Rapid Rooter Plugs vs Rockwool Experiment growing Hydroponically and in Soil with Tiny Tim Tomatoes
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- Which is better for starting seeds? Rapid Rooter plugs that are infused with hydroponic micronutrients, or rockwool which is inert. In this experiment I plant Tiny Tim tomato seeds into 2 Rapid Rooter plugs, and 2 rockwool cubes. I follow the seeds through germination until about 6 weeks of growth when it becomes obvious whether there is a winner or not. I hope you enjoy this showdown between two rivals. Thanks for watching!
Smart use of the Kratkey as control. That short-legged rockwool plant was...begging for 'nutes. You really get to the root of a question and share it with us, thank you!
thanks gth042, I wish I had a pun to respond, but my mind is blank.....appreciate the comment!
Great video. You show a natural comfort with demonstrating and explaining. Like a great teacher.
When you soaked both plugs in the same water, the nutrients infused in the Rapid Rooter medium became imbued in the rockwool. You need to soak them separately to avoid cross-contamination.
*I only discovered your channel this week, my friend TIKKI O., but it is by far one of the best gardening channels out there! I have definitely rekindled my flame for a return to the ground, please don't stop gardening, keep up the content, bravooo, GO GO GO GOOOOOO!!!*
Thanks Happy Garden, I see you have a nice channel as well. I'm going to check out some of your videos as well, good luck to you!
Thank you for the video. I love the way you think (scientifically) and the bit of comedy put in the video.
I think you could also soak the rockwool with a little bit of hydroponic nutrients for starting seeds :)
Absolutely love your channel. So clear and so informative.
Thanks so much, I appreciate it!
😎✌🖖👌👍😁 have a happy thanksgiving !!!!
Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!
It's important to mention that you can charge rockwool with micronutrients the same way Root Riot has done.
Rockwool is honestly much more practical for hydroponic growers.
Most soil growers don't even have liquid CalMag on hand in order to charge Rockwool.
It's an extra step that is better suited for the hydro grower already taking extra steps to get extra results.
Root Riot just has it figured out for the soil grower with simple methodology.
I found this to be interesting as I've grown with both mediums, however this experiment only tested what comes directly out of the bag. Dunking the rockwool cubes in the same nutrient mixture that you are feeding other young plants (low ppm) will have the exact same effect as the rapid rooters and thus become an indisputably better value. Additionally, rockwool will do better with 5.8 PH whereas rapid rooters (pete moss) will do better at 6.2 PH. It's my opinion that a gardener's choice should also be determined by which medium you will be transplanting into, as a plant experiences a shock when adjusting to a new medium (IE pete moss/rockwool to DWC, rockwool to pete moss, DWC/aero to soil).
thats not the experiement, the experiment was to see if the treatment the plugs got matters
and basically what youre saying is.. its a level playing field all you have to do is treat the cubes lol.
the reason for the plugs is so you dont have to. by your logic i can take anything and ":treat it " myself.
I get it, you use rockwool. i do most of the time as well... but u can think better.
coolio. i love following your experiments. thanks for the 411.
Thanks Karron lane, I appreciate your comment!
Your videos are great. So much to learn. Thanks for sharing 👍🏻
Very interesting experiment!
Thanks Brandon!
I apologize for being pedantic, I can only measure the pixel dimension of the bag surface from my computer, but it does seem like the rockwool grow bag has 16.5% of the soil surface area of the rapidrooter bag, which would actually be 30% less soil in a cylinder shape if the rapid rooter bag is 12 inch diameter and 10 inch deep. More importantly the rapidrooter soil bag had a prime spot under the light. Another variable that would need to be controlled for a more accurate assessment would be to use cuttings to control for genetic variability of the seeds.
This was so helpful, as I do have some that I want to transplant to soil. Thanks so much!
I love your videos. I also start seeds in both. My results are very different from yours. I do one thing different I soak the rockwool in a mild seed starting fertilizer and feed the Rockwool with a mild seaweed fertilizer to make up for the food in the rapid rooters. My results were very close from start to harvest. Cost are close due to buying the liquid seaweed. I find that I use both about the same because I buy only when they are on sale. I find them on sale around September big box stores are trying to make room for Christmas. I bought everything I need to grow in the grow tent the green house and the garden in 2023 last fall 2022 on sale.
Great job Tikki thanks for the learnings!
Thanks JimmyB!
Excellent comparison video thankyou!
I enjoy your videos and wonderful experiments. For the results in the soil grow, perhaps the difference is due to the rapid rooter plants being directly under the light source? They are a few inches closer than the rockwool plants and that could account for the difference in size.
Good video as always !
Thank you for the experiment.
Thanks Vincent, I appreciate it, as always!
👋👋 Nice review @Tikki O.
Thanks Rocky USA, I appreciate it!
I find Jiffy pellets the most reliable and they can be transplanted into Rockwool cubes with no issues.
great test
Great video! Thank you.
Thank you so much for this information
I always wondered about this. Thanks🇨🇦
Thanks Marianne, I hoped it answered your questions!
