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
A lot of folks say you should let your 'ton dry out after a grow before you clean it, but I don't think this is the best method. It's what I usually do, in fact I just finished doing a few buckets worth, but I think I'm going to do it in stages next time. When the root masses have dried out, they fall apart making them a PITA to separate from the 'ton. When they're wet, they separate easily. I haven't noticed the root penetration into the balls the way someone pointed out above, but assuming that's true, it's still easier to do the initial separation right after harvest. Then you just have a small fraction of the mass to deal with later once they've dried. Once they've dried, you can shake most of the remaining mass out.
i have been growing in the same hydroton for years. remove roots, rinse and sterilize with h2o2 every cycle. works great. BUT nutrients do precipitate. one of the books i have says these form "essentially as a combination of calcium phosphate and calcium sulphate,which can also trap other elements, mainly the micronutrients." the book goes on to say that, " although this precipitate is essentially insoluble, portions can become soluble, which will then contribute to the essential element supply being delivered to the roots." my concern would be that Ca and K can lock each other out at high concentration ( i don't know the exact numbers on that). the books i have read say this precipitate can be washed out with acid solutions but they do not get any more specific than that.
does anyone have any more info, or better yet first hand experience with this ? has anyone found another thread that gets deeper into this subject ?
interesting green, i have some h202 solutions too and i did not know it can be use like that.
i always thought using physan20 was the way.. wonder if anyone on here has any 1st hang experience......
there is no easy way, soak wash soak wash soak wash, then a further soak(for 24 hours) in PH adjusted nute solution, Low EC 0.4-0.6. works for me, my res is always crystal clear, no dust or shit. but i do wash the fk outa it!
Whats the difference between hydroton and claypebbles?
I have been using my hydroton for as long a as I can remember growing, started in 96'. All I do is put it in the washing machine and add some hydrogen peroxide(30%). If for some reason the pellets are extra scuzzy, Just throw it on for another 10 minute agitation. Seriously folks this IS the easiest way to deal with em. This also makes the beginning problem of have to rinse the hydroton of the clay dust much easier, a couple quick 5 minute runs and they're ready to roll.
Good luck, peace