Clarification when germinating in Rockwool

[Jr420]

Hi everyone,

First time growing in Rockwool and i put my seeds in 1.5in cubes after soaking them for an hour in 5.5ph water. Covered the hole with the Rockwool and put a plastic dome on top of tray left at 72*f dark in my grow tent.

I have been reading articles saying that they have the light on while germinating. I thought seeds like to be moist, humid, 70-80*f, and in the dark.

I am 3 days into germinating and don't see much (as expected to this point prob 5to7 days to see anything), but am wondering based on other articles, if I should turn on the veg lights or keep in dark.

Any help would be great, thanks in advance!

[NebulaHaze]

Everyone has their own process for germination. Some growers germinate in the dark and that definitely works. I personally keep the lights on, or turn them on after 24 hours, because I feel like seeds germinate faster that way. There's some evidence that very small amounts of light can help "stir" seeds into germinating and help them find their way up to the surface, though you want to prevent the roots from being exposed to direct light. A grow light being turned on also helps keep the seeds warm. Unless it's very dry where you live, I've also found that I get better germination rates without a humidity dome (though domes work perfectly for clones) because too much wetness can "drown" seedlings. Your seeds will also germinate better when it's warm like you said, so keeping the temperature between 75-80°F can also help them sprout faster. If not planting the seeds directly under the light, I've had good results sprouting them on top of the fridge since it stays nice and warm there

Sometimes seeds can take a week or more to sprout, so it hasn't been too long yet! Just try to make sure the rockwool stays moist but not soaking, and that everything stays warm. I hope that helps, and feel free to post pictures of your setup for a second opinion!

[Jr420]

Thanks for the great reply informing me on both the dark and light process! I think u have helped on more than one post which is greatly appreciated. I'll post a couple pics if I can ,grow tent in the closet so it's hard to angle my camera. I basically have a 3x3x6 tent with a 600w led that pulls 275 that has both the veg and bloom switch. Do u recommend starting on the 18/6 or 24/0 light schedule.

Also it's hard to tell if a seed has germinated in Rockwool because the root is under the surface, any ideas on how to check without disturbing the root or just wait for it to sprout from top?

ThAnks

[OzBud]

Just wait, not worth the risk disturbing them. They're very fragile when they just sprout

[Jr420]

Thanks I will give it at least a week to see if any sprouts appear

[alltatup]

Hi Jr, welcome to the forum! Just remember to put them under the light as soon as you see the seedling emerging. A little more heat--like if you have a germination pad around 80 degrees--might help them come up faster. I don't pre-soak my seeds, so it can definitely take a few days to see them emerge...

[NebulaHaze]

I feel like an 18/6 light schedule is a good choice if you're worried about heat, since you can have the 6 hours of lights-off be during the hottest part of the day. It's also a good choice if you've got sick plants, since they tend to be more resilient if they get a bit of a rest each day. However, you'll usually get slightly faster vegetative growth if you give them 24 hours of light a day, and it's perfect if you've got a cold grow space since it will keep your plants warm. I personally keep my lights on an 18/6 schedule but I've done it both ways and both work great!

[Jr420]

Thanks again I'll do the 18/6 because it's not that cold any More. Good news I could see a couple roots inside the Rockwool yesterday but decided to let them stay without light for another day to be on the safe side.

[alltatup]

Jr, once you see growth on top, i.e., once the seedlings emerge, you have to put them under lights immediately or they will stretch and turn yellow.

[Jr420]

I moved around the top layer of Rockwool which was covering the seed to see if a root was there. I saw the root but was wondering if it will pop out of the top. The seed was placed at a depth of about 3x the size of the seed which makes me concerned if it will have enough strength to push through the top. Do you think I should be patient give it another couple days without light or because i saw the root turn on the light now.

Thanks for your commeny

[OzBud]

3x the seed depth should be fine. I usually plant seeds (cannabis, vegetables, herbs) about 10mm deep

[Jr420]

I turned my heat up so that its around 80 degrees where they are and i see more growth at that degree than 72degress. As always thanks for the insight

[alltatup]

Just be patient, Jr. ;-}

[Jr420]

So hard to be patient on the first grow.! Have done a ton of research and in am excited to see what happens.

But I'll b patient.

Thanks

[alltatup]

I'm only on my third grow now, but I killed quite a few seeds and seedlings on my first grow using rockwool. On the second grow I switched to Root Riots, and I knew what I was doing a little bit more and had a better germination rate. Now on my third grow; used the Root Riots again and I like them a lot better than the tiny rockwool cubes.
I'm a hydroponic grower, and my grow box came with a bunch of rockwool, so I'm still using the larger rockwool cubes that go into the net pots. I didn't soak my seeds overnight; I just popped em in the Root Riot (big end down so it'll stand up), put my germination tray on a germ. heating pad and left them alone (except for keeping them moist). 5 seeds germinated in 4-5 days.
What's great about growing our own is that it's totally hands on, so we are going to learn from the failures as much as from the successes. On my first grow, I had nothing to compare to and had never germinated a seed in my life; now I have a feel for it. It IS so exciting to watch cannabis grow!!! Man have I had my ups and downs, though!!! It's all in the game.