Hydroton users: quick tip

Does the vinegar do anything substantial for your airstones? I usually end up buying new stones every run because they jist never seem to really unclog for long or are as effective as new

I do the same in a big plastic trashcan. But I prefer pH down as vinegar is too stinky for me. Same thing leave it as long as you like. A rinse first is manadatory. I poke a few holes in the bottom of the bag and let the hose run into it. Then I leave about 5% of dust and broken pieces in the bag. Lots of "fines" from transport. The crumbs work nice for seedlings.
But gum up your trays with clay.

I also use the same method for sanitizing. Soak with bleach. Then soak in water. Then use.
Hydroton says to leave root pieces in the media. Well I just can't do that. I maintain a very clean environment. Have not had problems. Been running the same media for over a year.

In the future I will take a big cement mixer and heat it with the media to sterilize. Less steps...

StevenJennings said:

Does the vinegar do anything substantial for your airstones? I usually end up buying new stones every run because they jist never seem to really unclog for long or are as effective as new

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Dump the stones get air rings. They look like a soaker hose. I keep them in service almost 18 months. Many nutes break down stones. I am done using them.