Question about hydroton and drainage

G

GeraldsFinest

Member

• Jan 3, 2021

• #1

Hey guys,

I have been growing in coco for about 2 years. I’ve seen some people layering hydroton clay pebbles on the bottom of their pots for improved drainage. I’ve had a fungus gnat problem the past few times and I’m doing everything I can this next round to prevent them. So A, is hydroton really worth the money and does it in fact improve drainage. And B would it help with the fungus gnats at all?

Thanks

 

iboga

Active member

• Jan 21, 2021

• #2

try nemotodes great to use as part of your prevention during veg will keep you free..

 

T

tilopa

Member

• Jan 26, 2021

• #3

GeraldsFinest said:

Hey guys,

I have been growing in coco for about 2 years. I’ve seen some people layering hydroton clay pebbles on the bottom of their pots for improved drainage. I’ve had a fungus gnat problem the past few times and I’m doing everything I can this next round to prevent them. So A, is hydroton really worth the money and does it in fact improve drainage. And B would it help with the fungus gnats at all?

Thanks

Click to expand...

No, Hydroton will not improve drainage. Although it may seem intuitively so, this is a myth. In fact, adding hydroton will not effect draining but will have the negative effect of raising the perched water table and effectively create a larger saturation layer in the coco.

You should never add hydroton or rocks to the bottom of your medium.

 

B.T. Herb

Member

• Jan 26, 2021

• #4

hi GeraldsFinest,
as far as i know, coco is an excellent medium when we talk about drainage for the airiness of his fiber.
to provide a proper drip then i suggest you to mix some pearlite in a percentage of 1/4.
usually it's quite difficult to overwatering a pot in which roots have filled the pot.
do you buy use any trichoderma in it?

 

G

GeraldsFinest

Member

• Feb 14, 2021

• #5

Thanks for the responses guys. Sorry about the delay and unfortunately I didn’t check the replies before I did actually add the hydroton to the bottom. I did about 40 percent perlite this time. Plants seem ok and drainage seems great. They are drying a bit faster this time but fortunately I have automated irrigation. The biggest difference I see this time is that the roots are growing all around the hydroton and like spidering out right into the saucers. But the plants look stellar so I can’t complain. Thanks for the advice guys.

 

G

GeraldsFinest

Member

• Feb 14, 2021

• #6

And yes I do add trichoderma once a week with a product called Recharge

 

mexweed

Well-known member

Veteran

• Feb 14, 2021

• #7

"never add rocks to the bottom of your medium"

what are coco hempys with perlite or hydroton res for $420

 

M

madalasatori

Well-known member

Veteran

• Feb 18, 2021

• #8

I can say from personal experience that 2” of clay pebbles at the bottom works great in my system, which is a bottom fed wicking affair throughout veg, multiple drip fed in flower. Before I used the pebbles I had one plant that I couldn’t keep healthy, no matter what I tried. Eventually I put some pebbles in the bottom of the pots and I’ve had no problems since