Hydroton Cleaning Methods

[Goddess]

I've read about people using bleach, other people writing that bleach leaves a bad residue, Clearex which removes salts but doesn't sterilize, H2O2, boiling, and of course lots of hot water rinsing. How do you clean your hydroton between crops?

[tripps]

I'm getting ready to start my first hydroton grow, I looked into it, this seems to be a common method-

first i separate the roots from the hydroton as much as i can, there is still some left over, its not possible to get it all. i have a plastic dish tub that i made into a ghetto colander, and i fill that up with hydroton that ive separated from the roots, i then rinse the hydroton with plain hot water, then i dump that into an 18 gallon Rubbermaid tub up to the line (the first bevel in the tub from the top) with hydroton. i then fill that tub up with hot water and i put 1.5 cups of clearex in it, i let that soak for a day. then i use a regular bus tub that has no holes in it and scoop the hydroton and water out of the Rubbermaid tub into the strainer in the sink, i do a light rinse and then pour that into a clean Rubbermaid tub or if i have another tub of already cleaned hydroton, i just dump it on top of that if there's room. i leave the lids off the tubs so the water evaporates.

[Goddess]

So is it not important to sterilize it between crops? How important is the Clearex? Does hydroton hold a lot of salts otherwise, that hot water flushing won't clean off?

[tripps]

Well, as I said, I've been reading, but never used it. Yes, though, I think salts buid up, and the clearex removes them. Unless you have had problems, pythium or something, I don't think sterilization is important, nothing is very sterile in nature, that's for sure. I had thought about boiling, I think that would work, but the clearex sounds a lot easier. There's also an equivilent product called Flora Kleen, there may be others. Hopefully someone here with actual experience will chime in. :D

[CB]

I use it in DWC and it does hold salts...

I boil mine then bake at 200 for 10 minutes and rince..... what my hydro store suggested :)

seems to work ok but I'm not a heavy hydro guy these days so don't know if better ways have been found....

if there's white on ya balls it cant be good so:p

[Goddess]

I don't think sterilization is important, nothing is very sterile in nature, that's for sure.
I agreed with that philosophy when I grew in organic soil, rarely sterilized anything, but hydroponics aren't very natural and it seems lots more should be sterilized, at least I keep reading about people sterilizing a lot more ... though I've been getting by pretty much without any so far except for H2O2 in the reservoirs. :shrug: I soaked my hydroton in bleach water a few times but lately have just been rinsing it in hot water.

I boil mine then bake at 200 for 10 minutes and rince..... what my hydro store suggested :)
Does boiling remove salt buildup? I guess I could put some of my white hydroton balls in a pot of water and find out. :laugh: That would be a lot of work to boil, or bake, it all though.

[Kiwi]

I remove, soak in 10% bleach solution for 24hrs then put in washing machine in wash bag for full cycle.

Dry in sun

Job done

~Kiwi~

[tripps]

I remove, soak in 10% bleach solution for 24hrs then put in washing machine in wash bag for full cycle.

Dry in sun

Job done

~Kiwi~

Cool, washing machine, great idea. I'm thinking I better buy the wife some flowers before I propose this idea though! :rotf:

[Goddess]

I remove, soak in 10% bleach solution for 24hrs then put in washing machine in wash bag for full cycle.

Dry in sun
2thumbs I was going to mention that I only actually read that bleach is bad from one, somewhat unreliable, source and have read about many other experienced growers using bleach to sterilize hydroton without any problems. So I'm thinking maybe I'll start soaking my hydroton in bleach water first, then rinse with lots of hot water, then soak in Clearex, then rinse again, between crops. If bleach does leave a residue maybe Clearex would remove it like it does fertilizer salts?

[majestyk5]

im not sure of the make up of hydrotron or whatever, i dont know hydro.
that being said bleach shouldnt leave a residue that cant be washed off easily enough.
its used to sterilize a lot of things with no problems.
i guess:D

[Kiwi]

Gotta watch bleach in strong solutions, why I only use 10%

And never, ever, ever use a dodgy wash bag

Hydroton through ur washing machine pump impellor aint a pretty picture or cleanup.......

