young established plants may only require one flood/drain cycle every 24 hours, with frequency gradually increasing to 3 to 6 flood cycles daily over the course of weeks.If your flood cycle takes less than 5 minutes to fill the tray and begin draining, try to size up your pump and tubing.Flood cycles are adjusted according to the last two weeks of the crop's use of water.

You can use different lengths of tubing in the overflow drain to control depth in a flood and drain set up.Irrigating from the bottom up by a third of the growing media's depth is enough.For a three inch cube a one inch level depth during the flood cycle is enough, while for a six inch block a two inch depth is sufficient.

Larger volumes of rockwool like slabs or large cubes are typically the subject of top feeding.The advantage of top feeding is being very precise in how much and how often solution is applied to help maintain air to water ratios for roots at optimal all the time.Sometimes top feeding is done manually with a wand and hose.

A precise timer is required for feeding rockwool with spaghetti tubing.For best results, short intervals at higher frequencies are more desirable for pushing crops and reestablishing oxygen levels in the root zone.

Calibrating a system for irrigation.The open ends are preferred.

If you have a barrel filter installed in the system, open ended spaghetti lines will not block if you clean the drips with regularity.Pressure compensators from an irrigation supply can be used to maintain even flow and allow for reasonable irrigation durations.A ball valve can be installed in the system to help regulate flow rates.