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Replace hydroton with rubber mulch
- Thread starter petemoss
- Start date
petemoss
Active member
I feel slightly deceived, but this is no time to panic. You'll see, my $16 investment will pay off handsomely I just know. I still have one unopened bag in the trunk that can be returned at Home Depot. Or maybe they will let me exchange it for some pea gravel or patio door glass lol
TheBioMaster
Member
Fatman a nutrient guru???? ROFL....a copy&paste guru maybe......that dude has never grown shit...and is banned from EVERY forum I know of.....wherever he appears, trouble will follow....the guy is an expert at copying and pasting and takes credit for the knowledge himself...what a guy....
You should get that nasty leeching crap out of your growroom ASAP. Use Bio balls if you want to use something plastic.....
You should get that nasty leeching crap out of your growroom ASAP. Use Bio balls if you want to use something plastic.....
Tried rubber last year, mine wasn't chopped up tyres, but it was still crap, poor results, poor plants after a few weeks growing.
I abandonded the grow. Never again, hope you have better success, in my eyes, waste of money nutes and time. I''l stick to what i know. Good luck though.
I abandonded the grow. Never again, hope you have better success, in my eyes, waste of money nutes and time. I''l stick to what i know. Good luck though.
Young Pumpkin
Member
You hit the one thing I didn't, basically how many red tires do ya see on the road? Well one plant aint bad, if ya got time and space, if losing one isn't a game changing bummer.
I wont worry unless you
A) consider upgrading to 16 inch wheels
B) arrange the containers to spell "Goodyear"
C) Sponsor a local racer at the local circle track or dragstrip
D) get a sudden urge to go for a drive after visiting the garden.
Ive cut my numbers way down and cant really test anything these days. I got lucky on the pea gravel. Anything lighter would help tho. Its a stinker to carry 2 50 pound bags in/out of cars, thru the house etc. It aint over yet........but keep us posted, good or bad it never hurts to learn something new.
Just saw yet another thread about cleaning "H" To me I wonder why people would go thru that much worry and trouble. and expense. I'd go back to dirt as Ive gotten lazy in my old age. And a person in a small place might not have the room or equipment. Or time. I dont.
I wont worry unless you
A) consider upgrading to 16 inch wheels
B) arrange the containers to spell "Goodyear"
C) Sponsor a local racer at the local circle track or dragstrip
D) get a sudden urge to go for a drive after visiting the garden.
Ive cut my numbers way down and cant really test anything these days. I got lucky on the pea gravel. Anything lighter would help tho. Its a stinker to carry 2 50 pound bags in/out of cars, thru the house etc. It aint over yet........but keep us posted, good or bad it never hurts to learn something new.
Just saw yet another thread about cleaning "H" To me I wonder why people would go thru that much worry and trouble. and expense. I'd go back to dirt as Ive gotten lazy in my old age. And a person in a small place might not have the room or equipment. Or time. I dont.
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WOW I was right about not using crap that off gases. Hey Sgt. I think you need to get your info right before trying to call me out. Most all net pots and trays are made outta "virgin" plastic. This stuff wasn't even intended to be used as substrate, it's a landscape ground covering with added color. Hmmm, yummy, just what I want in my medicine. Yeah I am a little sensitive to what goes into my body, maybe you should be to Sgt!
petemoss
Active member
I'm pretty sure what was causing the off-gassing problems was a particular chemical added to soften the plastic. Some grow tents and some hose had that problem, but other plastics don't. It's something to watch for but certainly no reason to avoid all plastics.
I checked the mulch that was soaking in tap water and there was no change. PH 6.7 and EC less than 0.1. So this red mulch may not be completely inert, but close enough for my purposes. It's convenient to buy, cheaper than Hydroton and usable right out of the bag. I'll keep using it and report my results.
I checked the mulch that was soaking in tap water and there was no change. PH 6.7 and EC less than 0.1. So this red mulch may not be completely inert, but close enough for my purposes. It's convenient to buy, cheaper than Hydroton and usable right out of the bag. I'll keep using it and report my results.
Young Pumpkin
Member
I'm curious, are the roots "attaching" to the mulch at all or are they pretty much going around and thru??? (maybe to early to tell?)
Good luck dude, by the sounds of it you'll need it. I wouldn't take my chances but I'm glad someone is willing to give it a shot.
Iraganji
Member
I doubt that there is anything added which would cost the manufacturer/seller more money than is needed to make their product "prevent" insects and weed growth. Mulch by it's nature will do those things without anything added.
I applaud people who like to experiment, especially those who aren't concerned with what others will think or say. It takes guts, heart, spirit, determination and will to do so. How much of what we know now is because of those who were afraid to try something else?
You go petemoss, whether you like the results or not, you win. You will be the one with first hand knowledge.
Peace
I applaud people who like to experiment, especially those who aren't concerned with what others will think or say. It takes guts, heart, spirit, determination and will to do so. How much of what we know now is because of those who were afraid to try something else?
