I have a hydro system with a submersible pump and air pump , i used rockwool cubes to germinate. Im using hydroton rocks for "soil" , they are done germinating and i was told i can put the whole rockwool cube in the net pot with the hydroton rocks. Is this true? because ive already done it and my other question am i suppose to leave the water pump on all the time? Because the rockwool cubes look like there just getting drowned in water
Yes you can. Rockwool that is constantly wet and lit is a perfect place for algae to breed. If you have hydroton rocks covering your rockwool, light doesn't get to it and no algae. Additionally, the rockwool will hold moisture longer and can be wicked to other roots in the event of a pump failure. Minimal insurance. No. You do not want to drown your rockwool. This will cause fungus, disease and death. I'm assuming you have an ebb and flow (or flood and drain) type system. You want to flood the grow tray only long enough to saturate your grow rocks and rockwool. I flood for 10 minutes at a time. You want to flood often enough that your roots and grow medium never dry out. I flood 3-4 times a day, once my roots are coming out of the rockwool.
[quote name='OCDinFL']Yes you can. Rockwool that is constantly wet and lit is a perfect place for algae to breed. If you have hydroton rocks covering your rockwool, light doesn't get to it and no algae. Additionally, the rockwool will hold moisture longer and can be wicked to other roots in the event of a pump failure. Minimal insurance. yea i have a SH bubbleponics, this might sound stupid , but is it bad to have algae or do you want algae?