Hydroton Medium

When i first tested my system, i did not rinse my hydroton before running water through it, and my res got nasty real fast, so i dumped it, flushed out the hydroton i had, and it was ok for a while, now i look in the res and see some clay buildup on the bottom. surely this cant be healthy, right? not to mention the effect it will have on ppm, i think...

anyone else dealt with these problems?

If you look at post #32 in your journal you will see I warned you about this. The video I saw said you need to flush the hydrotron until the water runs clear. I think they mentioned 50 gallons for a bag.

I am glad that I didn't use Hydroton...

I use Hydromite and Readygrow by Botanicare. I would suspect for your setup though Hydroton is required.

I do like the re-usability aspect of it though...

I use growrocks, and no matter how many times you rinse it before you use it, it will always have some some particles breaking loose. It's just its nature. It has not affected any of my grows, and until it does, i am gonna roll with it

yeah, I've never flushed my hydroton and have never had any clay buildup. sorry you do.

heh, thanks guys, going to clean everythingo tu and rinse the hydroton once more, should be ok then.

Greetings,
Using new hydroton is almost as much work as washing and re-using previously used hyrdoton. You've gotta rinse the new stuff a loooooong time.

Peace

The company says the dust isn't bad for plants but it'll mess up your ppm and probably pH. So just put it in a big bucket that drains well under the shower and go watch tv for a while.

russ0r said:

When i first tested my system, i did not rinse my hydroton before running water through it, and my res got nasty real fast, so i dumped it, flushed out the hydroton i had, and it was ok for a while, now i look in the res and see some clay buildup on the bottom. surely this cant be healthy, right? not to mention the effect it will have on ppm, i think...

anyone else dealt with these problems?

Click to expand...

it is a problem,i soak mine in a huge tub ,flush the crap out of it,and i mean i really try to get it all the dusty shit out,but i still get some on the bottom,i dont have any problems but it did block my pump up,so i have two tubs i grow in and two spare pumps just in case,but no problems other than the pump thus far,i like it and use it every grow,i have some shit at the bottom now,but plants are looking great,i used to take the top tub off and wash the fuck out of the res tub below,but now i have two spare tubs and just swap them over when i change the res,and nutes,a lot easier,and then you can give the crappy one a good wash etc,and swap them when you change again.
i find it a lot easier,but i am no expert ,but it seems to work for me it is amazing how much dusty crap it holds eh,but you know heaps more than myself from the post i have read,i never reuse it inside as i prefer fresh every grow,but i use the old rock after a good wash with lots of oxyplus,and mix it with good soil for my outdoor ones,but i have a mate who gets it really cheap,as in free as he works in the shop,so i dont have to pay,just a few beers,so it may cost a bit i dont know how much it is where you are,but as mine costs fuck all i can be a bit free and easy with it good growing mate.