In saying that I have washed heaps of the stuff both before use and inbetween grows, works great

~Kiwi~

[larfin1]

ok , firstly i am an old bush grow nutter so hydroton is new to me .

i have washed hydroton a couple of times so far in hot water continuously until the water going in is as clear as the water going out and havent had any problems yet.

I am sure someone will tell me probs are on the way..;)

[Pistol Pete]

Please Remember That It Is Not Adviseable To Use Your Hydroton ( Or B'cuzz ) LECA ( Light Expanded Clay Aggregate ) For More Than Two Crops !!
Yield Decreases Afterwards:o
I Have Always used Cannazym To Clean My Hydroton , http://www.growguide.info
I Have Tried Other Enzyme Imitators And Can Save You A Lot Of grief By Suggesting You Use The Original ( I Find It The best )
PP:)

[Pistol Pete]

Gravel ( Pea ) And Lava Rock Are Two Cheaper Alternatives;)
PP

[San]

Don't know about washing after use, but I read a bit about conditioning in an old Hydrotops growguide ;)

The most common form of media used with Ebb & Flow systems is expanded clay pebbles such as Hydroton or Hydroeca.

These media are alkaline by nature and are often contaminated with fine particles or dust which must be removed before use by washing the media thoroughly firstly in water.

Due to the alkaline nature of the media it must be conditioned following the washing process. Conditioning the pebbles reduces the high pH of the media (7,6 to 7.8) to a pH suitable for hydroponic growing. The process of conditioning is simple. Once washed in tap water to remove any dust and loose matter, the pebbles should be totally covered in Grow nutrient solution made up to an EC of around 1.6 with the pH adjusted to 5.2 to 5.5 with buffering solution or acid.

The pebbles should be soaked for at least 24 hours. Following this the pebbles are ready for use in the Ebb & Flow system.

Presumably, if they're well washed, they'd need re-conditioning?

Not something I use tho ;)

San:smokin:

[Goddess]

Please Remember That It Is Not Adviseable To Use Your Hydroton ( Or B'cuzz ) LECA ( Light Expanded Clay Aggregate ) For More Than Two Crops !!
Yield Decreases Afterwards:o
Really? I haven't read that before, and have read lots about people washing it. What makes yield decrease? Even if it's properly cleaned and sanitized? Once I was buying quite a bit of hydroton and a store employee joked about how I must not like to wash my hydroton either, but it was like he thought it was funny that I just didn't want to do it, not like there was a problem with washing and reusing it. Maybe I'll ask what they recommend next time I'm there.

I Have Always used Cannazym To Clean My Hydroton , http://www.growguide.info
I Have Tried Other Enzyme Imitators And Can Save You A Lot Of grief By Suggesting You Use The Original ( I Find It The best )
PP:)
Thanks. I read a bit about Cannazym, found it described as an enzyme combination which helps break down old dead roots, for use in conjunction with nutrients while plants are growing, but nothing about using it to clean hydroton between uses. Do you use it in this way? It also says it should not be used with H2O2 so I couldn't put it in my reservoirs.

These media are alkaline by nature and are often contaminated with fine particles or dust which must be removed before use by washing the media thoroughly firstly in water.

Due to the alkaline nature of the media it must be conditioned following the washing process. Conditioning the pebbles reduces the high pH of the media (7,6 to 7.8) to a pH suitable for hydroponic growing. The process of conditioning is simple. Once washed in tap water to remove any dust and loose matter, the pebbles should be totally covered in Grow nutrient solution made up to an EC of around 1.6 with the pH adjusted to 5.2 to 5.5 with buffering solution or acid.

The pebbles should be soaked for at least 24 hours. Following this the pebbles are ready for use in the Ebb & Flow system.

Presumably, if they're well washed, they'd need re-conditioning?
OK so now it looks like my hydroton cleaning process has grown to at least three steps -- bleach to sanitize, Clearex to remove salts and Grow nutes to condition. :laugh:

[Pistol Pete]

Using Cannazym Undiluted ( 1 litre Per 50 Litre Bag Hydroton ) You Will Remove All Dead Root Matter
You Can Also Use Other Beneficial Microbes ( Bio Essentials ) Which Will Also Gobble Up All The Nasties And Bolster Plant Immunity
You Can Bake Hydroton At Low temperatures
But In Regards To Yield Reduction After Two Applications Is Mentioned In A Few Different Areas , The Links To Which I Am Uncertain To Post, But Will Make Sure To Find A Non Spam ( I Promote Company Links , But Do Not Promote Hydro Shop Links , Which I Hope Is Accepted Here @ HGB
For Example This Link http://www.grow-go.nl Shows The Product
However , I Would Not Give The Links To The two Hydro Shops In The U.K That Sells Them.

