Pre-soaking Grodan Pargro Blocks - How long? How much? When?

[EricLikezTomato]

I brought home two clones yesterday that are in 2x2" pots filled with Coco fiber and would like to transfer them to 6" Grodan blocks.

I have read some material on transplanting them, but the following is unclear.

How long do I need to soak the blocks before transplanting?
How much water (How high on the 6" blocks should the water be?)
When is the right time to transfer from the Coco to the blocks?

Regarding how long to soak, I have seen mixed answers. Anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours.

I haven't really seen anything on how much water to use, but I would imagine you would want them submerged considering the top of the block will house the transplanted clone.

I am also unsure on how to visually tell when I need to make the transfer to the blocks. I have seen alot around you can tell by the roots of the clones in the 2x2" pots, but not sure exactly what is the telling sign.

Any help with this would be appreciated!

Here are some pictures of the clones.

 

[bsgospel]

If the majority of your 2x2 is roots, you're good to go. Are the clones entirely surrounded by coco or is there a plug of some variety in there? Point being- you would want to shake off all the coco and only plant the roots and plug, filling in any gaps with more grodan material for stability and coverage.

The blocks should be completely submerged and soaked for a minimum of 6 hrs @ 5.5ph imo. The grodan comes filled with lime at a ph of 8 if i recall. So you want all corners of that block recalibrated. Once they're soaked, pull them out and flush with your nutrients and ph of desire. Lightly shake out the blocks so they're not completely impacted and allow a bit of oxygen to take on some space.

 

[Genes]

I was assured by a grodan rep that the new processes when forming the basalt lava does not leave behind as much lime like it used to.

A 2 minute soak at roughly 6 pH should be good to go and rinsing with the required solution is a simple quick trick. I do like to flush my rockwool from the top down after to get the extra Fibre dust and such out. Never had any issues and I used to do part time work taking and maintaining trays for a large garden. Rockwool is awesome if you are. Hehe.

Edit: I forgot you're going Coco into this. I'd probably try to quarantine the plant and root a cutting into a starter rockwool block that will not be mixed media on your transplant. The pargro cubes tend to drain quickly and in fact may even say that on the side. I fear the Coco nest may dry out faster than welcomed when the cube pulls the moisture down. Your results may vary but keep an eye on it and you should have no real issue.