You go petemoss, whether you like the results or not, you win. You will be the one with first hand knowledge.
Peace
Wow man , top words there !!! Love it !
I,d quote that in my sig. if i may ?
On topic.
Ive used hose-pipe cut into 1/2 inch sections to replace hydroton.
I hated it , 'that nylon rope reinforcement yarn' went all slimey and horrible to work with. Yuk.
or
sections of blackpipe cut into small pieces .
I,ve actualy still got some black-pipe mixed with hydroton , work OK.
My hydro store had no hydroton stock and i had to make a quick solution .
Oi-oi....while i,m at it .
perhaps practice golf balls (the ligh ones with the holes in them)
?
samba
Active member
I have been thinking about pump pre-filters...
http://www.discountleisureproducts.co.uk/Pond_Foam_Block_Pre_Filters/
They don't hold a lot of water(lots of air and root space in EnF)
Relatively solid, to support plant
I'd think it pH/EC "neutral"
It might be antibacterial...
What you think?
http://www.discountleisureproducts.co.uk/Pond_Foam_Block_Pre_Filters/
They don't hold a lot of water(lots of air and root space in EnF)
Relatively solid, to support plant
I'd think it pH/EC "neutral"
It might be antibacterial...
What you think?
will it be cheaper than RW ?
dwarfganja
Member
I use Hydroton as well, in my DWC and its on my list to find an alternative. I'm actually leaning towards trying this http://www.aqua-gems.com/ next run.
Look! You can make your grow room a fashionista paradise. Pink aquagems FTW.
Hydrofarm420
Member
Just thought Id put my 2 cents in since Im an automotive technician by trade and this seems very interesting. Dont know if I'd use it for a medium given what i know is in a tire. If that rubber is from car tires it will contain at the MINIMUM these compounds either in the carcass of the tire OR in the cords(not touching on petroleum as every tire has a different concentration):
Natural Rubber(obviously)
Artificial Rubber
Silica
Carbon
Sulfur
Polyester
Vinyl
PVC
So many different types of plastic its not feasible to name them all
Steel (cords-NOT stainless)
Nylon
Rayon
Vulcanizing compounds - This is where i see the biggest problem. Vulcanizing compounds are extremely toxic to humans and animals, not sure about plants but if you are ultimately consuming the plant then you are consuming the compound. Just to give you an idea of what compounds are used, here are few examples...
Sulfur oxides
Peroxides
Urethane crosslinkers
Metallic oxides
Zinc oxide
Stearic Acid
So basically these compounds exist indefinitely within the rubber of the tire as it cannot become a tire until it is vulcanized (given a semisolid form). The downside to this process is that it cannot be undone and the remaining compounds are NEVER exhausted and stay in the tire/rubber. They are sometimes freely released through off-gassing or other methods when a catalyst comes into contact and causes a reaction. That being said i think its a very logical assumption that those compounds would in fact end up in your plant. This could even be occuring if the plant appears healthy as Im sure many of these compounds would be harmless to your plant, many may even be beneficial. Either way, I hope this clears up any issue of what exactly is in a tire and helps everyone to make an educated choice as far as for or against this. You guys know more about how these compounds will affect plants than i do, but i know they are generally recognized as unsafe for human consumption.
Peace yall
Natural Rubber(obviously)
Artificial Rubber
Silica
Carbon
Sulfur
Polyester
Vinyl
PVC
So many different types of plastic its not feasible to name them all
Steel (cords-NOT stainless)
Nylon
Rayon
Vulcanizing compounds - This is where i see the biggest problem. Vulcanizing compounds are extremely toxic to humans and animals, not sure about plants but if you are ultimately consuming the plant then you are consuming the compound. Just to give you an idea of what compounds are used, here are few examples...
Sulfur oxides
Peroxides
Urethane crosslinkers
Metallic oxides
Zinc oxide
Stearic Acid
So basically these compounds exist indefinitely within the rubber of the tire as it cannot become a tire until it is vulcanized (given a semisolid form). The downside to this process is that it cannot be undone and the remaining compounds are NEVER exhausted and stay in the tire/rubber. They are sometimes freely released through off-gassing or other methods when a catalyst comes into contact and causes a reaction. That being said i think its a very logical assumption that those compounds would in fact end up in your plant. This could even be occuring if the plant appears healthy as Im sure many of these compounds would be harmless to your plant, many may even be beneficial. Either way, I hope this clears up any issue of what exactly is in a tire and helps everyone to make an educated choice as far as for or against this. You guys know more about how these compounds will affect plants than i do, but i know they are generally recognized as unsafe for human consumption.
Peace yall
Hi there . I tried it before without much success .
Hydrated with 0.2 ec nutes(not PH'd iirc)
I dont think much oxygen gets to the roots.
but then again it was a couplle of years ago , it might work this time around !
