migreencross
New member
Seeing if anyone could give any input on the best way to wash the roots and salts off hydroton?
Thanks in advance for the replies.
Thanks in advance for the replies.
best way to wash hydroton?
- Thread starter migreencross
- Start date
bendoslendo
Member
I start with 2, 5 gallon buckets. One of the buckets has lots of small holes drilled in the bottom.
The hole bucket goes inside the regular bucket. Fill 1/3 way with Hydroton. Fill with HOT water and about 1TBSP of Physan-20 (or your disinfectant of choice). Agitate the shit out of the Hydroton. Let soak. Pull out the hole bucket and drain, rinse.
Put hole bucket back inside regular bucket and fill with HOT water. No more Physan 20! Repeat these steps until all gunk and physan is gone. Make sure you get rid of all that Physan 20 or bleach or whatever.
In summary the key is HOT water, a disinfectant, agitation and good rinsing.
The hole bucket goes inside the regular bucket. Fill 1/3 way with Hydroton. Fill with HOT water and about 1TBSP of Physan-20 (or your disinfectant of choice). Agitate the shit out of the Hydroton. Let soak. Pull out the hole bucket and drain, rinse.
Put hole bucket back inside regular bucket and fill with HOT water. No more Physan 20! Repeat these steps until all gunk and physan is gone. Make sure you get rid of all that Physan 20 or bleach or whatever.
In summary the key is HOT water, a disinfectant, agitation and good rinsing.
Ms_Weekend
Member
1in X 1in plastic chicken wire fence.....sift you root ball over a large rubbermaid tub, breaking it apart with your hand.....fence will catch 80%or so of the roots....then fill a 5gal bucket with holes drilled, for final rinse.
key is to use new fence for each root ball
key is to use new fence for each root ball
KosmoKramer
Member
What method of hydro do you run?
I run DWC and have been using the same Hydroton for over 2 years now.
Mine usually doesn't get too dirty, but when it does I simply soak it in water with 20ml FloraKleen per gal for a few days then rinse with HOT water and let it dry. Works great!
I run DWC and have been using the same Hydroton for over 2 years now.
Mine usually doesn't get too dirty, but when it does I simply soak it in water with 20ml FloraKleen per gal for a few days then rinse with HOT water and let it dry. Works great!
Dr. Buddington
Member
I manually separate the root ball and then rinse the shit out of it in a large garbage bin with holes drilled on the bottom. While I blast it with water I manually agitate it with a stick. When its clean I put it in turkey bags and bake in oven for 4-5 hours. Overkill? Perhaps but IMO better safe and clean than sorry.
I use a 55gal. drum cut in half. I put (3) netpots in at a time. Soaking in hot water w/ bleach for an hour or so, agitating w/ a broomstick every few minutes. I pull the netpots out and brush them off and then put into a clean 55gal drum w/ hot water only. After all the netpots are in the clean drum...the drum gets drained and then the netpots get rinsed off w/ hot water...then to the shelf for storage or back to a system.
J
JohnGault
Throw away your netpots, and hydroton. Switch to Pool Noodles.
JG
JG
This is exactly how I used to do it when I had a BIG room using leca except I just used two screens. Screen #1 was about that size, kept most of the roots & crap on top. Screen #2 for the final rinse was hardware cloth (heavy duty relatively small hole mesh).
So you pour your bucket & everything onto the top screen, and break it up while hosing it off. Then you scoop up your mostly root free leca from the bottom & throw it on screen #2 which keeps the leca but lets any small bits you blast off of it with the hose go through.
If you're going to do this make sure whatever you're draining to can handle any little bits of leca/root/etc that's going to be flushed away. Personally I'm out in the country so I can do this in the driveway and just let the rinse water keep the edge of the lawn green. I did kill a bathtub drain in the front of the house before figuring out the hard way that it's a bad idea to rinse anything like that down the drain, esp if you're running a septic.
Washing with Bottled water only?
Washing with Bottled water only?
If you can't use your tap water and everything comes from bottles.... try this:
First.... get twice as much hydroton as you need, you'll be processing half of it while you're using the other half.
Once your done with your grow.... pull the plant, shake off the loose hydroton balls and dump the bucket of loose hydroton somewhere where it will dry.
