Ebb system medium advice

Thundercat said:

I like the growstones the best, I got my local shop to start carrying them just for me ! They don't roll around. The stink bud system is great. I'm working on an idea for a rock washing system. Something small enough that any home grower could buy one but sturdy enough to clean your rocks way faster and easier then by hand. I hate washing rocks. Its the only part of hydro growing that I dislike. I also think that if the rocks could be washed well they would last for years which = less waste .

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Keesje said:

On this same forum is there is a famous post by StinkBud.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/harvest-a-pound-every-three-weeks.116859/
He uses an aeroponics system.
But in the end that is not that much of a difference (concerning roots/water/O2 I mean)

He uses small 2 inch netpots, neoprene inserts and that's it.
He makes clones this way and when they grow bigger, he puts netpot+neoprene+plant in his system.
The roots just hang in the air. No hydroton or any other medium.
His plants stay upright because the roots are 'pulling' on the plant.
And he has a system with bars which support his plants.

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ligrow said:

Hi guys,
just harvest 11 buckets ebb and grow system few days ago.
Its 7 liter bucket fill with hydroton.
Yesterday I tried to clean up hydroton, It took me 5 hours to get rid of roots.
Wonder how you guys clean your hydroton?
Also think about change medium. coco? rockwool?
I can simply throw away with above two medium right?
Is there any different that I should change my setup when use different medium.
Like PH range, EC levelm flood time?
I use rockwool for clone and transplant to ebb bucket fill with hydroton.
When I cleaned up buckets, rockwool look kind of nasty for me.
Not sure if its a good idea to use straight rockwool.
coco I dont have any experience with it.
Im all doing it myself, looking for good medium with less work...

Any feedback or advice would be really appreciate.
happy grow

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PetFlora said:

Polished river rock for the win. I use 3" net pots throughout, simply transfer them to larger tote once they have sufficient roots. Easy to remove and clean after each grow, then reuse forever

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supdro said:

Personally what I like to do is pull the whole plant out of the hydroton instead of chopping at the base while still in the pot. Less cleanup for me

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Keesje said:

Modify your current system.
There must be a way to replace the 7 liter bucket by something much smaller.

Or buy a second hand concrete mixer, drill tiny holes in the bottom, get a hose and let it run filled with hydroton.

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Keesje said:

Isn't it cheaper/easier to just throw the used hydroton away, buy a new bag and rinse it.

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ligrow said:

I thought about that too. but isnt new hydroton need to be clean before put it into system?
I wash new rocks before use, and I still have dirt on the bottom of res. for first two or three res. change.

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Keesje said:

It has to be clean, yes.
But that is easy to do.
First you make some small holes in the bottom of the bag.
Then an opening in the top of the bag.
Put in a hose and let the water go in.
And then after you let it run for a while, you wash the last bit of dirt off in the sink.

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supdro said:

That's exactly why I reuse my hydroton I hate buying new and rinsing. My water stays clear with used hydroton and pool shock

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Keesje said:

Where I live you can only buy hydroton in plastic bags.
Perhaps it is different in other areas.

But the people that I know that use hydroton, clean it the way I described.
Holes in the new bag.

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