hydroton substitute ?????

monkey5

monkey5

Active Member
hello
ive been working on new project. first time with hydroponics.
i went to homedepot today to build a diy bubbleponic setup.
and they aint have shit!!
no nutrients for hydroponics, no ph meters and no hydroton, no rockwool
sounds crazy right
they said i could order the ph meters and nutrients online and so i did
but as far as medium i the guy steered me towards white marble chips.
i remeber reading a thread where ppl said it was great to use marble balls
so i went ahead and bought it
are white marble chips good for a medium?
if not
are there any homemade mediums?(things that might be lying around a normal household)

any ideas thank youuu
 
monkey5

monkey5

Active Member
TWS said:
perlite
Click to expand...
thanks for your input

perlite was an option but it seemed so thin(smal grain ,sandy ect.) i was afraid it would go through the wholes and fall in the reservoir .
also i thought i would end up floating and not hold the plants up right. is this true? is it bad if perlite fell through into the reservoir?
 
monkey5

monkey5

Active Member
some one please help me --im so lost
im going to return the marble chips to homedepot right now. should i exchange it for perlite or vigoro pond pebbles or anything from homedepot . what should i get
 
hotrodharley

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Pumice from Wal Mart.Rinse well to remove dust.BBQ grill lava is excellent. Buy it at Lowes or Home Depot and rinse it wellto remove dust.Fish tank gravel from Wal Mart. Gravel from the roadside that has been washed well - anything inert than can let the roots go and grow through it while supporting the plants. Nothing organic.
 
Zoltan32

Zoltan32

Well-Known Member
I've been incorporating lava rock with my hydroton... This last run is mostly lava rock and the next will probably be entirely lava rock... Its like 6 bucks for a big bag, and just around the corner. Just rinse it out really good, I haven't noticed an excess of trash in my reservoir, I'm running an ebb and flow BTW.
 
Alaric

Alaric

Well-Known Member
monkey5 said:
hello
ive been working on new project. first time with hydroponics.
i went to homedepot today to build a diy bubbleponic setup.
and they aint have shit!!
no nutrients for hydroponics, no ph meters and no hydroton, no rockwool
sounds crazy right
they said i could order the ph meters and nutrients online and so i did
but as far as medium i the guy steered me towards white marble chips.
i remeber reading a thread where ppl said it was great to use marble balls
so i went ahead and bought it
are white marble chips good for a medium?
if not
are there any homemade mediums?(things that might be lying around a normal household)

any ideas thank youuu
Click to expand...
Some water culture growers (myself included) prefer no medium at all----except for starting seed. When running with clones the entire process is 100% medium less.

Lots of ways to support / train plants without medium-----makes 1 less thing to deal with.

Perhaps as legalization spreads, home depot / lowes will get into the game.

A~~~
 
rkymtnman

rkymtnman

Well-Known Member
growstones are awesome! i'll second @fishdeth . they hold the most water and air of all mediums. no residue after preparation. and made right here in the USA.

@Zoltan32 i read that lava has high mercury concentrations. don't know if weed will leech that stuff into the plants?
 
AlphaPhase

AlphaPhase

Well-Known Member
"Rock wool originally started as a thermal insulation material in the construction industry: its lightweight but highly aerated nature helps keep heat in buildings, while being easy to handle, cut and install. However, towards the end of the 1960s, trials were carried out in Denmark to test the possibility of using stone wool as a substrate for plants. Things went well and since then rockwool as a growing media has seen some continuing development of the substrate and the tools used to manage it."

I think it's how Rockwool started its journey in hydroponics. I wouldn't recommend using insulation, but if in a pinch it might work.
 
bird mcbride

bird mcbride

Well-Known Member
You can get rockwool at lumberyards and and other similar outlets. This rockwool isn't as hard as hydro rockwool but it still works. It comes in bails like fiberglass and I figure a bail would last a person a lifetime if it's for personal. I have crushed up lava rock for propane barbecues and it works also.
 
Budley Doright

Budley Doright

Well-Known Member
Well I think you will find that construction rock wool has things in it to help with mould, fire, bugs, etc. so just saying I would check before putting my little girl in there lol.
 
Aeroknow

Aeroknow

Well-Known Member
Budley Doright said:
Well I think you will find that construction rock wool has things in it to help with mould, fire, bugs, etc. so just saying I would check before putting my little girl in there lol.
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Yes. Construction rockwool, thermafiber, etc, has a fire retardant and a water REPELLENT in it. No good for growing. I'm a drywall/lather by trade, i've cut up and installed lots of that shit. It sucks bad! I fucking hate that shit.
rkymtnman said:
growstones are awesome! i'll second @fishdeth . they hold the most water and air of all mediums. no residue after preparation. and made right here in the USA.

@Zoltan32 i read that lava has high mercury concentrations. don't know if weed will leech that stuff into the plants?
Click to expand...
Them grostones are all right i guess. I did some runs with the big grostones. Carefull though, the bastards say that shit don't float. My fucking ass! That shit floats more than hydroton.:cuss:
 
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