Once it's dry, scoop it up, a little at a time, with a deep fryer basket. I use one with a long handle. Shake the hydroton around in the basket so the dry brittle roots break off and drop through the mesh. Try to get as much of the little root bits to fall off as possible.
Drop the hydroton into a 5gal bucket.
Once you have a full bucket, add water and about a 1/4 cup of bleach until the top layer is covered. Over the next 24 hours I'll pour that bucket into another 5 gallon bucket, every few hours. This helps break down the last bits of the roots off.
Use the fryer basket again to dip out small amounts of hydroton and shake the excess water off. Drop it into a clean 5gal bucket. Once the bucket is full, add bottled water and a couple drops of iodine until the top layer is covered again. Pour it back and forth, once an hour, over the next 4-5 hours.
Pull out the fryer basket and dip out small amounts at a time again and dump them into a clean 5gal bucket. Once it's full, add water, H2O2 and pH down until the pH reads about 3.0 or so. Dump it back and forth between the buckets over the next 12 hours and the pH should be steady at around 5.2. Adjust and re-soak/pour for a while and test again.
You can do a third soak.... all depends on what works best in your situation. Personally? I can't wait to move to some place with good water.
Stay Safe!
Washing with Bottled water only?
If you can't use your tap water and everything comes from bottles.... try this:
First.... get twice as much hydroton as you need, you'll be processing half of it while you're using the other half.
Once your done with your grow.... pull the plant, shake off the loose hydroton balls and dump the bucket of loose hydroton somewhere where it will dry.
Once it's dry, scoop it up, a little at a time, with a deep fryer basket. I use one with a long handle. Shake the hydroton around in the basket so the dry brittle roots break off and drop through the mesh. Try to get as much of the little root bits to fall off as possible.
Drop the hydroton into a 5gal bucket.
Once you have a full bucket, add water and about a 1/4 cup of bleach until the top layer is covered. Over the next 24 hours I'll pour that bucket into another 5 gallon bucket, every few hours. This helps break down the last bits of the roots off.
Use the fryer basket again to dip out small amounts of hydroton and shake the excess water off. Drop it into a clean 5gal bucket. Once the bucket is full, add bottled water and a couple drops of iodine until the top layer is covered again. Pour it back and forth, once an hour, over the next 4-5 hours.
Pull out the fryer basket and dip out small amounts at a time again and dump them into a clean 5gal bucket. Once it's full, add water, H2O2 and pH down until the pH reads about 3.0 or so. Dump it back and forth between the buckets over the next 12 hours and the pH should be steady at around 5.2. Adjust and re-soak/pour for a while and test again.
You can do a third soak.... all depends on what works best in your situation. Personally? I can't wait to move to some place with good water.
Stay Safe!
get as much roots off as you can and dump 5gallons or less at a time into the washing machine. Fill with HOT water and what ever cleaning agent you want... bleach, clear, H2O2.
Once it's full turn off machine... swoosh the rocks around for a bit...
Skip the machine right to Spin...
Done.
Once it's full turn off machine... swoosh the rocks around for a bit...
Skip the machine right to Spin...
Done.
D
Deaner
Costing savings.. gotta love it!
Ms_Weekend
Member
junior_grower
Active member
I also use a washing machine, once the spin cycle is over i use a margarine conatner to scoop them out and the last few are by hand.
KosmoKramer
Member
I haven't used netpots in over 2 years. I use 4" drain covers I find at the local hardware store. MUCH thicker and stronger than the cheap wimpy netcups. Cost about $3 each, but they will last a lifetime.
I simply cut the roots from the bottom outside of the drain cover as close as possible, wiggle the stem and the stem/roots pops right out. Then its a simply matter of popping the few hydrotons that ge stuck in the roots.
I easily recover 99% of my hydroton every grow. The drain cover wash up easily and are ready to go immediately. I even sometimes simply throw them in the dishwasher!
Well worth the $3.
I simply cut the roots from the bottom outside of the drain cover as close as possible, wiggle the stem and the stem/roots pops right out. Then its a simply matter of popping the few hydrotons that ge stuck in the roots.
I easily recover 99% of my hydroton every grow. The drain cover wash up easily and are ready to go immediately. I even sometimes simply throw them in the dishwasher!
Well worth the $3.
