Coco vs. Hydroton

[jake43]

I have been using hydroton (with good results) but the clean-up is a nightmare.

I am wondering if coco supplies enough weight to keep the plants upright? I feel like the weight of the hydroton helps hold my plants in place.

I would love the ability to just compost the coco after my grow and not have to worry about all the hours of clean-up.

Is there an alternative that I am missing?

What have you found to be the best cost vs. time savings vs. results?

 

[jake43]

BUMP...thoughts...anyone?

 

[Ursus]

what do you mean by the cleaning?

 

[DoobNoob]

I have been using hydroton (with good results) but the clean-up is a nightmare.

I am wondering if coco supplies enough weight to keep the plants upright? I feel like the weight of the hydroton helps hold my plants in place.

I would love the ability to just compost the coco after my grow and not have to worry about all the hours of clean-up.

Is there an alternative that I am missing?

What have you found to be the best cost vs. time savings vs. results?

Sup Jake,

I am currently using coco coir for container growing and I can tell you that it holds the plants just fine. When wet, it resembles coffee grounds and is dense enough to support a plant of any size. I actually add vermiculite to mine to increase aeration and it is sturdy yet damn near impossible to overwater. I get a 5lb brick from my local hydro shop for 15 bucks and it lasts a long time.

Since you'll be using it in hydro, I suggest getting a coarser grade of coco for your net pots. I believe they are called croutons and when wet, can still provide a stable base for your ladies. The fine coco coir that most places sell can be a pain in hydro because you can have clogging problems. I would say that the cost difference is negligible and it just really depends on whether you can find the larger grade coco in your area. Hope this helped.

 

[jake43]

what do you mean by the cleaning?

With hydroton you have to clean it before you use it.

When new (fresh out of the bag) I rinse it. It takes me an hour to rinse a large bag.

After you harvest your plants you have to clean it before you use it again. I pick out all of the large root pieces and then boil them in batches. I boil my for approx. 10 minutes each batch. This kills anything left on them and also helps get rid of the last root bits. I have a large boiling pot and that part sill takes close to 2 hours to boil ten 8" net pots worth of hydroton.

Sup Jake,

I am currently using coco coir for container growing and I can tell you that it holds the plants just fine. When wet, it resembles coffee grounds and is dense enough to support a plant of any size. I actually add vermiculite to mine to increase aeration and it is sturdy yet damn near impossible to overwater. I get a 5lb brick from my local hydro shop for 15 bucks and it lasts a long time.

Since you'll be using it in hydro, I suggest getting a coarser grade of coco for your net pots. I believe they are called croutons and when wet, can still provide a stable base for your ladies. The fine coco coir that most places sell can be a pain in hydro because you can have clogging problems. I would say that the cost difference is negligible and it just really depends on whether you can find the larger grade coco in your area. Hope this helped.

Great info man (+ rep to you). I will give it a shot and see how it goes. Thanks for the info!

 

[stylez]

I think hydroton is the bomb