funkjunky2

when I started out 5yrs ago I was doing dirt but about 3yrs into it I got sick of how messy it was and how dirty parts of my house was because of it,also I ran into a bad fungus gnat problem with it.I researched hydro up and down before settling into an ebb and flow system.

I like to refresh my genes every couple of years and start new beans to liven things up some even though i've been on an e&b system for 2yrs I have always started beans and grown them in soil,sex them,clone them and flower out.I then take and grow my clones(f1) out and clone them(f2),I determine which of the f1 clones are the best when they flower out and use their f2 clones for mothers from that point on and keep truckin'

still with me? so for a few months I have 4-5 soil containers along with my hydro setup and it's kind of become a pain in the ass if you know what I mean.I've been too chickens#!t to try and start seeds and go straight to hydro when they sprout,I have friends that do it and say no sweat but some habits are hard to break for me.maybe it's the fear of having stuff go wrong I don't know.

the last time(6 months or so)I did this I had the gnats come back and about the time I got rid of them freakin spider mites moved in and I just got my hold on them.seems they only like the new strain I brought in(blue mystic)so I ditched it and just have my ISS right now which has been cloned from mother for 3yrs.

so I have a new order scheduled to arrive any day now and want to stay away from the dirt,somebody got any tips?I figure i'll do the cup of water method overnight and then into a piece of rockwool starter cube since I have some and then into the humidity dome,after that is what scares me

thanks and sorry for getting a little off topic.

bluecheese

Welcome to the Garden funkjunky!

Be sure to soak the rockwool in water pH'd to 5.3 for at least 8 hours before planting the seeds. Once the seeds germinate, let the roots grow long enough to reach the nutrient solution in the e&f system. They should grow from there!

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cheese

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funkjunky2

thanks for the kind welcome

i've been told two different things about putting them in the rockwool to start.one person has said to leave the plastic around the rockwool until you see the sprout start to grow good,another has said take it off from the start.both claim good results,i'd like to go with a majority concensus.

if I make it this far my next step was going to be going into my hydroton and my 1st microgarden with 1/4 strength nutes when they are about 2-3 weeks old.in the past when my beans have sprouted I have always had 100% success from there on out.this just feels like I'm stepping up to the plate to bat left instead of righthanded

bluecheese

I use the smaller rockwool cubes - mine are 1.5" cubed or so - so there is no plastic wrap. I water them from the bottom and the roots grow down. I keep a seedling heating map under them & keep a humidity dome over them until they all have sprouted.

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cheese

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funkjunky2

so most of the beans cracked overnight on saturday so sunday I went ahead and put them all in the rockwool cubes and into the humidity dome and on top of the heat mat.

went to check on them a bit ago when I got home from work and one of my BS x NL was popping out but the tap root was also,it curled up and grew to the light instead of down looks like 2 more are trying to do this also,any suggestions?


the pics kind of fuzzy but you can make the root out under the leaves forming

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HellRaiZeR

I would rip pieces of RW from the corners and lightly push and cover the roots that are lifting to the top.. This will help keep them moist, dark and re-direct them downwards..
Good luck!

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Shocker

This short thread answered 4 of the questions that was runnin through my head .

Right on for askin and right on to those that replied!

I also had a problem with those buggers, i scrubbed my cab and sprayed neem. But if you don't keep up with a neem routine they'll be back no matter what the strain. Yellow paper smeared with TangleFoot around the inside of cab helps too.

funkjunky2

well I took action before getting replies on this the other day.end result was trhe sprout losing about 1/4" off the tip of the tap root I went ahead and corrected it's growth direction and have been nursing it along.this pic is from yesterday and it looks even better today

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Snowball

I grow ebb & flow in hydroton, and when I start seeds soak them for 24 hours or so in water, then plant in cups of perlite, let them grow there under fluoros until they're big enough for hydroton, dump the cups out, gently rinse the roots and put them in hydroton like I do newly rooted clones.

Good luck with your injured plant, Funkyjunky2.

nickbags5

this thread has also answered many questions for me too. Thanks everyone. I have just recieved my first beans of durban poison and have grown out two seperate bagseed plants in soil with decent results, but am going for my first hydro grow.

my question is this, once you have the seed germed and popped and place it inside the rockwool, what's a good temp for it to be, and should I let the rw dry any or keep it damp under a hood?