Cleaning Hydroton, Bleach, H2O2 the Science

[Riven67]

Reading any forum and search for "how to clean Hydroton" and you will get different recommendations as well as warnings. I become so confused and scared I did not know what to do. So after researching it I will add my 2 cents and maybe help those of you like me that needed answers.

Here is the process I used and the science behind it.

Bleach and water solution 2 teaspoons per gallon for a soak. I needed 4 gallons for 50lb of hydroton. ( Use only regular bleach with sodium hypochlorite, no additives like Lemon scent, just Plain old Clorox) Let soak for an hour.

Drain half of the solution off.

Add to it a strong solution of H2O2. I used 29% H2O2@ 4 teaspoons per gallon of water. I used 2 Gallons. When you add this it will hiss and you may see a fine mist rise from the hydroton, it is OK, the reaction is vigorous but not dangerous!
Stir or mix.
Wait 10 minutes and rinse with clean water. You know have clean Sterilized hydroton.

The Science= Bleach, aka sodium hypochlorite will react with Hydrogen peroxide to produce O2(oxygen), H2O(water), and NaCl (table salt).
The H2O2 will totally remove any trace of chlorine and leave you with oxygen, salt, and water. Rinsing with clean water will remove any trace of salt left behind and leave you with sterilized clean hydroton!

 

[hellraizer30]

very interesting nice bit of info, if you could post up where your info came from

 

[Riven67]

very interesting nice bit of info, if you could post up where your info came from

I will certainly give it a go......

Study of Antimicrobial combination of Sodium Hypochlorite and Hydrogen Peroxide. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17897181

Chemical Restiveness of H2O2 (section on removal of Chlorine) http://www.lenntech.com/processes/disinfection/chemical/disinfectants-hydrogen-peroxide.htm
The section talks about how it chemically removes chlorine (hypochlorite) but in our example we are using Sodium Hypochlorite so you need to add the "Na" to the front of the chemical name of hypochlorite or "OCl"

Yahoo Answers http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071023080231AACdFUC on the reaction of bleach and peroxide.

Chemistry demo http://www.amazingrust.com/experiments/how_to/Oxygen.html Look at method number 2

This is all I can remember I'm sure there is more info I looked at before I tried it but I can't remember how I got to those websites. Hope this helps!

 

[tip top toker]

I put mine in a vegetable colander and swish it around for a minute or two under the bathroom tap..

 

[hellraizer30]

I put mine in a vegetable colander and swish it around for a minute or two under the bathroom tap..

this is what ive done also but im shure it removes loose roots and such but im not so shure about salts.

 

[Riven67]

Yeah I would just rinse it off also but I had some Brown Slime issues and needed to kill off all the microbes living in it. I needed a way to sterilize it quickly, I did not feel like boiling 50lbs of hydroton so I came up with a safe way to use bleach. If it helps one other grower get rid of that HellSlime then it was worth the trouble to write it down.
By the way I also used Heisenberg's Beneficial Microbe Brew to get rid of it on my roots and other places in the system. https://www.rollitup.org/dwc-bubbleponics/361430-how-breed-your-own-beneficial.html
The total treatment seems to be working very well. I will keep you all updated.

 

[zem]

very good info indeed Riven67. I also use H2O2 to clean my hydroton and with much higher dose than what you recommended but I never knew the exact science behind it, I just knew that it breaks down roots

 

[ScoobyDoobyDoo]

thanks for sharing. i'm gonna try that out. i've always just let it soak in 20ml per gallon solution of hygrozyme for a few hours and then rinse with water.

 

[problemsolver]

I last cleansed my life of hydroton by throwing it in the garbage. I grow mega monster mothers with nothing but a round disc of 3/4" polyshield foam board in lieu of the stock lid that came with my rubbermaid 44 gallon brute pails ( dwc method). Foam board is totally inert and very inexpensive. Find it in the building foam section of the big blue or orange stores. 4' x 8' sheet is about $11 and any system can be retrofitted with it so that you can go totally media-less. I saved an average of 120 hours of work per year by making the switch, and I get better results from the naked roots. You don't have to change the whole system to see the difference. Try it on one or a few and see how you like it. You could always pm me if you need more details.

