My first hydroponic grow is going gang busters… I’ll never go back to soil. Thing is, i started this grow with clones from my Clone King. Which means they had roots around 6" long. Real easy to transplant to my system.
This time around I have to start from seeds. I know how to germinate them, but how do I get them in my hydroponic system? The roots won’t be long enough to reach the water.
I use 5.5 gallon buckets with 6" net pots with clay pebbles. I keep the water 2" below the net pots.
I simply use rockwool cubes to sprout my seedlings. By the time the roots are poking out the bottom of the rockwool, they’re fully able to stretch down to the water. The key is having the airstones pushing enough water into the system that micro-bubbles burst on the water surface and “spray” the bottom of the net pot.
I do top feed with about a quart of water from the reservoir (reach in with a pitcher) once every day or two to keep my rockwool or root cube moist while they work their way into the water.
Rockwool then into hydroton but I suggest top-feeding until roots reach the water. I bought a little $7 pump and an analog timer with a 5 gallon bucket. Worked great.
Hey @NYDon. Have you thought about using your clone king? I use a cheap cloner with Rockwool cubes until the roots get 3-4” long. Then I keep the water higher than normal until the roots break through the net pots.
Hey @NYDon I got them in a cloning kit from Amazon. It came with a trough and lid with 8@2” net pots. I had to cut the bottom out myself so the roots didn’t get ripped off when I pulled them out.
I’m getting these for my next run.
2 layers Cloning Collars with 2 in Net Pots and Reflective Lids, Replacement 2 inch Net Cups and 2-Layered Neoprene Inserts for 24-Sited DWC Cutting Clone & Seedling Root System (4-colored pack of 25) Amazon.com
