How should I clean my hydroton/clay pebbles??

I have been growing hydro for years using rock wool as a medium. A few months ago a friend of mine moved out of state and gave my all of his clay pebbles. So I used them and I grew a huge plant that will keep me smoking for quite a while. My question to all of you hyro hipsters is, How should I clean these thing up? Using rock whool is easy, toss it into the composter and get new chunks. But what to do with all these dirty little rocks???

The best way to clean hydroton is to get a large trash bin, then put all the hydroton into the trash bin, then take the trash bin and put it on your curb on trash day...Then head to the hydro store and buy more.

Dont throw them out if u dont have to, I feel that the new pebbles need cleaning even more than the used ones. I just put them back into the net pot & run hot water over them for a couple minutes. Before using again I put them in ph'ed water for a day & im good.

with the new pebbles u have to deal with all that dust & red shyt in your water all over again....just how I do it

Thanks for the replies.

You can look it up online -- I did once and I think the resulting info said to boil the pellets for 10 minutes, then let dry before bagging for storage. Some people add hydrogen peroxide, I think, but I don't think it's necessary on top of a 10 minute boil.

I use a five gallon pail with the bottom cut out with 1/4" mesh and just stick the garden hose nozzle in there and move it all around. I also agree that its easier to reuse than try and clean new stuff.

kryptoniteglo said:

You can look it up online -- I did once and I think the resulting info said to boil the pellets for 10 minutes, then let dry before bagging for storage. Some people add hydrogen peroxide, I think, but I don't think it's necessary on top of a 10 minute boil.

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Never boiled mine, i did use to rinse with H2O2 but shits pricey. I use bleach and rinse them really well. Honestly i wash them for 5 min. tops, then pour some bleach over them and again rinse for a few minutes. I run the system for a few days before I put seedlings in as well.

Cleaning hydroton is the bane of my existence....and I've never found a great answer....I think having a cement mixer or washing machine dedicated to 'tron would be the best solution.

The best bad solution I've found is to make sure you've got enough extra to let it sit for like a month after you're done with a batch, let the roots get really really dry so they'll turn to powder easy, then wash 'em using a bucket with a bunch of wholes drilled in it so it's like a colander. It's still not perfect, it's still a pain, but it's the best I've gotten

I usually rinse mine under hot water for a min then i toss it into a bin of hot water refill the net pot rinse then to to the been. Once its all rinsed i add some pond zyme to the rinsed hydroton let it sit for a day to eat on any small roots left behind. then i have a spout i open on the bottom of the bin i drain out the water and refill. Then i add bleach to the water and let it sit for another day. Then i rinse one last time before going into my system. I have allot of hydroton to clean at the end 12 5 gallon buckets worth. But with the proccess ive used above i have reused same hydroton 4 grows and going strong. I also use my system to rinse for a day with water ph'd to 5.5 then dump. It would take me twice as long to clean the dust off new hydroton everytime. And dont use your washing machine your wives will kill you. Trust me

god damn, hydroton sounds like a pain int he ass. I have half a bag sitting downstairs waiting for this grow to finish so I can get my little 2x4 flood n drain tray up.

I have been boiling but will definitely try just rinsing next time. I didn't think it was that much of a pain in the ass.... aren't you going to at least rinse off any reusable medium?

Depends on how much you have but if you're only doing a couple of plants worth, why not just back in the oven for a few hours and then rinse with water?

jojaxx said:

Dont throw them out if u dont have to, I feel that the new pebbles need cleaning even more than the used ones. I just put them back into the net pot & run hot water over them for a couple minutes. Before using again I put them in ph'ed water for a day & im good.

with the new pebbles u have to deal with all that dust & red shyt in your water all over again....just how I do it

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Exactly

bertaluchi said:

I have been growing hydro for years using rock wool as a medium. A few months ago a friend of mine moved out of state and gave my all of his clay pebbles. So I used them and I grew a huge plant that will keep me smoking for quite a while. My question to all of you hyro hipsters is, How should I clean these thing up? Using rock whool is easy, toss it into the composter and get new chunks. But what to do with all these dirty little rocks???

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WASH AND REUSE. How much money do you really want to spend buying reusable rocks? Besides, they've built up a colony of bacteria that's beneficial if you've been growing properly, so I don't recommend sterilizing unless you've let them sit long enough to rot.

Even then; just wash, wash again in water with a weak solution of h2o2 and then REUSE.

Hydroton is $40 a bag. That's dinner for two around here!

TechnoMage said:

Depends on how much you have but if you're only doing a couple of plants worth, why not just back in the oven for a few hours and then rinse with water?

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See my avatar? I'm green from saying THIS so much; if the bacteria, algae and other life were so beneficial in the last run, what are you killing them now for?!

Rinse and reuse- faster is better so the bennies don't die.

ttystikk said:

See my avatar? I'm green from saying THIS so much; if the bacteria, algae and other life were so beneficial in the last run, what are you killing them now for?!

Rinse and reuse- faster is better so the bennies don't die.

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Me I do it for salt my last grow went salty so I need a wash wash wash but I won’t h202

2cent said:

Me I do it for salt my last grow went salty so I need a wash wash wash but I won’t h202

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Why did you feel the need to bump a 10 year old thread?

Just like that !!!

I hope @ttystikk is well. Hasnt been about for a bit.

Griffon said:

Just like that !!!

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Nah, it looks like it needs more garlic, and maybe a sprinkle of paprika