 

[zem]

I last cleansed my life of hydroton by throwing it in the garbage. I grow mega monster mothers with nothing but a round disc of 3/4" polyshield foam board in lieu of the stock lid that came with my rubbermaid 44 gallon brute pails ( dwc method). Foam board is totally inert and very inexpensive. Find it in the building foam section of the big blue or orange stores. 4' x 8' sheet is about $11 and any system can be retrofitted with it so that you can go totally media-less. I saved an average of 120 hours of work per year by making the switch, and I get better results from the naked roots. You don't have to change the whole system to see the difference. Try it on one or a few and see how you like it. You could always pm me if you need more details.

I really like to know more about this system, is it just the lid that is foam and the roots are submerged in DWC with airpump? please share more details

 

[Stinky Buds]

I pick out the root material I can and rinse well with PHed water.
Then I soak it in PHed water and H202 overnight (or 2, the H202 will break down in a couple days, and it basically becomes water).
Rinse again with PHed water, dry out the hydroton and you're golden.
I use 29% H202 at 20 ml/US gal for this.
I also add 10 ml/US gal to my res weekly.

 

[Mithrandir420]

I just soak in a hot weak bleach solution, then rinse twice. Never had a need for the peroxide, never had a problem. Unless you are using too much bleach you shouldn't need any peroxide.

For me the key to cleaning hydroton is getting to it and shaking it out of the roots at the right time so the hydroton comes off fairly clean.

 

[Stinky Buds]

I think H202 is a great preventative measure that actually increases O2 to the root area.
Used properly, it produces more robust plants.
I only started using it last round, and it killed root rot.
I've done some research and have added it to my weekly nute sched.

 

[Kharv48]

I think H202 is a great preventative measure that actually increases O2 to the root area.
Used properly, it produces more robust plants.
I only started using it last round, and it killed root rot.
I've done some research and have added it to my weekly nute sched.

I understand this is a really old thread. But I'm calling BS on routinely adding H202 to your nute regimen. Then again, I'm still a noob, but I'd imagine excessive H202 could just lead to some bad stuff happening. I would love to be proved wrong tho!

Anyways, I do have a question tho. I had a top drip system with water going through 3 pots although only one contained a plant (had to set it up that way due to a drainage issue). I ended up with a pretty bad mold and algae situation. Fortunately, it still produced an awesome harvest, but once done, I had to throw that pot and hydroton away. It just wasn't salvageable. But I want to sanitize and sterilize the hydroton from the other two pots that didn't have plants. The developed a little mold, but nothing to serious. This was damn expensive "organic" hydroton, so I'd surely like to save it if I can.

Should I just use the bleach & H202 method from this thread?

 

[zem]

You can use h2o2 or chlorine then rinse well

 

[Cabrone]

I have been thinking about baking it in the oven, 350°f for 30 min? Then rinse plain water? Chemical free? Sound crazy?

 

[cannabineer]

I have been thinking about baking it in the oven, 350°f for 30 min? Then rinse plain water? Chemical free? Sound crazy?

2 hours for sterility

Go 400 degrees

 

[Rurumo]

H202 is a great seed soak too. Think of all the bacteria and fungus that must be coating a seed after being touched by you, the breeder, the seedbank pick and mix sorter, etc....sorry, off topic, I love h202 for sterilizing stuffs

 

[plumsmooth]

Reading any forum and search for "how to clean Hydroton" and you will get different recommendations as well as warnings. I become so confused and scared I did not know what to do. So after researching it I will add my 2 cents and maybe help those of you like me that needed answers.

Here is the process I used and the science behind it.

Bleach and water solution 2 teaspoons per gallon for a soak. I needed 4 gallons for 50lb of hydroton. ( Use only regular bleach with sodium hypochlorite, no additives like Lemon scent, just Plain old Clorox) Let soak for an hour.

Drain half of the solution off.

Add to it a strong solution of H2O2. I used 29% H2O2@ 4 teaspoons per gallon of water. I used 2 Gallons. When you add this it will hiss and you may see a fine mist rise from the hydroton, it is OK, the reaction is vigorous but not dangerous!
Stir or mix.
Wait 10 minutes and rinse with clean water. You know have clean Sterilized hydroton.

The Science= Bleach, aka sodium hypochlorite will react with Hydrogen peroxide to produce O2(oxygen), H2O(water), and NaCl (table salt).
The H2O2 will totally remove any trace of chlorine and leave you with oxygen, salt, and water. Rinsing with clean water will remove any trace of salt left behind and leave you with sterilized clean hydroton!

I might try this for fun on a small amount for one Power Grower but I usually use Fresh new Expanded Clay...