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seeds Rockwool germination.

M

melv1n

Gday all.

Today im going to attempt to germinate in rockwool for the first time. I have some fatali, naga's and 7 pots.

Im rather curious as to the prep required for rockwool.
Do i soak them right through the first time? Should i still place i fine sheet of manure or something over the seeds? and wouldnt this open them up to mold? I under stand they have good water retainment so really they shouldnt need watering too often, especially in a green house or propagation chamber, correct?

This is my first year starting from seed and my 2nd start for the season. My last attempt was in jiffy pots and despite about 90% germination we had 1 day of around 42 degree celsious weather and within hours the plants dried up and withered. So im hoping for a medium that retains water a little better.

Cheers
Pete
 
Cheers mate. Actually i was incorrect on my first medium, it was the little coir pots. I was of the opinion the pot themselves was soaking up too much moisture as i was playing a delicate balance between soaking them and spraying water on them. Essentially i had them not moist enough and they dried out in a matter of hours and 6 hours or so bone dry in that heat was the end of the poor blighters.

This time around i will leave a constant small amount of water in the bottom of the tray.
Also thanks for the link, i did read that thread and it didnt answer my 2 main q's. however the pics show no medium on top of the seads so...im not sure basicly.

Cheers mate
Pete
 
Rockwool is inert, but needs the pH adjusted to be used. First, adjust the pH in a glass of water to 4 with pH down or the juice of an entire lemon. Soak as many cubes as you need overnight in the acidic solution. Shake it a few times until there is only a couple drops coming out and add your seeds.
 
I adjust mine to 5.5 ph as recommended on the package I buy, and use a tray with a dome and an electic heating mat.
 
Excellent info. One more question. When the plant pops up should i not worry about any fertalizing untill after i transplant?

Cheers fella's

Pete
 
You wont need to add nutrients until the plant is capable of photosynthesis, so when it gets its first true leaves, you can probably start doing a 1/2 strength nutrient solution.
 
And the seed is simply placed into the hole with nothing atop it? That bit seems odd. but i suppose it's protected.

Apologies for the annoying q's. I just really dont want to screw this batch up.

Cheers
Pete
 
melv1n said:
And the seed is simply placed into the hole with nothing atop it? That bit seems odd. but i suppose it's protected.

Apologies for the annoying q's. I just really dont want to screw this batch up.

Cheers
Pete
Click to expand...

I pushed some of the rockwool over the seeds to cover them, mainly to make sure the hat gets pulled off then it sprouts, but Im not sure what everyone else does.
 
The only thing I did with the rockwool is wet it with warm water - from the tap - I have well water here so no chlorine. Be careful as a chunk of rockwool is fragile when wet. Then I used a 1 gallon jug filled with hot tap water mixed with a tablespoon of Miracle Grow Bloom Booster - it's blue crystals and turns the water blue. After I placed the seeds in the rockwool I wet them with the warm seed starter solution of MGBB and then poured more of the solution in the bottom of my growing tray up to about 1/4 the height of the rockwool. Seems to have worked well so far. Fatalii from Finland has a page here about using rockwool - http://www.fatalii.net/growing/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=100&Itemid=107 My photos are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bigt61/ - check the 2009 Seedlings set, I'm updating it often.
 
Excellent link bigt. Thanks mate.
And everyone else that offered advice. Things should go well this time.
I have been watching the comp so far, all the best mate, looks like your off to a good start.
 
I've read Fatalii's guide on germination with rockwool, and decided to give it a crack myself.

I've got a mini greenhouse that has a smaller tray inside it that is more of a rack with holes that the rockwool sits on. I've put water in the bottom, bought a real cheap water pump and what they call an "air curtain", and given it a crack.

If it works well, I'll probably germinate my 2009 plants this way.
 
Well last time i started them wrapped in tissue, wet and placed in semi open sandwich bags on a heating mat for a week before potting them in my coir pots. This time i started them in the bags again and this afternoon realised i should just set them up in the rockwool and be done with it. After around 54 hours in the bags 4 naga's are already shooting. Seeds are from a reputible source too, no ebay orange hab naga's.
I also tested the temp in my chamber a few hours after i set them up in the rockwool and it was 32.2 inside the cube. Perhaps mildly hot but im happy with that as i have no temp control other then insulating the mat.
Off to a good start then.

Peace
Pete
 
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