Anyone growing in 100% Hydroton?

[Purple turtle]

roots grow and plants love this stuff they grow like crazy.

mother room(100% hydroton hempys),

flower room one (top drip ebb and flow)waterfall back to the reservoir.

 

[Purple turtle]

flower room 2(top drip ebb and flow hydroton drain gutter style)2 tier/24plants/one 600w)

pt

 

[Purple turtle]

killing fields f4

 

[Purple turtle]

 

[Purple turtle]

 

[PetFlora]

Hydroton is messy

I replaced it with lava rock, which was less messy, then replaced it with polished ornamental stone from Dollar Store.

No more mess + 100% reusable

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[dj.scotfree]

Hydroton is messy

I replaced it with lava rock, which was less messy, then replaced it with polished ornamental stone from Dollar Store.

No more mess + 100% reusable

Hey PF.. have you used the stones and ran a plant to full term? I love the hydroton.. haven't tried the newer expanded clay products yet.. but I like your idea.. with ZERO mess.. and being able to reuse! Key in my book. You can buy it in bulk too at some home stores.. Peace~ DJSF

 

[Finklsteinshtkd]

Hey petflora. Nice set up. Do you run bennies? If so, where do they live? If not, how do you keep your res from going sour? Do you change it every two weeks?

 

[PetFlora]

No Bennies needed

I dump and replace with fresh nutes weekly

I have several completed grows using polished stones

I first used driveway gravel 20+ years ago in a F & D set up, but the roots stick to it, making it hard to clean and reuse

Polished stone is the key

For large tables big bags can be bought at a nursery

 

[EJCaliReeferz]

will the polished stones work with a RDWC system? @PetFlora

 

[PetFlora]

will the polished stones work with a RDWC system? @PetFlora

Polished rock seems to be quite inert

Where in DWC would you have them?

If in the net pots, yes

 

[Finklsteinshtkd]

I was 100% hydroton but now i have a bunch of lava rock intermingling. I run flood and drain but im thinking theres a ton of wasted rootzone because im only wetting to the depth of the flood right? Hydroton doesnt seem to wick although ive seen someone say somewhere that its supposed to. To a small degree. Any thoughts? I did coco when it was primitive and new and didnt really like it. I see it has gotten better.

I didnt like having to soak the brick and then break up clumps by hand and rinse the shit out of it. Clogged my bathtub severely. Twice. Plus i couldnt flood often enough to keep my res oxygenated because it stayed wet forever.
Any thoughts on this?

 

[PetFlora]

I was 100% hydroton but now i have a bunch of lava rock intermingling. I run flood and drain but im thinking theres a ton of wasted rootzone because im only wetting to the depth of the flood right? Hydroton doesnt seem to wick although ive seen someone say somewhere that its supposed to. To a small degree. Any thoughts? I did coco when it was primitive and new and didnt really like it. I see it has gotten better.

I didnt like having to soak the brick and then break up clumps by hand and rinse the shit out of it. Clogged my bathtub severely. Twice. Plus i couldnt flood often enough to keep my res oxygenated because it stayed wet forever.
Any thoughts on this?

Inert mediums don't wick, but roots do, plus, moisture evaporates and rises creating damp areas in the pockets between the stones.

I use a DIY storage tote bubbler to start 6 plants in 4" net pots, but a small high wall F & D tray would work too, but that requires a timer and an outboard rez

Either way, plants should have a nice wide root mass close to the surface= more roots to turn down when you move to a larger vessel and F & D tray

 

[Finklsteinshtkd]

Good lookin' out! Lol Makes sense.. I have one of those $100 mega gardens that i use for veg but it seems to flood a little deeper than my 3x3's do. Also i pot up when i transplant. I just stick the white mega garden hydrofarm flood pot into a 9x9 square flood pot and side fill with lava or hydroton. I try to make it as modular and production friendly as possible.

Thanks again..

 

[Chrondiddle O]

Hydroton is an awesome medium to grow in , usually in recirculating systems as it doesnt retain water at all really, so dtw would be a big nute waste imo.
the problem with hydroton is : the price,but more also the most major hassle would be washing out roots after a crop ,, especially if you grow a strain like cheese with crazy roots ,,, it will be a real bitch to get your hydroton out of a white ball of roots ,, ive tried hehe . So yea i would strongly suggest to stick to coco as u can grow exact same quality in both if dialled in ;D
I like the cost of coco as well as being able to compost the coco after a crop, just soo much easier , wont go back to hydroton ever unless its like a closet grow

just stack up your pots and leave them for 2/3 weeks,you'll find the pebbles will shake outta the rootball very easily,give 'em a soak in an enzyme type product and skim off any remaining roots that float to the top of the bucket,dry and re-use.I keep double the hydroton I need to fill my pots,one amount is in use whilst the other is being dried out then cleaned/conditioned ready for next time.

 

[barnyard]

isn't the cation exchange capacity on the polished rock much less than the clay based mediums?