Medium to replace Rockwool for recirculating waste

Hello all, I am running a recirculating system (recirculating waste) top fed for 15 minutes 3 times per day.
My medium is rockwool croutons (mini cubes). The plants love the croutons but unfortunately I don't. I am super sensitive to rockwool it drives me mad around eyes, chest and hands even after a shower it still irritates me. I also dump my used media on a piece of land I have and it is just unsightly and doesn't breakdown.

Are there any alternative mediums I could use. I looked at 60/40 clay/coco but think it would just gunge my res up. Pure clay wouldn't hold enough water as my roots are in the pot and not in the res as mentioned earlier I top feed into 20 litre pots.

Hydroton @Thundercat

ToFarGone said:

Hydroton @Thundercat

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My problem with clay as a stand alone media is, would it retain enough water in a roots in pot environment and would it not just fall apart when potting up?

I've grown in hydroton. Plant in the final container from the beginning and adjust watering frequency if needed. You can water more than three times a day if you need to. If I remember correctly I had my timer set to water every 4 hours or so when I grew hydro with hydroton.

RDWC,simple.No media to replace.Your half way there already,just step a little further

myke said:

RDWC,simple.No media to replace.Your half way there already,just step a little further

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Been there and never NEVER will I return

Have you thought about coco chips?

fartoblue said:

Been there and never NEVER will I return

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Haha. Ya some just don’t have luck I guess. Coco is the next option. The clay pebbles thing is messy. Friggen pebbles everywhere. Good luck.

xtsho said:

Have you thought about coco chips?

https://www.amazon.com/GROW-Organic-Planting-Chips-Block/dp/B0049XH0FM

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They look like just the job XTsho mate. Can they be used alone? Has anyone any experience with them. I can buy a 20 litre bag for 8 quid in the UK a dam site cheaper than rockwool croutons

fartoblue said:

They look like just the thing XTsho mate. Can they be used alone? Has anyone any experience with them. I can buy a 20 litre bag for 8 quid in the UK a dam site cheaper than rockwool croutons

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And you can put them into your compost pile. Win win all around.

fartoblue said:

They look like just the job XTsho mate. Can they be used alone? Has anyone any experience with them. I can buy a 20 litre bag for 8 quid in the UK a dam site cheaper than rockwool croutons

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Yes can be used alone.