EL1M1N80R
Member
This is my first experience with Hydroton in a Ebb & Flow hydrophonic system.
I used the same hydroton in drip fed pots in a nursery and a top fed DWC for a mother with no problem.
The hydroton was washed throughly again and again leading me to believe it was ready to use in my Flood & Drain, boy was I wrong!
I required about 70 litres of clay pebbles for the hydrophonic system. I washed throughly in a bath and soaked a plastic tote for serval hours, rinsing and repeating for 3 to 4 days per batch.
After transferring plants from the nursery into the Ebb & Flow, preparing my nutrient solution of General Hydrophonics Flora Series @ 5ml/10L for all 3 and 5ml/10L of Shogun Silicon PH'd to 5.8, I set the system on a 15 minute flood, 3 times in an 18 hour duration.
Within a 3 hour period and after 1 flood the PH is at 7.0 in both reserviors. I reduce the PH to 5.8 and only to find a huge rise in PH back up to 7.0 after every flood. I continue to battle the PH rise over the next couple of days, having to add more and more PH down to the solution to get a drop in PH. At one point I added 10ML of PH down to move the PH by 0.1 point. Something definitely wasn't right.
After some research I discovered other people had experienced the same issues, with conflicting opinions and solutions. I phoned the shop I purchased the 'ton from only to be told to make my system run to waste, which I found completely ridiculous and extremely time consuming and costly. His alternative was a rhizo system and blaming everything from my PH pen to the silicon that his collegue suggested would stablise PH. Anyways, a common issue other users were having was the 'ton took about 3 weeks to become stable. I decided to soak in a tub with white vinegar for a 3 week period.
I used an 80 Litre storage container with a Maxijet MJ100 pump for agitation. then I went to the store and purchased several bottles of white vinegar at approx. 40 pence for 568ml. Not expensive at all, cheaper and more practical than PH down.
I recommend the MaxiJet MJ1000 pump for it's lift and it has an inlet muzzle.
In the begining I soaked the 'ton in the tub, with 25 Litres of hot water, using more water than required to 'level' the 'ton, allowing plenty free room in the water for agitation. I used an entire bottle of vinegar (568ml) in the water.
After a 24 hour soak, for changing the water I start to fill a bath with cold water. While the bath is filling I use the pump to pump the dirty water/vinegar solution into the sink. As this is happening I scoop the pebbles out the dirty tub into the clean bath water for a rinse, using an 8 inch net pot.
Once the tub is almost empty of dirty water and only small amount of pebbles are left I put the netpot in the sink and scoop out the pebbles and silt left in the base of the tub into the netpot, then rinse in the sink then and put them in the bath water. And rinse out the tub into the sink using the shower head. I'll give the tub a wipe with kitchen roll to remove any residue.
I transfer the pump to the bath and pump the bath water into the sink, while scooping the pebbles out the bath into the clean tub. Pumping the bath water allows the pebbles to be emptied from the bath without opening the plug hole and then blocking the hole with 'ton. Once the water is low and few pebbles remain, clear a space near the plug hole and use the netpot to block the drain hole filtering through the water and not the 'ton.
I then pour in the vinegar before adding the water. It took 25 litres of water to float the 'ton in my setup, yours mught be different. Use enough water so they can move around making it easier for agitation using the pump.
I fill a bath to the top and drain it to flush any silt down the plughole to avoid drainage blockage.
I then repeated the above procedure for 3 weeks, first tapering off the vinegar solution then increasing the number of days before changing out the reservior. After about a week I removed the pump for agitation and give it a stir every now and then.
I used 1 entire bottle of vinegar each change out for 4 days, then reduced to half bottles still changing daily for a couple of days. Then I was down to 125ml each change out, this may vary with volume of 'ton required for conditioning. After about 10 days I spaced the change out time to 2 days increasing up to 4 days, over the next 10 days.
For checking the PH I was going to document it, but sh!t happens. The vinegar solution would drop to the approx 3.5 range, sometimes 3.3 sometimes 3.8. What to look out for iss the size of he drift and the time taken to drift. By the end of the 3 week, it would rise after 24 hours to about 5.2. Where as in the begining, with a full bottle of vinegar it would drift over 6 PH in 24 hours.
The finak soak was going to be in a nutrient solution at 5.8 PH for 4 days straight, over a long weekend but my plans fell through and the nutrient soak only lasted 24 hours.
Returning the 'ton to the Flood and Drain system the using the intial solution desciribed at the start, the PH would drift from 5.8 and seize at 6.4. A few ml of PH down and it's back to 5.8. Much more manageable. I like to drop it to 5.5 PH and allow the drift to 6.4 for a full nutrient uptake.
After 2 weeks in the system the PH rise stops at 6.1 and can take 2 days to reach this range. Very happy now for what was begining to be a complete headache.
I do feel the Hydroton I purchased was probaly the worst type of batch you could buy. I took it as another learning curve in the trade of cultivating cannabis and use my guide as a means to alleviate and issues anyone is experiencing using this medium.
Please don't be put off using Hydroton as a medium. I picked Hydroton as a medium becuase of it's praise from experienced growers.
