Recycling gro-rocks

My friend has accumulated a massive pile of used hydroton. He's looking for a way to re-use it, WITHOUT BOILING. I'm thinking he should soak it in hot water and peroxide, followed by clearex, or something. Anyone have a good method, w/o boiling or bleach???

I've seen many ways to recycle Hydroton rocks, some were truly idiotic. Seen them rinsed with peroxide then baked, seen them boiled, seen them baked and boiled, some just cleaned with peroxide then dried, seen one goofball try to put them in the clothes dryer (also seen this same goof ruin his dryer as the smaller broken rocks got into the heater element and there they stayed, I think he believed the lint screen would catch all the dead roots and smaller broken rocks )

The coolest method I've seen to date was a hefty retrofitted electric rock tumbler, with a several different sized pass-through screens that easily removed dead roots and such, then they were rinsed in peroxide, then dried in large bakers flat pans with hundreds of holes in them to facilitate quick drying.

Can someone explain why it's bad to boil them? seems to me that if they are cleaned in bleach, then boiled... then rinsed well all should be well.

They arent really that expensive, so if cleaning and re-using them isnt a simple process, then it's just smarter to buy new. Seems wasteful to me though.

putting them in the dryer is pretty funny though.

Excellent thanks, I'm gonna look into a used, giant rock tumbler on ebay. Yak - According to general hydroponics' website, you are NOT supposed to clean gro-rocks with bleach (they don't explain why, but put it in capital letters). I think it reacts with minerals that get in the rocks, or leaves toxic residue.

i wouldnt want to smoke something that grew anywhere NEAR bleach
i would cut the hassle and just buy new grorocks

i fill my sink with boiling water from kettle, throw em in, let sit for half hour and viola.

Small cement mixer

i use really hot water and air dry. if they're extra dirty, really hot water and some Flora Shield (or similar) and air-dry and then just really hot water and air dry.

How 'bout if one does it right before planting, is there any need to dry the rocks??? Because that sounds like the hard part. I think the cement mixer is the best option Ive heard so far. This guy spends like $150 per grow on gravel, 3 big bags, and has a small mountain of old rocks. It's becoming almost an environmental issue, he wants to go green and save the planet.

yeah...thats what i do after boiling put back into pots, without drying, ready for the new clones.
this is currently my 4th time using the same rocks, no issues.

Mr. D said:

yeah...thats what i do after boiling put back into pots, without drying, ready for the new clones.
this is currently my 4th time using the same rocks, no issues.

Click to expand...

if you're going straight into another grow cycle, i agree with Mr. D - in that I wouldn't worry about drying them.