Rapid Rooter Vs Root Riot

For growing plants, you will need some medium where you can culture them. There are different alternatives to a medium in the case of growing plants. For example, perlites, potting mix, peat moss, and some are cubic cylindrical mediums like Rockwool cubes, and rapid rooter. These cylindrical mediums are known as plant starters.

Are they the same? Kind of similarities they have like they are growing media for hydroponic plant culture systems. Both are the same but users choose them according to their level of experience.

But as a beginner, a little bit of confusion may hit your mind about which medium is gonna be best for plant starters. You might be familiar with rapid rooter but now want to experience the root riot for the first time. So let’s have a clear review on how and why you will choose rapid rooter and root riots for plant starters.

Rapid Rooters

Rapid rooters are the best plugs for hydroponic plants. Rapid Rooter is a starter plug where you can easily get the seeds with potting mixtures or peat moss. It’s a ready medium for the germination of hydroponic plants. This is made of some decomposed organic material which is commonly known as sphagnum moss instead of using soil. 

Root Riots

Root riot cubes are also a plant starter, a growing media, where you can grow the seed. They are also made from some organic decomposition of some materials.

 How to Use

The success rate of seedlings depends on the user processes you follow to use the formula. For expert gardeners, this uses guidelines might look dumb but let’s have a discussion for beginners who don’t know how to use rapid rooter and root riot. And also frequent users can realize if there are any changes or not. But there is no difference between using both of the plugs. Here is the process of using the plugs.

• Get the rapid rooter plugs out from the bag and let them soak in a diluted and nutrient solution for a few minutes. If the plugs are pre-soaked, then skip this step. But if you have already deep it, remove the extra water from it. You can use Hormone – Cloning Gel in the case of soaking.
• Put the seeds into the hole made in the rapid rooter. And place it on the cube tray.
• Cover the tray with a humidity dome to execute the exact moisture for the seeds. But if the humidity dome is not available to you, switch it to saran wrap. Because saran wrap is the best alternative to hold the moisture to the seeds in the rapid rooter tray.
•  Keep ¼ inch water volume in the rapid rooter. Keep watering the tray every 2-3 days. Avoid excess water to the tray. If you notice that the plug gets dry out, then keep watering again.
• To boost up the seeds sprout, move the tray in bright light or LED light.
• When the seedlings are ready and sprouted perfectly, it’s time for transplanting the seedlings into the soil.
• To avoid seed germination failure, you can keep the starter tray in touch with heat. Because heat improves the seed germination process.

The user manual is the same as the rapid rooter. As both are hydroponic medium cultures and enhance the growth of the plants from seed.

Pros and Cons of The Rooting Plug

If you’re going to experience any products, definitely there would be some advantages and disadvantages. You might be comfortable with one product and feel discomfort with another one. So let’s have a discussion on the pros and cons of the rapid rooter and root riot below-

Rapid Rooter

 Rapid rooter has a vast user in local gardening. Most of the planters or gardeners love to have a rapid rooter in their hydroponic culture because of their easy-to-use formula.

Pros

• Rapid rooters have a good air-to-water ratio to promote the growth of the cuttings. So it enhances the growth of the root so faster than normal soil media.
• This is a ready-made plant culture media. So you don’t need to prepare the soil on your own. You will just pick up the seed and put it in the root plug.
• Rapid roots are a compact formula. It will not easily break down. And also it will not work like loose media. You can use the rapid rooter directly in your hydroponic plant propagation system.
• Cloning, cutting, and grafting of plants can also adopt this system easily.

Cons

• Rapid rooter is only for hydroponic plants’ propagation systems. You can’t use it in the soil directly.
• Rapid rooter has a pH level of about 6.5. So if the pH increases due to overwatering or for other factors, seed germination may be affected. 
• After placing the rapid rooters in the tray, overlooking watering can affect the seed germination.

Other than these cons, rapid rooter has more pros in the case of a hydroponic plant propagation system.

Root Riot

Root riot has limited use in the gardening sector. Everybody feels comfortable with rapid rooter plugs. Basically small commercial gardeners use the root riots for their hydroponic propagation system.

Pros

• Root riots are gentle and have an optimum air-to-water ratio to promote the growth of seedlings in the germination period.
• It is also a pH-balanced medium. So seed will get a proper medium-based pH to grow.
• Root Riots are the best option for safe food production. So if you are taking root riot in your gardening, there is no chance of any harm to other plants. You can use it by closing your eyes.
• Root riot has consistent moisture in the formula. So it will give moisture to the plants even if it is dry out.

Cons

• Though it will work so far, some beginner gardeners face some problems due to potting the seedlings from taking out the seedlings from the root riot.

Availability and price variation

Rapid rooters and root riots are common products in the hydroponic gardening shop. So you can easily pick up some starters for your seed germination. But in the case of price, a rapid rooter has a vast production. So it might be cheaper. And in my point of view, root riot is more expensive than the rapid rooter. But not beyond your capacity I guess.

 User Community

If you look into the use of rapid rooter and root riot, maximum gardeners use rapid rooter.  Maximum communities are reliant on rapid rooter plugs. Because they feel the same formula about two different products. But switching is not a bad option. It is not certain that you will get a 100% germination result. But you will experience 90-95% results from any of the root starters. Some gardeners use alternatives also.

Alternatives of Rapid rooter and Root riot

There are many alternatives to root riot and rapid rooter. Different plant starters are introduced to gardeners. Like perlite, Rockwool, peat moss, etc. Let’s have a comparison among rapid rooter, root riot, and Rockwool. Rock wool holds air and water in the medium for root development also.

	Rapid Rooter	Root Riot	Rockwool
Made Of	Organic Compost	Organic Compost	Rock
pH	Balanced	Balanced	Slightly Alkaline
Status	Biodegradable	Biodegradable	Partially Biodegradable
Price	Affordable	Moderately Priced	Expensive

By comparing this table, you can choose the alternative of your prevailing rooting plug system.

Tips

Do not make any contradiction while choosing a plant for propagation. For example, you want a succulent, but succulents are drought-loving plants. So frequent watering can affect the plant. Again choosing a Monstera will need sufficient air, light, and water to grow. Keep awareness about weather to grow it in rooting plugs. To get successful germination, a hydroponic system will help you with healthier roots.

Final Thoughts

Finally, you have checked the details of rapid rooter and root riot. So choose according to your preference. But if you want to make more sense about hydroponic plants, I must suggest, trying all the root plugs to experience the real example and result. Go with a cost-effective way to get a plant indoors. Happy rooting to you.