I used the same hydroton in drip fed pots in a nursery and a top fed DWC for a mother with no problem.
The hydroton was washed throughly again and again leading me to believe it was ready to use in my Flood & Drain, boy was I wrong!
I required about 70 litres of clay pebbles for the hydrophonic system. I washed throughly in a bath and soaked a plastic tote for serval hours, rinsing and repeating for 3 to 4 days per batch.
After transferring plants from the nursery into the Ebb & Flow, preparing my nutrient solution of General Hydrophonics Flora Series @ 5ml/10L for all 3 and 5ml/10L of Shogun Silicon PH'd to 5.8, I set the system on a 15 minute flood, 3 times in an 18 hour duration.
Within a 3 hour period and after 1 flood the PH is at 7.0 in both reserviors. I reduce the PH to 5.8 and only to find a huge rise in PH back up to 7.0 after every flood. I continue to battle the PH rise over the next couple of days, having to add more and more PH down to the solution to get a drop in PH. At one point I added 10ML of PH down to move the PH by 0.1 point. Something definitely wasn't right.
After some research I discovered other people had experienced the same issues, with conflicting opinions and solutions. I phoned the shop I purchased the 'ton from only to be told to make my system run to waste, which I found completely ridiculous and extremely time consuming and costly. His alternative was a rhizo system and blaming everything from my PH pen to the silicon that his collegue suggested would stablise PH. Anyways, a common issue other users were having was the 'ton took about 3 weeks to become stable. I decided to soak in a tub with white vinegar for a 3 week period.
I used an 80 Litre storage container with a Maxijet MJ100 pump for agitation. then I went to the store and purchased several bottles of white vinegar at approx. 40 pence for 568ml. Not expensive at all, cheaper and more practical than PH down.
I recommend the MaxiJet MJ1000 pump for it's lift and it has an inlet muzzle.
In the begining I soaked the 'ton in the tub, with 25 Litres of hot water, using more water than required to 'level' the 'ton, allowing plenty free room in the water for agitation. I used an entire bottle of vinegar (568ml) in the water.
After a 24 hour soak, for changing the water I start to fill a bath with cold water. While the bath is filling I use the pump to pump the dirty water/vinegar solution into the sink. As this is happening I scoop the pebbles out the dirty tub into the clean bath water for a rinse, using an 8 inch net pot.
Once the tub is almost empty of dirty water and only small amount of pebbles are left I put the netpot in the sink and scoop out the pebbles and silt left in the base of the tub into the netpot, then rinse in the sink then and put them in the bath water. And rinse out the tub into the sink using the shower head. I'll give the tub a wipe with kitchen roll to remove any residue.
I transfer the pump to the bath and pump the bath water into the sink, while scooping the pebbles out the bath into the clean tub. Pumping the bath water allows the pebbles to be emptied from the bath without opening the plug hole and then blocking the hole with 'ton. Once the water is low and few pebbles remain, clear a space near the plug hole and use the netpot to block the drain hole filtering through the water and not the 'ton.
I then pour in the vinegar before adding the water. It took 25 litres of water to float the 'ton in my setup, yours mught be different. Use enough water so they can move around making it easier for agitation using the pump.
I fill a bath to the top and drain it to flush any silt down the plughole to avoid drainage blockage.
I then repeated the above procedure for 3 weeks, first tapering off the vinegar solution then increasing the number of days before changing out the reservior. After about a week I removed the pump for agitation and give it a stir every now and then.
I used 1 entire bottle of vinegar each change out for 4 days, then reduced to half bottles still changing daily for a couple of days. Then I was down to 125ml each change out, this may vary with volume of 'ton required for conditioning. After about 10 days I spaced the change out time to 2 days increasing up to 4 days, over the next 10 days.
For checking the PH I was going to document it, but sh!t happens. The vinegar solution would drop to the approx 3.5 range, sometimes 3.3 sometimes 3.8. What to look out for iss the size of he drift and the time taken to drift. By the end of the 3 week, it would rise after 24 hours to about 5.2. Where as in the begining, with a full bottle of vinegar it would drift over 6 PH in 24 hours.
The finak soak was going to be in a nutrient solution at 5.8 PH for 4 days straight, over a long weekend but my plans fell through and the nutrient soak only lasted 24 hours.
Returning the 'ton to the Flood and Drain system the using the intial solution desciribed at the start, the PH would drift from 5.8 and seize at 6.4. A few ml of PH down and it's back to 5.8. Much more manageable. I like to drop it to 5.5 PH and allow the drift to 6.4 for a full nutrient uptake.
After 2 weeks in the system the PH rise stops at 6.1 and can take 2 days to reach this range. Very happy now for what was begining to be a complete headache.
I do feel the Hydroton I purchased was probaly the worst type of batch you could buy. I took it as another learning curve in the trade of cultivating cannabis and use my guide as a means to alleviate and issues anyone is experiencing using this medium.
Please don't be put off using Hydroton as a medium. I picked Hydroton as a medium becuase of it's praise from experienced growers.
