Rockwool cloning

[A. Jones]

Im in this situation where im leaving for 7-10 days every once in a while due to work.
What i used to do was,i watered the rockwool cubes thoroughly before i left home,and they lasted for a week without problems.Then i came home for a weekend,before i left i watered again,but those that were already rooted didnt stay moist for the whole week,most likely because they were already "drinking",and dried up. So i usually put them into soil right after the first week and everything was fine.
But now i want to make some cuttings for a friend of mine and i cant put them into soil. So im trying to come up with an idea how to make them survive the second or even the third week without it.
Im thinking about filling up a tray with perlite,fill them nearly all the way up with water and simply put the cubes onto them. The problem is,i havent tried that before and i cannot afford loosing them. So i wanted to ask if anyone has been dealing with such conditions,or has any idea how to make it work.
I tried aero/dwc cloners but they didnt work well for me.
Thanks everyone for their advice.

 

[RockinRobot]

Set up a small DIY flood and drain system for them .

 

[Ganoderma]

A flood and drain tray most likely would work best for you. That would allow you to be away for a while and not have to worry about them drying out on you before you get back.

 

[A. Jones]

Thank you. I agree,ebb and flow would be the best,but also kinda pricey for me right now. What do you think about the perlite tray idea? The thing im not sure about is,if the perlite will be able to wick the moisture high enough to wet the cubes. Kinda like in the hempy bucket style.

 

[thejact55]

I have done exactly that, perlite full with water to top, and cover with some breathing holes to slow evaporation.
Theyll stay wet, possible too wet. Dont be suprisef to find some mildew algea ect or whatever growing on the cubes when you get back. But they will stay wet and survive...just hope the cube isnt growing too much stuff if they are rooted, or swap out cubes if roots arent established.

 

[Medfinder]

Thank you. I agree,ebb and flow would be the best,but also kinda pricey for me right now. What do you think about the perlite tray idea? The thing im not sure about is,if the perlite will be able to wick the moisture high enough to wet the cubes. Kinda like in the hempy bucket style.

with a some vermiculite it would.

 

[A. Jones]

Tried with pure perlite. It worked. Thank you everyone!

 

[moonymonkey]

you can use cut up strips of sponge and soak them in a bowl of water,put some into bowl and scatter the rest under your clone dome to hold in mositure...mm/

 

[Moug]

Havd you tried aeroponics?