what is your easiest way to wash hydroton?

[InlineMax]

Ill agree its a pain in the butt...and back. We used the punching holes in the bottom of the bag method. After the holes are made the bag is placed in the tub and with the sprayer head washed the dirt out. Then put the pebbles in the 2.5 gal ebb and grow container with the holes in the bottom and sprayed it out some more. Then the bucket went right into the system for transplant. Used the same method with sunleaves rocks which are cheaper then hydroton but heavier.

 

[CrumpleZone]

Be careful with hydroton and indoor plumbing. That clay dust will clog your drains fast. Kind of like coffee grounds.

 

[BigForest]

I buy double and clean them over the time to be ready for the next run.Takes the hustle and bustle out of the down time i hate rushing.Oh yeah you have to double the buckets or containers i vegg in a diff area so i usualy have 3-4 weeks to clean 18-24 buckets worth plus there easier to clean dry as mention above.Back to the topic i actualy use big laundry bags with the holes small enough to not let the balls out and spray it down and shake the bag more like picking it up and dropping on floor to break it up i leave the cut stalk in the bucket for 2-3 weeks and when dry the root ball comes out pretty much in tact so i can dump the hydroton in the laundry bag

 

[BadRabbit]

Dead wrong on every single count except the "have to buy more" ...

You are seriously misconcepted ... which is why use pebbles I suppose!

But the 2 bags I buy a year way more than makes up for the drudgery and nonsense of cleaning little clay pebbles that don't work nearly as well as a grow medium as RW.

Let me expand, just slightly, lest I sound like I was just being argumentative ...

Hydroton will work ... I used it, and cleaned it, once or twice and decided that it was such a PITA, that's I'd try other things.

Rockwool comes in all sizes including tiny cubes that comes in big bags, smaller chunks than hyrdoton, and fills pots just like pebbles, dirt or any other media.

It also comes in small starter cubes that are perfect for sprouting seedlings and/or clones/cuttings.

It absorbs and retains water better than pebbles ... in fact, if your pumps fail, RW will keep you plants safe for days, even a week or more with no problem.

In side by side comparisons, it is shown to encourage better root growth, especially in younger plants/seedlings/clones ... it's much better at getting and keeping air, nutrients and moisture on the roots all at once and keepting it there.

It requires no special watering or watering skill ... not sure what you're talking about, it's as easy to water as dirt. THe current RW is ph balanced, so that's not a problem either (used to be 10 years ago!).

it's light weight, flexible, and you can grow a huge root ball in it ...

when you're done, pitch it out and use fresh ... it's not expensive and you'd be amazed how far a small amount goes.

SO ... yes, I go online and have a couple bags shipped to me from the hydro store once or twice a year.

In return ... no stupid, heavy bags of clay pebbles, that don't grow as well, require cleaning before and after use and are a lot fussier and less forgiving of mistakes and pump failures.

If you really can't afford it ... sure, buy and wash the little pebbles forever. If you can afford a bag of RW ... do it and compare and you'll never go back.

Anyway, do a search on the comparison of the two .... you'll find a ton of debate and info out there. I'm just offering the perspective and experience of over 10 years of hydro and soil growing.

cheers,
rabbit

 

[InlineMax]

Be careful with hydroton and indoor plumbing. That clay dust will clog your drains fast. Kind of like coffee grounds.

Thats good advice, thanks!

 

[RedReign]

also don't use hyrdoton more than 3 runs, it gathers salts up in the deep part of the pellet and will reduce yields from there on out.. no matter how much you wash it or sanitize it.

I used the same hydroton for 7-8 years, never had a problem. Rinsed it under hot water after each run to clean it.

 

[_Dude]

Dead wrong on every single count except the "have to buy more" ...

You are seriously misconcepted ... which is why use pebbles I suppose!

But the 2 bags I buy a year way more than makes up for the drudgery and nonsense of cleaning little clay pebbles that don't work nearly as well as a grow medium as RW.

N/M, just saw your follow-up, reading it now.

 

[_Dude]

I did this as well. You don't need to run pH adjusted water through the hydroton. Just plain tap water to clear out the clay dust.

I'm possibly making a full transition to rockshale from hydroton. It does need to be rinsed but once done, it doesn't constantly release dust into the res (at least not from my limited experience of it) and it doesn't roll around all over the place. It's cheaper and has the same performance as hydroton so far. I'll see if I'm switching 100% after my current run.

