Jiffy in cannabis crops, all the information

Reading Time 4 minutes

 

One of the most popular products in Grow shops is jiffy, due to its low price, versatility and ease of use. But not everybody knows about the existence of these small objects, or many people do not know how to use them. For this reason we thought it would be appropriate to create this post, explaining what it is, how to use it and the advantages and disadvantages compared to other methods.

 

 

🧐 What is a jiffy ?

 

They are so called because they were commercialized by a company known as Jiffy Group and they are peat or coconut fiber that comes pressed and wrapped in a thin mesh. They have the shape of a small, cylindrical and flat disc which, when wet, swells up to multiply its size upwards, and contains a small hole at the top to introduce the seed or the stem of the cutting.

Its creator was an enthusiast of home-grown cabbages and other vegetables, but he did not like the way they sold the cuttings because of the lack of protection of the roots. It was for this reason that he began to develop individual seedlings that were easy to transplant, and thus the first Jiffy were born.

 

Jiffy Pellet Sizes

They are available in different dimensions: 24 mm. (0.94 inches), 33 mm. (1.3 inches ), 41 mm. (1.6 inches) and 70 mm. (2.75 inches). Although the most used are the 41 mm. (1.6 inches) ones. They usually come in boxes of 2000 units, but luckily stores can sell you the exact number you need and at a very good price.

 

 

👾 Are these peat or coconut discs organic and biodegradable ?

 

They are totally organic and biodegradable, it is the same peat used in commercial substrates, natural. Just as with the coconut fibre, this type of jiffy was released more recently for those who love growing on this substrate, but it is made up of the same fibres that are used in coconut bricks. Even the small mesh it uses is biodegradable in a very short time, so it can be considered that jiffy will leave no trace on the planet after its use.

 

 

🎯 What are the advantages of using it ?

 

 

 

🔥 How to use Jiffy pellets for germination or cutting

 

1. First prepare a bucket with the nutrient solution, in this case clean water and root stimulator, with the pH lowered to 6.0 and a little bit of micro life
2. Insert the jiffy pellets so that they are immersed in the nutrient solution
3. Wait for them to hydrate and swell, usually no longer than 10 minutes
4. Take the jiffy pellets out of the bucket one by one and and drain it a bit to let go the excess of liquid
5. Place them in an upright position on a tray, with the hole facing upwards, and insert a stick or similar through the hole to make it easier for the seed or stem of the clone to enter
6. Carefully insert the seed 0.4 inches (1 centimetre), or the stem of the cutting until at least one knot is buried
7. Wait several days until you see the roots coming out of the mesh. If it’s a seed, as soon as you see the radicles popping up transplant it. With a cutting, wait until you see quite a few roots on the outside

 

 

Transplanting from Jiffy Pellets

It is very simple, in fact it is designed to facilitate the transplant among other things. The best thing is that you don’t have to take the plant out of the jiffy to put it in a pot, as is the case when transplanting cannabis from one pot to another. 

In this case it is only necessary to prepare the pot where we are going to put it, to add substrate until filling up a 75% approximately, to introduce the jiffy with the plant and to add more substrate until burying all the jiffy and part of the stem.

 

 

✅ Can you use Jiffy pellets for hydroponics ?

 

It is not ideal, since this system needs a great aeration in the roots and jiffy does not allow this, at least at the base of the stem, so it can get to form fungi, although it would not be the first time we see it.

In this case it is much more interesting to use small grid pots with arlita to germinate and then place them in the hydroponic system. Another option is to use rockwool slabs, which allow for greater oxygenation, although we’re still sticking with the hydroponics grid pots.

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Rock wool Vs Jiffy Pellets

Rock wool slabs have certain advantages as we saw before, but they have the disadvantage of being an inert material, so they need food from the first watering. Jiffy, on the other hand, contains pressed peat, which contains food for a few days, although it is always good to add root stimulator. Both are quite cheap, but it’s still cheaper to use a pressed peat or coconut pellet.

 

 

⚠️ Conclusion

 

A Jiffy pellet makes the job much easier for us cannabis growers and for its price it really pays off. If you have not tried them yet, I invite you to do so, because afterwards you may not want anything else to germinate, and especially to root your favorite clones. If you liked this post or think it could be useful for some other people, please share it.