I Have Just Aquired Some G13 Clones And Am About To Go DWC ( DIY)
I Refuse To Grow Hydro Without Cannazym And Bio Pac
I Love Everything Organic ( F.Y.I ; The Growlights Of The Future Are called O-LED's ; " Organic Light Emmiting Diodes " ; You Can Even Have Walls And Windows Made From OLED Sheeting;)

Well , Electric Is Going Up By 50%:eek::eek:
Pete

[Pistol Pete]

Great Googley Moogley
The OG Grow Faq Forum Is A Priceless Dictionary In Which To Dig Up Some Darn Fine Info
I Remember I Ran A 78 Page NFT Up And Running Thread With Such NFT Gurus As Stikkybudz, Son-T , Bandit U.K , Alaska , To Name A Few:)

The Article Does Not Mention Renewal After Two Applications , But It's Like A HID Bulb; Although They Can Be Used For , What , Nine Months ?
I Changed My Bulbs Every Other Crop ( Or New Grolux Every Crop )
20% Less Light Equals 20% Less Yield
PP

[Pistol Pete]

If You Can Find Diahydro And Mix It 50-50 With Hydroton Clay Pebbles I Can Guarentee You Will Never Have A Spidermite Problem;)
This Is A Pre Pot Of Gold -Wilma 8 Pot Grow Image
Toto Approved:)
PP

[Goddess]

The OG Grow Faq Forum Is A Priceless Dictionary In Which To Dig Up Some Darn Fine Info
I Remember I Ran A 78 Page NFT Up And Running Thread With Such NFT Gurus As Stikkybudz, Son-T , Bandit U.K , Alaska , To Name A Few:)
Awesome, thanks. I hardly ever visited that site when it was up, and thought everything had been erased when it was shut down. I found a hydroton vs. lavarock discussion but it not only doesn't say anything about replacing hydroton, it advises not to sterilize between uses:

Should I sterilize my used medium or encourage bacteria?

(10k) As far as harboring beneficial bacteria, user 'Jackerspackle' wrote some extensive material on this several years ago.

Basically what he said and I believe and practice, is that expanded clay mediums harbor them too. Just dont sterilize your rockage when washing them out and you'll have plenty remaining in and on the medium to replenish the next grow as soon as they're rewetted. Bactors like nitro simmonas and nitro bactors can go dormant in a dried out state, but will become "alive' again as soon as they're moistened. Of course, you'll keep a more robust living culture going if you dont allow the used rock to ever dry out completely.

The only time when a grower would really want to sterilize the rocks is if he had suffered a root disease in the previous grow. A gnat infestation is NOT a good reason to sterilize the rocks since they can easily be treated using BTI bacteria and semi-sealing up the wetted bag (or tub) full of rocks for a week or so to prevent the life cycle from any possibility of continuing, but keep an air stone running in the closed up wet bag or box of rocks to help keep the bacteria colonies thriving.

Though I'm not interested in preserving beneficial bacteria in my system right now.

I'm not arguing that hydroton should not be replaced, just discussing. :)

Another factor is waste, and what to do with it if I don't reuse it. It won't burn, already know because some ended up in my fire pit that had been mixed with roots when I burned them, then my chickens scratched through it scattering it all over the yard and I'm still trying to pick it all up to hide the evidence. :laugh:

If You Can Find Diahydro And Mix It 50-50 With Hydroton Clay Pebbles I Can Guarentee You Will Never Have A Spidermite Problem
2thumbs How does a 50/50 hydroton/diahydro mix compare with pure hydroton just for growth, if spidermites are not an issue?

Nice looking dogs. :)

[Pistol Pete]

40% Diahydro
50% Hydroton
10% Rockwool Cubes

This Pot Of Gold Recieved No Pre Veg And Was Put Straight Into Flower
I Regret Not Using 10 Times More Clones And Doing A S.O.G
" Live And Learn "
The Second Crop Was Much Bigger
Pete