4 Steps for Plantation on Rockwool Growing Medium
Originally used in thermal insulation Rockwool has become one of the commercially successful horticultural medium especially for tomatoes. This basalt rock and chalk based medium is an instrument for growers who cannot buy sophisticated hydroponic systems. Rockwool growing medium is not only pocket friendly but also easy to set up; it requires low monitoring for optimizing the level of moisture and exposure to air.
Here are simple steps to set up rockwool grow media for growing hydroponic plants –
Settling the Rockwool
You may be using a Rockwool slab, cube or rockwool in a granulated form but preparation is an important part for all of them. Flat slabs and cubes are preferable because if the surface has any notch it can result the substrate to sink or generate pocket for unwanted humidity. Consider how the drainage will take place either make some holes in the plastic wrapper or on the base of the cube / slab. When there is no proper channel for the nutrient medium to pass away it is not recycled and sits in the rockwool substrate.
Use hydroponic system such as a tray that has channels designed if you are in experienced growers.
2. Marinating the Drainage
It is important to fully dampen the Rockwool before use; you can also adjust the pH of water before you dampen this grow media. Generally with the high quality brands you do not need to check the pH as their rockwool product settle to pH about 5.5 unless of course you have hard water supplied in your house. In case of hard water you need a little acidification before preparing the nutrient medium.
Saturate the Rockwool fully so that your entire medium is first wet and then drained.
You can either pour water before the making holes to see that how you can provide good drench or directly irrigate it enough that it is saturated fully.
3. Don’t Forget the Holes
Holes and slits are mandatory to cut in the plastic sleeves. You do not need one but several cuts on the base of your Rockwool medium. If you are using granulated Rockwool place it in a pot or container with several holes in the bottom of drainage.
4. How to Irrigate
Dippers are the best tools for irrigating the slabs and blocks. A drip irrigation system pouring about two liters water nutrient per hour with one dripper serving each plant can be a good choice. A standard slab can hold up to four plants; as a consequence you need four drips for each slab. Even if one of your drippers gets blocked or does not work the slab will still be enough damp for a proper plant growth.
Known by many names like mineral wool and stone Rockwool, this medium is a prevailing choice for growers. Using the above steps you can be sure that the plants are rooted perfectly into the Rockwook cubes , slabs or other forms you use.