Marbles instead of hydroton?

Just had a funny thought of using marbles instead of hydroton for something a bit funky lol... Like all multi coloured ones. Anyone ever had the same thoughts?

I don't think that would work so good, because the clay pellets retain the right amount of moisture, whereas the marbles are made of smooth glass, and the water will run right off, and dry up...

Wild idea. Would be cool to see baked sitting in the grow room.

Also, might be light issues getting thru to the roots/res. Maybe, dunno

I've never second guessed the hydroton, seeing as pretty much EVERY HYDRO GROWER USES IT.

There's always a good reason why things are done the same way over and over again, but I've never been the one to question those type of things..

Hydroton (expanded clay) works due to it's 'Cation Exchange Capacity' (CEC). The easiest way to explain it is to think of magnets where they oppose each other and push each other apart or attract and hold. The Hydroton 'holds the nutrients' for uptake by the the plant. Most people (often even professional but not fully educated gardeners/greenkeepers) assume that the reason sandy soils need more feeding is due to faster drainage
rates 'leaching' the nutrient out of the soil. Not true. It is because they repel nutrients due to ionics/anionics. It's the same reason cricket squares need less feeding than sand-based golf greens. This is too small a space to explain. Look it up.

Yeah but this is the DWC section. All I'm using the clay balls (hydroton) for is to hold shit in place. I could be using anything as it doesnt get wet at all. I really cant see a problem in it if the marbles are clean... At my local hydro shop I have seen these little multi-coloured transparent balls they use as a medium which gave me the idea lol. No idea what it is... Didn't ask.

I see your point. But still think the Hydroton may give you a tiny bit more leeway in case of pump failure and help hold the roots better if they are still reaching the medium. However, you are right, there probably isn't much in it. I'm not the best person to comment as I have little (actually, none!) knowledge of DWC, but much of soil science which is not much use in this case! Apologies for commenting on a subject of which I have no idea!

I really can't see a problem with it.... Not like i have a top feed setup or anything. Just roots suspended in the water/nutes. All the hydroton is doing is holding plant in place. Ive seen people use some styrofoam looking stuff before...

Hey look what I found: "ornamental river rock...tumbled rock....marbles... I even taught a hydro class to thrid graders here where we set up a bubbler and an ebb/flow and used LEGOS as the growing medium to show em that in true hydro the medium is ONLY a place for the roots to grow into/around for airspace....nothing more." Knew I wasn't crazy.....

Thought I would post the whole post as its interesting. From another site... :

"CLEAN....unpainted lava rock has been known to be used as a substitute...sourced from a nursery. The drawbacks here, I'm told, are that there can be contaminents hiding in the pores of the rocks... and that contrary to hydroton which is round, the abrasiveness of the lava rack can aslo be a concern/can be hard on the finer roots.

pea gravel. Hard to keep a clean res/keep things from clogging up.

ornamental river rock...tumbled rock....marbles... I even taught a hydro class to thrid graders here where we set up a bubbler and an ebb/flow and used LEGOS as the growing medium to show em that in true hydro the medium is ONLY a place for the roots to grow into/around for airspace....nothing more.

I would caution using peat/Light Warrior/dirt...etc....anything that HOLDS moisture can easily lead to fungus/root rot/etc and will likely stay too wet. The REAL secret of the DWC or drip in these buckets (IMO) is being able to MOVE the solution...either via bubbles...or via drip and the water running down the root column.

Either way...the exchange of air/water in both instances happens time and time again within the system. In soils/heavier mixes where you cannot water in "cycles" due to probable overwatering, you lose ALL of these benefits, IMO.

LOTS of people grew in CLEAN rocks before hydroton. CLEAN being the key word. IMO. Also avoid LIMESTONE and some other rock is just too damn HEAVY.

hydroton is REUSABLE..so the outlay of cash is a one-time gig. should be about $35 for 50 liter bag."

Any more opinions on this or has anyone ever used anything DIFFERENT to hydroton? Post pics if you have I'm interested.

Third graders.. lol..

I swore I had a caption for this.. guess not oh well.

Yeah man from what I'm gathering is that hydroton could potentially be less viable then marbles IF too much nute/moisture build up occurred on the hydroton turning into nute burn/root slime.

Maybe? Or--

Yeah lol marbles are the new hydroton! And yeah the 3rd graders thing is funny... Wish I got taught hydroponics in grade 3...

I'm gonna do me a LEGO flood and drain table.... hehehe could be the way of the future!

VoidObject said:

Third graders.. lol..

I swore I had a caption for this.. guess not oh well.

Click to expand...

Hey i'm in forth grade watch the degrading comments!!

Lol.......

I grow mainly in hydroton and just put some germinated seeds in rockwool and into a tote(on the left)...


But I ran outta hydroton with one seed to go, not to mention space in my tote, and saw these at the Dollar Tree...


I'm always down for an experiment.....


Once(If) roots develop, I'll cover it up with some panda to keep the light out, cause those balls are crystal clear.

JimmyJam22: most of what these guys and gals said makes sense but I know a guy who is using glass marbles instead of Hydroton to grow. He filled his net pots with the aquarium glass ones like you see at WalMart that aren't exactly round and he doesn't have the accumulating clay problem others often do. He says it's initially a lot more expensive but it's cleaner and since they don't retain moisture like Hydroton and grow rock he has to be very careful about his nutrient/water level. He installed transparent tubes on the sides of his buckets to monitor the levels. He claims they're just as stable as growing in Hydroton but they clean up for reuse with a run through the dish washer. Something to think about? I'm looking for a cleaner way to grow. HSA

Seems like a lot of us are coming to this conclusion: hydroton - possibly not the way to go in DWC.