A Comprehensive Guide to Preparing Rockwool for Hydroponics Farming

 Made by melting basaltic rock and spinning the modern mix into thin fibres, rockwool is one of the most demanded growing medium for hydroponic cultivation. Due to being chemically and biologically inert, they create an ideal growing medium for hydroponic growing systems. It has an excellent water-holding capacity and by using it, all nutrients have an immediate effect on the plant. Another benefit of using rockwool cubes is that it can be reused for plants with different botanical families. Although they are a man-made product, they are acceptable in organic growing systems because of the basaltic salt and rock constituents.

Before using rockwool for hydroponics, it’s important to prepare it for use. Unlike other growing media, rockwool has a high pH. Thus, setting up the rockwood media is a bit tricky. Here we have shared the step-wise detail toward it.

1. Check the dents and holes

Whether you are using the rockwool grow media in the form of cubes or granulated rockwool, it is important to check that there are no indentations. Dents and holes will cause the material to sink and there will be pockets of unwanted moisture. Apart from that, it’s important to consider that the solution should drain away from the slab. Otherwise, the material would end up in a pool of stagnant waste nutrients.

2. Wet it

It’s great to adjust the pH of the water to 5.5 before wetting up rockwool. However, it’s not required for a smaller system unless the water you are going to use is too hard. Before the drainage holes have been cut, rockwool should be fully wetted.

3. Let it settle

Once your rockwool grow cubes are ready to use, do not add a plant to it. Rather, water it for a few days without adding any plant. Now, it’s important to keep a close eye on the pH level. It should come to a stable level of 5.5 to 6.0 before use.

4. Set the irrigation system

The most common way of applying nutrients to rockwool is by using dippers. You should arrange dippers in such a way that the entire slab will always get enough irrigation.

With the above-mentioned ideas in hand, you can prepare your rockwool for plantation.