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hydroton part deux: hydroton is DEAD!!!

avant gardener

avant gardener

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Veteran
so i went to the store to pick up some gear yesterday.


if i buy a few bags of hydroton i usually get it for $21/bag.
so they're loading the stuff onto my truck while i'm at the register.
when the kid told me $40/bag, first my jaw dropped.
then i laughed about it.
then i walked my ass back to the loading dock and rolled a half a pallet of clay balls off my truck and onto the ground.
fuck price gouging.

so they're not making hydroton anymore. the firm went bankrupt or the mine ran out of clay [!!!] or some shit. apparently the information has been out there, but i was late hearing it.

imma use the gold label stuff this run—hydrocorn or whatever it's called. after that though, i just don't know. croutons are out. hygromite and lava rocks are out as well. just too damn expensive with prices being what they are on the other end today. anyone know another REASONABLY PRICED medium for rdwc?

i was thinking of trying those little quartz/granite chips they use in landscaping. they couldn't be any dustier and i'm pretty sure they cost less. any reason this wouldn't work?
 
growshopfrank

growshopfrank

Well-known member
Veteran
expanded shale from your local landscape or nursery shop it makes a good grow media better than clay pellets as it doesn't float or roll off into hidden corners

reasonably priced as well
 
FlowerFarmer

FlowerFarmer

Well-known member
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Yea..been hearing the same here.

My shop still sitting on an inventory of hydroton, but they are now selling their substitute from hydrofarm.

Plant!t Clay Pebbles - 45L Bag - $34

Seem to be the same stuff...maybe a bit less uniform, but would do the job all the same..
 
WelderDan

WelderDan

Well-known member
Veteran
I used pea gravel my first couple grows in DWC. It worked fine, but for whatever reason I went to hydrotron. Then I got sick of stepping on little clay balls and finding the little bastards everywhere and went medium-less with a chunk of pool noodle. Never went back. easily cleaned, endlessly reusable and cheap.

This thread has a quickie explanation on it. https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=220344

If it doesn't make sense I'll be happy to go into more detail
 
NeWcS

NeWcS

Active member
I love using a mix of growstones and Sunleaves Rocks. I got two big ass bags for free so I am not sure of the cost compared to clay but they are both great products IMO
 
opt1c

opt1c

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hydroton was made onsite where it was mined in germany; they exhausted the mine and shutdown when the quality of clay wasn't up to par

makes you wonder about the quality of clay in all the new substitutes

from what i know hydroton is the only clay/pebble/rock type medium that can stand constant watering as all the others hold too much moisture... let me know if i'm wrong; i'd like to be
 
S

sinsekid

New member
yup

yup

NeWcS said:
I love using a mix of growstones and Sunleaves Rocks. I got two big ass bags for free so I am not sure of the cost compared to clay but they are both great products IMO
Click to expand...

sunleaves rock is the absolute SHIT!!!..ph nuetral,chemically inert,
superheated shale...i dont know what i love more, the fact that theyre
not round(dont roll around the damn room) and dont float, or the fact that they absofuckinglutely cheap as hell...seriously,$15 for a 33lb bag,
SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than hydroton...and if i remember correctly they provide for a slight source of silicone :woohoo::dance013:
by far the best medium ive used to date for hydro...they even get used in my soil and coco(2 inches of rock on top and bottom in all my pots)
 
Hammerhead

Hammerhead

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sinsekid said:
sunleaves rock is the absolute SHIT!!!..ph nuetral,chemically inert,
superheated shale...i dont know what i love more, the fact that theyre
not round(dont roll around the damn room) and dont float, or the fact that they absofuckinglutely cheap as hell...seriously,$15 for a 33lb bag,
SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than hydroton...and if i remember correctly they provide for a slight source of silicone :woohoo::dance013:
by far the best medium ive used to date for hydro...they even get used in my soil and coco(2 inches of rock on top and bottom in all my pots)
Click to expand...


Im going to be using this as well soon.....

