Rockwool... why? WHY?!

**KevinVA** · 03-17-2013, 05:21 AM

Hey guys,

Just a quick question. Does anyone know an easy way to rid a potted plant of the rockwool that the roots are entangled in? This has got to be the biggest pain in the butt regarding aquatic plants...

The only thing I've been able to get some success with is running luke-warm water over the rockwool to get it moist and even soaked... then stripping it away piece by piece. This is exceedingly more difficult w/ smaller plants, like Glossostigma, since they're much smaller roots and smaller plants. I usually end up leaving a bit of the rockwool on there, so as not to rip all of the roots out. ;/

**talldutchie** · 03-17-2013, 05:23 AM

Same here. Get it nice and wet, use your fingers and near the end a stiff tootbrush

**KevinVA** · 03-17-2013, 03:13 PM

Ahh, a toothbrush. Good call. =]

**Lady Hobbs** · 03-17-2013, 03:21 PM

I use a table fork. Every bit of it does not need to be removed, either.

**talldutchie** · 03-17-2013, 03:53 PM

No, that's true. Personally I do my best to remove it otherwise sooner or later it will turn up at the most unexpected places.

**CrunchyLeaf** · 03-17-2013, 05:34 PM

What is rockwool? I'm trying to soak up as much plant knowledge as I can before I plany my 90 :P

**~firefly~** · 03-17-2013, 05:53 PM

Pulling it off the plant in the water is much easier and you are much less likely to damage any roots or stems.

I tend to use a pint glass on a tray to prep new plants for planting.

**KevinVA** · 03-17-2013, 06:21 PM

All good ideas. Thanks everyone. =]

Crunchyleaf, rockwool is a nutrient enriched fibrous material that aquatic horticulturists use to keep plants healthy in pots and living through shipments. The roots grow through it and often times bunch up and wrap around it, so it makes it nearly impossible to remove the material without damaging the root system.

**talldutchie** · 03-17-2013, 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by CrunchyLeaf

What is rockwool? I'm trying to soak up as much plant knowledge as I can before I plany my 90 :P

Originally a material used to isolate roofs and other bits of house with. Since a few decades in use to grow tomatoes and cucumbers and aquarium plants on.

It's what I've painstakingly removed from the plants here:

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