Heres what I know, Hydro roots are different from Soil roots.
Hydro roots are thicker and straighter and soil roots are thinner and have many more branches and meandering curves to them (like rivers).
I'm growing in soil and only plan to grow in soil.
The clones are in rockwool cubes under a humidity dome that covers most of the container. Each cube is in its own little cup. This is my first attempt and after successfully rooting a few in rockwool I realized that it might be difficult to transition them to soil.
What is the best way to clone for a soil grower?
When I first took clones I put them all into rockwool and now that they have thick hydro roots sticking out, I am unsure if surrounding the cube with soil would be good for the clone.
Can the hydro roots live in the soil?
How high should the humidity be?
I've read that....
-The new clones should be slowly weened off of high humidity when put into soil from rockwool.
-Root rot?
-It is important to let the soil dry out completely in order to cause the roots to stretch into the soil.
-It is better to plant the rockwool cube into a smaller container of soil because the less soil you have the quicker it will dry out causing the roots to stretch.
-Allow the roots in the rockwool to get big before putting them into soil so that they will be able to reach into the soil when it comes time to transplant.
With all of this information I know that moderation is always important. I think optimum humidity levels for the plant will be hard to maintain. As far as I know, hydro roots need very high humidity but at the same time soil roots need to be drenched and then allow to completely dry. When putting rockwool cubes into soil in the past I have noticed that the cubes dry up and the surrounding soil absorbs the moisture. I think that no matter what this will cause stress on the plant. I don't know if the plant can take it.
My thoughts..
-A few days (anywhere from 2-5) before transplanting from wool to soil, sprinkle some soil around and under the rockwool. As a way to get the clone ready to make the transition to soil.
-If I allow the roots in rockwool to grow any longer before transplanting into soil, the roots will be exposed to the light. Light is bad for roots. I don't know how I feel about letting the roots get any longer than a quarter inch poking out of the rockwool.
-I'd like to wet down the rockwool before transplanting it into soil and carefully break open small sections of the rockwool. I believe that this would allow a little bit of soil to get into the rockwool, making the transition to soil less stressful. As long as the root system was not damaged, I would be extremely careful.
Finally, the only reason I am cloning in rockwool is because I have heard it is easier than soil. Rockwool is a very common method, but Is it the right method for someone who wants to grow in soil?
Maybe I should be going right into soil. Would a rapid rooter be better than rockwool for the transition to soil?
Tell me what you think.
Hydro roots are thicker and straighter and soil roots are thinner and have many more branches and meandering curves to them (like rivers).
I'm growing in soil and only plan to grow in soil.
The clones are in rockwool cubes under a humidity dome that covers most of the container. Each cube is in its own little cup. This is my first attempt and after successfully rooting a few in rockwool I realized that it might be difficult to transition them to soil.
What is the best way to clone for a soil grower?
When I first took clones I put them all into rockwool and now that they have thick hydro roots sticking out, I am unsure if surrounding the cube with soil would be good for the clone.
Can the hydro roots live in the soil?
How high should the humidity be?
I've read that....
-The new clones should be slowly weened off of high humidity when put into soil from rockwool.
-Root rot?
-It is important to let the soil dry out completely in order to cause the roots to stretch into the soil.
-It is better to plant the rockwool cube into a smaller container of soil because the less soil you have the quicker it will dry out causing the roots to stretch.
-Allow the roots in the rockwool to get big before putting them into soil so that they will be able to reach into the soil when it comes time to transplant.
With all of this information I know that moderation is always important. I think optimum humidity levels for the plant will be hard to maintain. As far as I know, hydro roots need very high humidity but at the same time soil roots need to be drenched and then allow to completely dry. When putting rockwool cubes into soil in the past I have noticed that the cubes dry up and the surrounding soil absorbs the moisture. I think that no matter what this will cause stress on the plant. I don't know if the plant can take it.
My thoughts..
-A few days (anywhere from 2-5) before transplanting from wool to soil, sprinkle some soil around and under the rockwool. As a way to get the clone ready to make the transition to soil.
-If I allow the roots in rockwool to grow any longer before transplanting into soil, the roots will be exposed to the light. Light is bad for roots. I don't know how I feel about letting the roots get any longer than a quarter inch poking out of the rockwool.
-I'd like to wet down the rockwool before transplanting it into soil and carefully break open small sections of the rockwool. I believe that this would allow a little bit of soil to get into the rockwool, making the transition to soil less stressful. As long as the root system was not damaged, I would be extremely careful.
Finally, the only reason I am cloning in rockwool is because I have heard it is easier than soil. Rockwool is a very common method, but Is it the right method for someone who wants to grow in soil?
Maybe I should be going right into soil. Would a rapid rooter be better than rockwool for the transition to soil?
Tell me what you think.