Cleaning Hydroton

You guys need to learn to slow down and read the question, or better yet don't post answers whilst high , he is asking how to clean new hydroton, not how to clean and reuse old hydroton durrrr. And yes it is best to ignore superstoner, he mostly doesn't actually answer questions, he just tells you your wrong for doing it differently than him.

I clean it with water. How do you clean stuff? I hope not with dirt...

A little bleach and a little H202, mix it watch it bubble and then rinse with fresh water. If you're afraid of the bleach just keep cycling some H202 through your system, it will break down and dissolve all the dead roots and plant mass that may be mixed in. The. You can just keep rinsing clean water through until you find it to be clean enough for your liking. I also like to ph up when I'm doing the last water cycling so as to set a good foundation for the next girls coming in. I've also done the 32gal trash can with drilled holes, and a sweater bag for the washer, but that was a lot of work believe me.

Hoped this actually helped instead of someone being a pretentious prick

riven67 has a nice detailed post here https://www.rollitup.org/hydroponics-aeroponics/450019-cleaning-hydroton-bleach-h2o2-science.html

Buy a used front load washer from craigslist.
load up, wash, and dump the washer.

Dogenzengi said:

Mr. meangreen, Superstoner told me to throw them out, he called Hydroton useless. he mentioned nothing about handling new Hydroton. @Hydrosoil78, I am not into soil, I am into Hydro. my system will be Ebb n Flo with the 4" cubes of rock wool placed in Rubbermaid container filled with Hydroton. flood and drain with roots growing from cube into Hydroton, is that a Bad choice of system for Hydroton? I see no reason to cut away the rock wool, I could damage good roots. Why would I cut it away? thanx for constructive comments. peace, DZ

Click to expand...

Poke holes in the bag and flush with water til it runs clear or use the drilled bucket you mentioned. You will be surprised how much "mud" comes out. I would use smaller RW cubes than 4", like 1-1/2" cubes. Place the cubes so their bottoms are just above the waterline of your buckets. You can place shims under the buckets or controller to fine adjust the water level. You may have to top water the RW until the roots have grown into the hydroton a little. The RW will stay waterlogged if the water level reaches them during the flood cycle and will cause the stem to rot. I'm getting ready to start my first Ebb & Gro batch myself. New hydroton is relitively easy to clean, just run plenty of clean water over it. Used hydroton is difficult to clean, and isn't worth the effort involved in my opinion.

HTP said:

Buy a used front load washer from craigslist. load up, wash, and dump the washer.

Click to expand...

Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to just buy new hydroton?

GoLdD said:

You guys need to learn to slow down and read the question, or better yet don't post answers whilst high , he is asking how to clean new hydroton, not how to clean and reuse old hydroton durrrr. And yes it is best to ignore superstoner, he mostly doesn't actually answer questions, he just tells you your wrong for doing it differently than him.

Click to expand...

If we don't post while high, this place would be pretty damn quite.

For new hydroton I use big mesh bottom pots. Line em up, fill 3/4th of the way and run water through them. I do it outside so I use a hose.

Thanks for all the great advice, I poked small holes in my bag and flushed For 30 minutes.
Then I poured it into a prepared bucket.
I took a 5 gal. Bucket and drilled 2 rows of 12 holes around the bottom 1" of the bucket.


spin the handle gently or inertia will tear your am off if you spin to fast!
At least my Old Arm, lol!

Bucket works pretty good with 5 minutes of slow flushing with overflow and let drain and spin for 1 minute.

we all live and learn, that's why I am here!

peace,
DZ

That should be fine. Just trying to get the red dust out. Cheers, glad to hear you worked it out.