In this video I’ll show you a different way to start seeds on hydroponic clay pebbles, without using rockwool. Rockwool is a great way to seeds, but there are hydroponic growers who don’t like using rockwool, and are always looking for alternatives. If you’ve tried to start seeds on clay pebbles, you know it works, there are usually wasted seeds that fall down between the cracks in the clay pebbles. One advantage to starting seeds in rockwool, is that the seeds stay where you put them, in the hole in the center of the cube. Not so with planting seeds on clay pebbles, the seeds rarely stay where you want them to. In this video I’ll show you a method to keep the seeds where you want them to stay, without rockwool! Amazon links to products used in the video:
Mars hydro light: https://amzn.to/34ZJwQO
Clay pebbles: https://amzn.to/3pBDMEI
Net cups: https://amzn.to/38SF1Zo
Tiny Tim seeds: https://amzn.to/352Q4OK
I was wondering what is the silver reflective that you have hung up in the back of your plants??
Thanks for sharing, when should i remove the paper towel?
Anyone trying this, do not waste your time folding the paper towel. It does not stay folded as you can see in the video, and when folded it becomes too thick to fit through the net cup and just shreds into pieces.
I also testet this. But my paper towel desolved to quick. I used cotton wick and it worked like a charm. And they are reusable. But just laying a papertowel pice on top of claypebbles and keeping them partly in water untill the roots come out of the net pot did also work.
YOU had all the answers to my questions!! YAY!! Thank you!! Will be watching much more of your content!
Genius!! I was looking for an alternative to rockwool. This is perfect!
Love it! Prefect!
I always used tissue or paper towel for germination, and then moved them to coco coir instead of clay pebble.
I tried this with 2 types of spinach and 2 types of lettuce and it was a complete failure. Once lettuce germinated in a couple days, grew to about an inch, then just fell over and died. The paper towel also started turning black so don't know what that is. The two spinach seeds have been sitting for 16 days and have not germinated. The other lettuce germinated a few weeks ago but doesn't seem to be growing. Used the exact same fertilizer, 32 oz mason jars covered in foil and a grow light.
How do you avoid getting mold on your paper towel as they grow? That's the main thing I'd be concerned about.
That what super informative thanks so much ❤️
subscribed…where were you before I ordered a bunch of rockwool to go with my clay pebbles? lol
Great video! Did you cut the paper towel below the net cup after the roots grew in?
Tikki, I leaned so much from you. Love your energy and method of experimentation!
Very very interesting! Thanks for the video. You moved the tomatoes to a larger reservoir – I assume they stay in their net cup forever? My understanding is a rockwool plug can be placed in a larger rockwool cube which can then later be dropped into a much larger net basket. Will your tomato plant reach full productivity in its original net cup?
It seems the paper towel would disintegrate after awhile.???
Do you leep them under lights while waiting for them to germinate? Also at what temperature?
So we’ll explained! Fantastic format and easy to watch/understand.
I’m definitely doing this.
Hi, im a beginner in hydroponics here in india. Learning so much from you, thanks. I watched your video where you used paper towel instead of rockwool and was wondering ,can i use like cotton for its bed ? Im sure i can make some kinda wick out of it. What do you think ?
are there any ways to prevent algae from growing? i tried this method last year and what happened is that algae grew in the white paper towel. also the lettuce roots had difficulty in tearing through the paper towels. I don't know what happened. i didn't even fold the towels. is this also due to the fact that I've used a master blend tomato formula? i ordered it accidentally instead of the formula for lettuce. sorry I'm a newbie in hydroponics and since that incident i haven't tried it again.
Thank you!
I use organic cotton balls! Over time they disintegrate as the plant grows and doesn’t have any harmful chemicals in it
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! It seemed like EVERYONE used rockwool in their hydroponic systems, until I decided to actually look up "Hydroponics without rockwool". This video was basically MADE for me. I thought I would have to come up with a genius solution myself! Thanks so much for this video!!
What combination [ NPK ] of Nutrient you're using
you are a great teacher, so clear and practical, many thanks!
Do you require to pour nutrient solution?
This is a super idea! Thanks!