Can anybody tell me how long it will take for roots to come through the side of my rockwool cubes.I am new to hydro and growing,and rcently purchased my first set up which is an nft gt 640.I germinated 5 ak 48 seedlings in rockwool cubes 2 weeks ago and they are now all sprouting roots to the underside of the cubes but none at all through the sidewall.i understand that the cubes must have a good cluster of roots at the sides before i can transfer them into system in order for them to breath.I am getting very inpatient now as have not seen any progress at side of cubes at all and am tempted to transfer now.Is this a good idea?

how long have you been doing them?
when i do cuttings they are busting roots after 2 weeks but this grow ive used seed and took lil' bit longer

you can transplant them straight away, soon as any roots show, you don't want to inhibit its growth

most of the time mine come out the bottom first, occassionally through the sides

i guess it depends a lot on where the root sprouts from on the stem

but naturally it will grow downwards, as thats where the plant thinks the water is, far as i know

i've had cuttings come through anything from 5 days upto 21 days, average is about 16 i reckon

As long as you have roots on the underside, it al good.
I have never seen roots to the side of my cubes, and the plants did just fine.

bout 16 days from seed. after 7 days smaller cubes were showing roots at sides and underside so transfered to large cubes.at 10 days roots showed at underside of large cubes which are now thriving,but still no sighn of sidewall roots.do i need to wait?

[quote name='Dometick' date='Oct 17 2009, 12:51 AM' post='1962058']
you can transplant them straight away, soon as any roots show, you don't want to inhibit its growth

most of the time mine come out the bottom first, occassionally through the sides

i guess it depends a lot on where the root sprouts from on the stem

but naturally it will grow downwards, as thats where the plant thinks the water is, far as i know

i've had cuttings come through anything from 5 days upto 21 days, average is about 16 i reckon
[/quot
are you growing nft? instructions with my system stress that cubes must be showing roots at sides so that roots have access to oxygen.

yes, i'm in nft

one of the major benefits of rockwool is that it holds a lot of air as opposed to soil

unless they're sat saturated in water/nurient they should have plenty of air in there

remember, the bottom is a side also, if you know what i mean!

You got any pics of your set up BR? thats a big tank your space is in the loft is it not? must be a big loft mate.

[quote name='Dometick' date='Oct 17 2009, 01:19 AM' post='1962076']
yes, i'm in nft

one of the major benefits of rockwool is that it holds a lot of air as opposed to soil

unless they're sat saturated in water/nurient they should have plenty of air in there

remember, the bottom is a side also, if you know what i mean!
[ Cheers Dometick
so once theyre in my system wont the underside be constantly saturated?
I have read that nutes should be flowing 24hrs per day,yet others say 4 times 15 mins per day.
Got this far,dont want to fk things up,your advice is very much appreciated!

GT604 nft grow tank 60"x19"x7.5"
60ltr rez
sorry no pics"roach"

I have just planted some seeds 10.5 days ago and the roots (3-4 on each plant) are already out of the bottom of the Larger cubes which the plants were put in at 5-6 days old when the roots were showing in the small cubes. The roots are storming along and are longer than the plants are high. Guess it depends on the conditions and the type of seed used. I have been using a weak solution of vitalink plant start with RO water at a PH of 5.5. Hope they keep growing well and dont fook up, and hope urs show soon. Good luck.

Regards cain1.

yes, it will

long as the nutrient/water is aerated the roots seem to like it

i took this photo for you of a veg table i've got running as an nft

its got a 400w T5 light on 18/6 covering it

this table used to be an flood and drain table, and you would never see any roots, the heat/dryness would stop them showing themselves outside the bottom of the cube

but a mate showed me his veg tray set up as an nft and i was amazed that the roots didn't seem to mind the light at all - as long as they stay aerated and wet

least it seems that way eh looking at this pic?

you can't really tell, but there is a layer of nutrient constantly flowing left to right

they've been in there for a few days

Click to view attachment

why not just stick a lid over them?

hey dometick im probs not the only one here in thinkin this but i'd get some clay pebbles to cover those roots up, Roots naturally like to be in the dark for best plant growth.

reason i don't have a lid on the tank is cos it gets changed around too frequently, plants get put in different positions as they grow

i start with a higher number than i need in the table when i have the room, then cull some as they grow until i've got the number i want

this is a veg table, so they're not in there that long before they're moved into flower, i was just trying to show how the roots are happy being in nutrient and don't seem to mind the light

as i say, this nft method i've only adopted fairly recently after being impressed with someone else's similar set up, the same table used to be flood and drain

if there's any reason i shouldn't be doing it this way please tell as i'm happy as larry with it!

if you're growing from seed then you'll get a 'tap root' that generally heads downwards, you get alot of side roots if growing from clones

Hello everyone,

I'm new to growing and I had major problems with Rockwool cubes and Cindie99 recommend Root Riot cubes, I haven't looked back since!!

check out my blog it help http://www.uk420.com/boards/index.php?showtopic=192183