Best way to dissolve roots?

[Greenjag]

[/QUOTE]


Now THAT'S what I'm talking about!

Jack:

Okay, I'm totally convinced. Looks like I'll be using a lot less pebbles in future. What about temps at the roots? I guess it's much more of an issue when the roots are so exposed. And have you found an optimum feeding frequency?

Yamaha:

Sorry to hijack the thread a little. I've tried loads of methods of making the pebble washing easier and quicker, and one thing is apparent. The pebbles are much easier to rid of root bits if they're soaked first. They fall off quite easily if agitated a bit. A hose can be effective albeit a little frantic. I tried it once in a cement mixer, but it broke up the pebbles too much. I even tried a panhandler's sieve but the roots just clung to the mesh.

Someday, someone will sell us a (costly) device that does it all for us. Until then it's a pain whichever you try it.

Somebody please prove me wrong!

 

[Me2]

A rotary drum is the easiest option. If you add a good dose of dry coarse sand along with the hydroton the sand will help scour the roots off.
Empty the drum into a frame with a mesh just small enough to catch the hydroton but not the sand and roots. Finish off by giving the clean hydroton a quick rinse.

 

[Jack Crevalle]

Jack Crevalle:

Do you have any pics of the finished root mass when removed from the bucket? I'm very interested to see how it compares to my own, grown in full buckets of pebbles.

To be able to cut down on cleaning and reconditioning the ton of pebbles I use would be very nice indeed.

In answer to the thread starter, I suggest use Canna Zym. It enables the plant to reuse it's own broken down roots. Seems to keep the root mass far more intact when shaking out the pebbles at the end, thus leaving far less root debris to seperate.

Pharmacan beat me to it!

 

[Jack Crevalle]

Jack:

Okay, I'm totally convinced. Looks like I'll be using a lot less pebbles in future. What about temps at the roots? I guess it's much more of an issue when the roots are so exposed. And have you found an optimum feeding frequency?

In the winter it's fine, cool temps are ok, but when summer hits and the temps rise above 80-85 you may need some chilling in the res...but that's standard for hydro really in hot temps..

 

[Blunt_69]

I do it this way..

Remove as much root from hydro ton.. The really really compact shit toss.

Dump hydroton into a rubbermaid filled with 1 capful of bleach and water.stir.Even more root mass will float or can be caught with a fish net. Rinse twice thoughly, mix with a fresh batched of well rinsed hydroton.i usally recover 1/2, 1/3 old hydroton to new. NEVER had a problem.. I run hydrozyme in the system as one of my main...well..... only additive..I have found my plants to be superior in all ways compared to without.I do this with Lava rock as well.

 

[ogatec]

as long as you get the big pieces out you should be fine. i dont really wash mine out, but at the same time, i throw my whole rootball out after giving it a few shakes. i think the enzyme products will help during after planting, & a hydrogen peroxide wash before reusing will take care of it if you are worried.

 

[Babbabud]

If you leave too much old root matter in the hydroton you will do major battle with PH on your next grow. You must get it very clean.

 

[Jack Crevalle]

If you leave too much old root matter in the hydroton you will do major battle with PH on your next grow. You must get it very clean.

Good point Babba, and people think that adding PH-up or PH-down will fix that. The problem is that even though ph can be adjusted daily, all the chemicals that keep being added make the mix toxic and stress the plants and can cause many problems like nutrient lockout etc..

 

[mikecar312]

yamaha - i didn't see this thread til after i started mine.

what do you guys think of dumping the rocks in a rubbermaid with a strong dose of 35% h2o2?

 

[wafflehouselove]

Hey guys i use to go shrimping and this is what we clean our batches of shirmp with.

A multifunctional basket that is 17” tall and 19” in diameter with a 10 gallon capacity.

Just run water through it and shake it a lil. That's like a large netpot for anyone that wants to grow trees also lol.

 

[Guest]

I just wanted to point out - even though I am not usually a AN fan, Sensizyme does a much better job of eating dead matter.

I took 2 8oz cups and cleaned each with alcohol, added 7oz of Hygrozyme to one and 7oz of Sensizyme to the other. I then cut two 2"x2" pieces of paper towel (cheap, no dies) and placed them into the cups. I put the cups in a warm spot and came back a week later. The cup with Hygrozyme had an intact paper towel, the cup with Senzisyme had mush.

I'm sold on Sensizyme - but like was said earlier, you still gotta get as much out as possible.

 

[wafflehouselove]

mush like it's being devour?

 

[Guest]

Dissolved even...

 

[dallibab]

Sorry to ask what may have been asked before, are we talking about ebb flow systems here ? If so do you have to increase the frequency of your floods? when using the net pots and hardly any hydroton ?

Thanks

 

[Smoke68]

Well enzymes seem to be the ticket... I recently picked up a 16oz bottle of Care-free Enzymes Bird Bath protector from a local shopko for 1.49(I might be stocking up here soon lol) on the clearence rack... It is suggested to be used in the bird bath at a capful/gallon to remove buildup(salt/calcium/other) sludge, slime and "overall gunk".
I use it at about 2-3 ml/gal as to not overdo it. It seems to do the trick, turning my old cuttings' roots into an organic material in no time flat, about a week. I then rinse my coco to make sure it's flushed and the medium is reused...
Yamaha, I would make a strong batch of the enzyme solution and throw the hydroton in there to clean them. I had hydroton a few years back, but I ended up pitching them due the the salt and calcium build up.
I hope this helps

 

[Hydro-Soil]

Any suggestions for cleaning 20 gallons of hydroton if you can't use tap-water? I'm looking for a system that uses minimal water or buckets since my RO water all comes from 1gal jugs right now.

I'm going to be trying 35% h203 in a bucket this next round. I think I remember a thread from CW, back in the day, that mentioned the H203 dissolving the roots outright, over a period of time.

 

[yamaha_1fan]

Since this got bumped up, I'll tell you what I did. I pull out the rootball and shake out the hydroton. Hydroton that is deeply entagled just gets thrown out. Remember these were 6" pots so root balls were not huge and not alot of hydroton got thrown out.

For the remaining root fragments, I run SM90 and hygrozyme. I also bleach inbetween runs.

works for me

 

[SaltyBalls]

i just let them dry out a mean bone dry then put in a bucket fill with water root parts float to the top and flow over the sides

 

[SoloGro57]

I find that putting them (hydroton) in a turkey fryer basket, then blasting it with a garden hose pretty much takes care of most of the root material. The basket is essentially a sieve with big holes which are smaller than all but the smallest hydroton nuggets. Then soak the hydroton in some weak hydrogen peroxide (3% works just fine for me) for a day or two.... that'll do it. U can pick a turkey fryer basket at any big-box hardware store that handles BBQs.

 

[Hammerhead]

You can use Muriatic Acid. This is what We use to clean our pumps used in Salt water Reef tank this has been found to be safe to use when used properly. The eco sys in a reef tank is extremely delicate. Using this to clean Hydroton wont be an issue. Use a 10:1 soulution in a bucket and let it soak over night. Rinse exstreamly well and your good to go.