Sunleaves Rocks are a reusable growing medium with serious H20-holding power for use in any kind of garden. They're made by superheating shale to temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, rendering them pH-neutral and chemically inert. Make your life a little easier while you take care of your plants and the planet: grow with the rock that doesn't roll! Mined and manufactured in the United States.
 
opt1c

opt1c

Active member
Veteran
again with the h2o holding power... if i'm using rocks that's not what i'm going for... glad i got 2 45gal cans full of washed hydroton out back... for the future :)
 
avant gardener

avant gardener

Member
Veteran
sinsekid said:
sunleaves rock is the absolute SHIT!!!..ph nuetral,chemically inert,
superheated shale...i dont know what i love more, the fact that theyre
not round(dont roll around the damn room) and dont float, or the fact that they absofuckinglutely cheap as hell...seriously,$15 for a 33lb bag,
SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than hydroton...and if i remember correctly they provide for a slight source of silicone
woohoo.gif
dance013.gif

by far the best medium ive used to date for hydro...they even get used in my soil and coco(2 inches of rock on top and bottom in all my pots)
Click to expand...

oh wow. that sounds pretty rad. i better go out and buy some.

...

wait hold up. let me scroll up a couple of posts:

growshopfrank said:
expanded shale from your local landscape or nursery shop it makes a good grow media better than clay pellets as it doesn't float or roll off into hidden corners

reasonably priced as well
Click to expand...

you realize you all are talking about the exact same shit only without the fancy package and the ridiculous price tag, yeah? listen to GROW SHOP frank. we are all so strung out on this hydro store bullshit it's ridiculous. don't drink the kool aid kids. get smart already. somewhere along the way, most of us have lost sight of our DIY ethos. where are the real OG cats these days? have they all been replaced by frat boys and trustifarians? damn.

***EDIT*** who am i kidding? the truth of the matter is that half the new accounts on this site belong to straight up shills. plug your tired product to death or until you get banned—whichever comes first. most of the people can't really be that fucking stupid most of the time... can they?


opt1c said:
again with the h2o holding power... if i'm using rocks that's not what i'm going for... glad i got 2 45gal cans full of washed hydroton out back... for the future :)
Click to expand...

homey it all has basically the consistency of pumice. it's not going to hold water like a sponge (or rockwool for that matter). adjust your pump cycle accordingly and you'll be fine.
 
opt1c

opt1c

Active member
Veteran
avant gardener said:
homey it all has basically the consistency of pumice. it's not going to hold water like a sponge (or rockwool for that matter). adjust your pump cycle accordingly and you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

except hydroton... why they can't come up with a stone that doesn't absorb water like pumice is beyond me... i don't want extra silica messing with my ph... i don't need the shit to float... don't care if it rolls... just need it to work... and the only complaint i've ever heard about hydroton was that it was a bitch to wash... i wish that was the only complaint i've heard about all the new "alternatives"

this industry just gets flooded with waves of inferior crap at times
 
avant gardener

avant gardener

Member
Veteran
been researching the expanded shale. it's inert.
same for growstones and the gold label knockoff of hydroton.
river rock and hygromite will raise your pH some, but they absorb no water whatever.
 
S

Swampwater

Member
If your using rdwc, you just need something to hold the plants in place, no?
I'd go with sure-to-grow Hail(mini-cubes). Ain't cheap, but it's light, easy to work with & doesn't require any rinsing or ph adjusting. I wouldn't trust it to hold the plants in place without additional support tho(trellis, caging, stakes, etc).
 
avant gardener

avant gardener

Member
Veteran
Swampwater said:
If your using rdwc, you just need something to hold the plants in place, no?
I'd go with sure-to-grow Hail(mini-cubes). Ain't cheap, but it's light, easy to work with & doesn't require any rinsing or ph adjusting. I wouldn't trust it to hold the plants in place without additional support tho(trellis, caging, stakes, etc).
Click to expand...

so let me get this straight.

the only thing your medium has to do in the buckets is hold your plants in place, so any damn thing will work as long as it does that one thing. so you're going to use a ridiculously expensive version of rockwool croutons. one that you're pretty sure WON'T even hold your plants in place...

:tumbleweed:

makes perfect sense to me.
 
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