Do us a favor and keep us posted. I'm always shopping for something RENEWABLE (not something I have to buy over and over and throw away after each grow) that's comparable to hydroton and cheaper. I'm probably going to have to do a run with lava rocks soon because I don't have the loot to drop on more 'ton at the moment.

 

[_Dude]

BR, aside from cost (which is no small issue IMO. I'm a cheapskate so fifty bucks in my pocket is fifty bucks - I could give a crap about washing it for an hour every three weeks or whatever), my issue is overwatering. I was under the impression that you can't just water rockwool five times a day like you can with 'ton. That's what I meant by forgiving. Am I wrong?

 

[BadRabbit]

BR, aside from cost (which is no small issue IMO. I'm a cheapskate so fifty bucks in my pocket is fifty bucks - I could give a crap about washing it for an hour every three weeks or whatever), my issue is overwatering. I was under the impression that you can't just water rockwool five times a day like you can with 'ton. That's what I meant by forgiving. Am I wrong?

Hi Dude,
Yes, you're wrong, on the overwatering part anyway. But as far as cost, yeh that's a decision everyone has to make, so I get that.

But no, RW drains like a beast, no issue I've experrienced or ever heard of, but it stays moist ... on a flood table, you could easily get away with 2 or 3 floods through a 24 hr. period.

It's a very good medium ... I've tried both pebbles and RW and much prefer the RW for growing results and ease, but again, it's a buy and throw away.

cheers,
rabbit

 

[growshopfrank]

!!! Can you expand on your rock shale usage? Do you just buy large pieces of rock shale and break it up to fit in a net basket or bucket?

Try local nursery outlets they sell it by the bag its usually sold as ground cover nice and ph stable too I used to sell it under the name heydite but none of my suppliers seem to carry it anymore which is a shame because it was a good product just not enough margin I guess.

 

[Scrogerman]

Let me expand, just slightly, lest I sound like I was just being argumentative ...

Hydroton will work ... I used it, and cleaned it, once or twice and decided that it was such a PITA, that's I'd try other things.

Rockwool comes in all sizes including tiny cubes that comes in big bags, smaller chunks than hyrdoton, and fills pots just like pebbles, dirt or any other media.

It also comes in small starter cubes that are perfect for sprouting seedlings and/or clones/cuttings.

It absorbs and retains water better than pebbles ... in fact, if your pumps fail, RW will keep you plants safe for days, even a week or more with no problem.

In side by side comparisons, it is shown to encourage better root growth, especially in younger plants/seedlings/clones ... it's much better at getting and keeping air, nutrients and moisture on the roots all at once and keepting it there.

It requires no special watering or watering skill ... not sure what you're talking about, it's as easy to water as dirt. THe current RW is ph balanced, so that's not a problem either (used to be 10 years ago!).

it's light weight, flexible, and you can grow a huge root ball in it ...

when you're done, pitch it out and use fresh ... it's not expensive and you'd be amazed how far a small amount goes.

SO ... yes, I go online and have a couple bags shipped to me from the hydro store once or twice a year.

In return ... no stupid, heavy bags of clay pebbles, that don't grow as well, require cleaning before and after use and are a lot fussier and less forgiving of mistakes and pump failures.

If you really can't afford it ... sure, buy and wash the little pebbles forever. If you can afford a bag of RW ... do it and compare and you'll never go back.

Anyway, do a search on the comparison of the two .... you'll find a ton of debate and info out there. I'm just offering the perspective and experience of over 10 years of hydro and soil growing.

cheers,
rabbit

You wannna stick my DWC Tote next to your RW grow bro, with hydroton, it kicks RW's ass everytime bro & i love NFT & have used RW for years, it is a very good easy to use medium but is it better than Hydroton as a media, not imo bro, but it is very good dont get me wrong on this. My DWC grows Outgrow my NFT grows evreytime.(but thats not just down to the media used)
RW comes with it own Pro's & Con's too & ive outted it completely from my net pots, just hydroton now. RW has a habit of accumilating salts & needs to be kept clean for perfect growth ive found, a simple periodic flush/leach every 2 weeks & it stays stellar! still RW is a PITA too! most medias are in one way or another & all have Pro's & Cons.

Look at NGB(is it?)'s grows, where he was growing out Chronic, layered hydroton & RW(lose cubes),in a sort of water farm trip, the 2 combined kicked ass for sure, even considering copying the mans style i was soo impressed!

 

[bu11dog]

The easiest way is to stab holes in the bottom of the bag with a knife, cut a hole in the top for the tap, then turn on tap and rinse through.