I'm just really amazed that in your country they still work with cents while here in South Africa our 10cents can be found all over the ground as if people throw it away, because it does not have value. We cannot buy any item at all with it. Everything that starts with 50c are very horrible and cheap sweets.
Just thought I'd share that 👍
Interesting.
Interesting
Question: how long should Kratky plants stay under the grow lights? 24/7? Or should they get a rest at night?
24/0 vs 18/6 does not matter for any plant, the only difference is in your electric bill
What about sustainability and waste? I use rapid rooter so that I can compost the waste.
I tried then they don't work they Can't get the Roots to Come OUT
wasted my seeds+ Time!
But I Love your Video's
Sorry to hear that materialgirl338. I have good success with both rockwool and the plugs, the plugs seem to give an added boost to the plants. Update on the tiny tims, I've got cherry tomatoes! So the experiment is paying off! Thanks for the comment.
You know I must apologize this was not the plugs you mentioned the plugs I purchased were for Aerogarden and were from China.
Hello, nice video! Do you know what binder they use?
Nice test Tikki great info on both!
A little off topic but how do you like the tiny Tim’s flavor compared to aero garden cherry tomatoes in hydroponics? I know you’ve done now both. Which grown hydroponically do you prefer?
Thanks for your videos
Great question, I don't think I can give an objective assessment since I never grew them at the same time, so I never did a side by side taste test. And the memory plays tricks, but I think I like the Tiny Tim flavor better. How about you, have you tried both?
@@TikkiOOO yes I find the tiny Tim’s more tasty too
I also found out that with the aerogarden tomatoes that if I grabbed a couple to close to feeding that the taste
Was way to bitter so “Note to self grab a few days before feeding” I’m going to out on a limb though and make a educated
Guess the same will happen with tiny Tim’s
@@Trackhoe075 in other words let them continue to ripen off the vine...I'll give that a try and compare. Thanks Trackhoe075!
@@TikkiOOO and not close to feeding time 👍
Comparing the size of the seedlings isn't relevant due to the varying phenotypes and the seeds all being slightly different. You would have to be comparing Clone rooting times from the exact same mother plant to bring that into the equation.
I am from Kerala India. Your hydroponic videos are informative and amazing. I like your videos. I wish to start hydroponic cultivation. So need your help. Kindly give information's regarding the company from where I can purchase hydroponic instruments and automated systems as well as quality seeds.
google is your friend mate
You should have put the rock wool in a different container at the start and all along the experiment because the water will dilute the nutrients from the rapid rooters into the water and then it will be absorbed into the rock wool. So it negates the experiment.
why don't you do the experiment and post the results?
nice
Rockwool should have been placed in hydroponic nutrient water. Though I’d do that for both. You never know how much nutrients are in the rapid rooter plug. The hydroponic nutrient solution is the difference
I didn't think of that....thanks for the comment and suggestion, I appreciate it!
indeed !!!!
yes!!!
I'll be happy to verify your results after you send me a couple pounds worth of a sample. 👍 Good luck to you!
So sorry d.t., you are going to have to grow your own! Bon Appetite!
@@TikkiOOO I do. I have 2 tomatoes on the desk as I write this. I'll trade you! Well, it was worth a shot. Thanks anyway. 👍
I should have watched this (or any other instructional video, really 😃) before I started up my hydroponic system. 100 % failure. Oops. I'll start again. This time, I'll read the instructions.
Live and learn, right? Thanks for the comment James!
Where can I buy tiny Tim tomatoes
Hi Margie, you can do a search on Amazon or here is a link for it: amzn.to/3cyfruT
Its around $11 for 650 seeds on Amazon. Good luck Margie!
I liked your video, so I'm not trying to hate. But you're not acknowledging some white elephants in the room in all test scenarios here - A seedling will have enough energy to survive for a period of time without getting any nutrients because of it's feeder leaves ... Also, seeds aren't the same at all in terms of vigor and growth characteristics. So, a much more interesting test would be - clones or cuttings from plants rooted.
How fast does the cutting from the same mother plant take in Rockwool vs Rapid rooter?
How vigorous is the growth in different mediums side by side etc.
And of course in that instance, you should 100% have the rockwool watered with nutrient water for both plugs (like 1/4 strength or maybe even less).
Thanks Troy, you have definitely given me much to think about. I see some more experiments in the future.....
@@TikkiOOO It would be interesting to see, I'm not faulting the video either you did a reasonable amount to standardize it on your end. Though I do agree seeds are a big variable of their own, you always get a few that take off, and a few that lag behind.
Not super consistent, at least small scale, you could argue average size if there was 10-15 of each but still I think propagation would be a interesting comparison maybe with a side comparison to traditional potting soil, and possible potting soil and rooting hormone as well.
Have you tried Oasis cubes?
No I haven't. They look expensive, are they good?
@@TikkiOOO I haven’t tried them yet as I am using up my rockwool cubes. They are pricey!
Rapid rooter is better, always germinate better than Rockwool for me
The Tiny Tim seeds germinated the same in both, I'm curious what seeds you find germinate better in the rapid rooter? Thanks for the comment!
Third
?
Rapid rooter is better
Great info! Thank you!
Thanks Genevieve!