Cleaning Hydroton

Dogenzengi

Dogenzengi

Well-Known Member
Hello RIU world,
A simple almost rhetorical question;

Do I have to rinse new Hydroton?

how long does it need to be washed?

any Ideas of an easy way to clean a lot at once?

I was going to turn a 5 gallon bucket into a sieve.
just dril 1/8" holes all over the bottom the bucket....

sounds about right I guess.

what's your opinion?

peace,
DZ
 
Dogenzengi

Dogenzengi

Well-Known Member
@Superstoner1,
what do you suggest I use in an ebb n Flo system?

Oh my plants are in 4" rock wool cubes.

let me guess you hate rock wool too??

what should I be doing?

I am a relative newbie so please feel free to advise me!

peace,
DZ
 
hydrosoil78

hydrosoil78

Active Member
hydroton is cool but I have always mixed it with soil. you could even transplant into pots with an inch or 2 of hydroton in the bottom then constantly flow up to that level and let the roots gradually get to the hydroton/ nutrient layer. Id say transplant, pick out as much rockwool from the roots as you can and put them in dirt / clay pebbles or 100% clay pebbles. water after planting, no need to pre rinse the clay pebbles.
 
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MrMeanGreen

Active Member
overgrowcannabis said:
If came in a bag and it doesnt already have holes in it make pencil sized holes and run water till it comes out clear .
Click to expand...
either you don't use hydroton or you have some dirty sandy tanks if that's how you clean ya hydroton.

Like superstoner said.... freehand and lots off water, preferably flowing water.
 
Fazer1rlg

Fazer1rlg

Active Member
Remove roots. Rinse dirt. Put hydroton in hot water with dish soap. Wash. Then place in strainer and rinse. It's easy as washing dishes. Why would you throw the shit away what a damn waste.
 
Dogenzengi

Dogenzengi

Well-Known Member
Mr. meangreen,
Superstoner told me to throw them out, he called Hydroton useless.

he mentioned nothing about handling new Hydroton.

@Hydrosoil78,
I am not into soil, I am into Hydro.
my system will be Ebb n Flo with the 4" cubes of rock wool placed in Rubbermaid container filled with Hydroton.

flood and drain with roots growing from cube into Hydroton, is that a Bad choice of system for Hydroton?

I see no reason to cut away the rock wool, I could damage good roots.
Why would I cut it away?

thanx for constructive comments.
peace,
DZ
 
trevronious

trevronious

Well-Known Member
Holy shit you guys are fucking useless sometimes... Is it that hard to answer the question like a normal person?

Anyways.
OP my method is when using new or reusing old hydroton get a big tub of some kind and wash until the water is clear. Then soak in a mild h202 solution for a few hours, rinse and reuse. Simple procedure for a simple task.

If all else fails... Google it.


Edit: Not sure who took the liberty of editing my posts, but just so we're all on the same page 98% of this place and it's users are fucking useless, and you're the cancer that is spreading it.
 
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MoJobud

Active Member
dunno how big of a plant you are growing but I find a 4x4 cube just fine to go all the way. I would bypass the hydroton and put up a trellis to support the plants.
 
Malevolence

Malevolence

New Member
Some people get a cover for the flood tray and drill net pot holes and don't use media. I have read one concern about hydroton in ebb n flo, which is it floating and shifting around during flood cycle which could damage the roots.

To thoroughly wash hydroton there is no secret to it... it takes a long time.
 
M

MrMeanGreen

Active Member
Dogenzengi said:
Mr. meangreen,
Superstoner told me to throw them out, he called Hydroton useless.

he mentioned nothing about handling new Hydroton.

DZ
Click to expand...
And the moral of the story is....... Don't come on here when ya totally baked. I thought he said "toss the crap out of it" lol.
 
GoLdD

GoLdD

Well-Known Member
Allow me to actually answer the question. The way I do it is to fill up a rubber made 25 gallon tote with pH'ed water (5.6-5.8 ) I take the amount of hydroton I'm going to use and soak it over night. The next day I rinse them in the sink using a strainer. Then, while I'm germing my plants, I run my system with the hydroton in it for a few days, changing the water a few times until I have no residue in my reservoir. it's good to pH your hydroton since it leeches stored water into your res and will make it slightly more difficult to keep a steady pH if it's leeching 7.0 water.
 
thenotsoesoteric

thenotsoesoteric

Well-Known Member
Don't you just love how everyone expects you to grow the way they do, like stuperstoner, I don't even see why they bother to type out a response.

I'm with trvron. Except I just flush with water till all red run off is gone. Hydroton is great just don't reuse it to many times, shit is cheap enough to buy new ever 2-3 shows. I use it in aero, drips, waterfarms, and Dwc. Good luck. And just flush with ph'd water.

PS, Gold posted while I was posting. but yeah his is a much better way to prepare your stone.
 
gtran

gtran

Active Member
I found hydroton to be the best stuff to use for hydro, especially when using net pots. I have a few plants in rockwool though and i am having good results. Best way to do it is just like you mentioned, drill a few holes in a 5 gal bucket and rinse it for about 5 mins. I normally add a few drops of bleach to kill anything that might harm my plants. I dont understand why anyone would use something other then hydroton but thats just my opinion. Ive been using the same hydroton for a year and not matter how much you rinse it, there will still be a brown powdery residue in the bottom of your res. Much cleaner then any type of medium besides rockwool.
 
bass1014

bass1014

Well-Known Member
yo dog, i made a screen to use and reuse hydration pellets., i took a 1x4x8..cut the board at 2ft lengths. make a square out of it. get some of the metal screen with the holes about a 1/4 inch.. staple/nail the screen on the bottom of the 2x4 box.. when you need new hydration or reusing old just take your screen box and a water hose.. if you want to be lazy make 2x4 legs and you won't have to bend over. but as stated make sure to rinse and bleech all used hydration.. you can put the root ball in a boiling pot of water for 5-10 minutes and then pour over the screen and almost all the roots will go right on thru the screen.. hope this DIY helps
 
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Mithrandir420

Well-Known Member
Run a search. I have personally answered this question twice.

Don't listen to superstoner. He thinks his way is the only way.
 
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