It washes all the excess clay off in a few mins.

Peace

 

[flyer]

thanks everyone for your input, i tried poking holes in the bottom of the bag and running a hose from the top of the bag, filled it up with water and watch it drain, but that still does not wash all the sand out, seems like i have to use a drainer or let it sit there for 24+hrs for all the sands to come out.
im going to try using a 50gal garbage can and a strainer, dump the tons' in the 50gal, fill it up with water and use a drainer to get buckets out at a time. its time consuming but guess thats the only way... :/
im using ebb flood system so 1 50Lbag only fills 10 buckets (trying DWC soon!!)

besides just hydroton, i am using RW also. i veg about a week or so in the RW then add that to the bucket of tons' works great!

 

[ugmjfarmer]

I do the initial flush with the bag to tamper down the dust, then fill pots with the hydroton and wash each pot individually until the runoff is as clear as water. Then I load up my trays with the pots running a tank of 1/2 strength bloom nutes pd'd to 5.7 for a few hours. Then that tank can be dumped and then I transplant my clones into the tray and go with what nutes the plants need for the growth phase.

The pre-treat with bloom nutes tends to improve rooting.

 

[Casual]

I've seen suggestions for converting a cement mixer to clean
large quantities of 'ton...
Something like this would be awesome...
http://www.amazon.com/Northern-Indu...wer-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1290623521&sr=1-21

It doubles as a dolly, which will definitely help save your back.
Just drill a bunch of holes around the circumference towards the back, turn it on, and just keep spraying water in. The agitation along with the flowing water will clean a bunch of hydroton in minutes.

Caz

 

[BadRabbit]

You wannna stick my DWC Tote next to your RW grow bro, with hydroton, it kicks RW's ass everytime bro & i love NFT & have used RW for years, it is a very good easy to use medium but is it better than Hydroton as a media, not imo bro, but it is very good dont get me wrong on this. My DWC grows Outgrow my NFT grows evreytime.(but thats not just down to the media used)
RW comes with it own Pro's & Con's too & ive outted it completely from my net pots, just hydroton now. RW has a habit of accumilating salts & needs to be kept clean for perfect growth ive found, a simple periodic flush/leach every 2 weeks & it stays stellar! still RW is a PITA too! most medias are in one way or another & all have Pro's & Cons.

Look at NGB(is it?)'s grows, where he was growing out Chronic, layered hydroton & RW(lose cubes),in a sort of water farm trip, the 2 combined kicked ass for sure, even considering copying the mans style i was soo impressed!

... and there's mountains of side by side comparisons published on the web that are exactly opposite of what you claim. I've never had a salt/nute build up problem, RW drains clear in a sec ...

Lots of growers use RW and like the results better than non-absorbent PITA ass to wash clay pebbles.

You're entitled to your preference; but for a new grower who thinks pebbles are the gnat's ass and RW is hard to use; well, they should probably at least hear the other point of view and an accurate summary of the options.

Ultimately, every grower should try various methods, in media, lighting, nutes, etc., and see what works best for them in results, cost, ease of use ... reach your own conclusions, not what one advocate barks about.

 

[bu11dog]

thanks everyone for your input, i tried poking holes in the bottom of the bag and running a hose from the top of the bag, filled it up with water and watch it drain, but that still does not wash all the sand out, seems like i have to use a drainer or let it sit there for 24+hrs for all the sands to come out.
im going to try using a 50gal garbage can and a strainer, dump the tons' in the 50gal, fill it up with water and use a drainer to get buckets out at a time. its time consuming but guess thats the only way... :/
im using ebb flood system so 1 50Lbag only fills 10 buckets (trying DWC soon!!)

besides just hydroton, i am using RW also. i veg about a week or so in the RW then add that to the bucket of tons' works great!

Sand?

There's no sand in UK hydroton clay pebbles, just 1cm balls of expanded clay, and washing through the bag with water and moving the pebbles around as you do, will wash them all in minutes.

peace

 

[rocky5]

get a laundry bag with a drawstring.
you know the ones with all the holes in them
and that way you can agitate the bag whilst soaking.
or just drill holes in the bottom and sides of a bin.

 

[Tonka]

Try local nursery outlets they sell it by the bag its usually sold as ground cover nice and ph stable too I used to sell it under the name heydite but none of my suppliers seem to carry it anymore which is a shame because it was a good product just not enough margin I guess.