How long are Hydroton rocks good for?

How often do you change out your Hydroton rocks?

Bk4mr said:

How often do you change out your Hydroton rocks?

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About a month ago I dove into the world of Aeroponics/Hydroponics. I'm still learning quite a bit but I researched it long before attempting to try it myself.

I plan on using Hydroton rocks once I get the money to order them and the other supplies I need to complete my FULL aero grow I'm working on.

From what I've read, with Hydroton rocks, you can soak them in hydrogen peroxide in between uses to sterilize them. But as far as I know, you can continue to reuse them. You probably already know this so I'm just reiterating facts.

I also would like to know if there is like a half life or something on Hydroton rocks in which you should toss them out after so many reuses. Is there any other grower out there that could help us out?

I use it indefinitley. After each grow, I boil it in a pot on the stove for an hour or two. This both sterilizes it and helps remove nutrient salt buildup.
I could afford to throw it out after each grow, but if its re-usable, why waste it?

man that would be a big ass pot to boil up 100 plus liters of that shit. I put mine in a kiddy swim pool with hydro peroz and then hit them with a pressure washer to stir it up

ive reused them before after washing them with peroxide and now i use em to line my soil pots on the bottom as well. it gives space in between the soil and the holes in the bottom for extra water/nutes to drain out . sometimes, the drain holes clogs and that sucks. this ust helps out 100% . i suppose regular gravel would help too but ive got hydroton coming outta my ears around here...rather use it than throw away..

I've been using the same GroRocks for the past 6+ years now. I just wash them off, put them into metal mixing bowls and put them into the oven at 450 degrees for 45 minutes. I let them cool, then wash them off again ... and we're all set for another round.

Vi

ViRedd said:

I've been using the same GroRocks for the past 6+ years now. I just wash them off, put them into metal mixing bowls and put them into the oven at 450 degrees for 45 minutes. I let them cool, then wash them off again ... and we're all set for another round.

Vi

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seems strange to see you in the grow sections vi, thought you gave that frustrating part up years ago

A friend of mine has had the same Hydroton for 5 years. He boils his as well and has never had an issue. I bought a bag of the stuff for an experiment that I have not conducted yet (Cannabis DWC). Looking closely at the stuff, it does not seem like there is anything to go bad as long as it is sterile.