Hey All,
I used to grow a long time ago using Hydroton as my growing media and always had great results. For my first crop in years I was advised to use 6" rockwool cubes. I've got a moderately large set up, two ebb and flow tables adding up to 6' x 6', under two 600 w bulbs. For this first crop I had the 6" rockwool cubes just by themselves with no other media around them. The results were disasterous but no need to dwell on the past. I want to find a different media other than rockwool. I think it's OK for starting clones, and I have fifteen clones that are about ready to go that were started in 1" rockwool cubes but I still don't have a media picked out for the main grow.
The problem is size. I've got space for fifteen or more 2 gallon buckets in my ebb and flow trays and that would be a lot of Hydroton. I estimated the weight alone would be several hundred pounds of Hydroton, to which hundred of pounds more of water would flooded twice a day. Plus that much Hydroton is a heck of a lot of cleaning. I remember it being too much work years ago with a much smaller system. I really don't want to clean thirty gallons of Hydroton. What else can I use?
I already have my nutrients so I don't think I can switch to coco because I think that needs its own kind of nutrients.
I want something that is cheap, lightweight and preferably disposable. I've heard about growing using packing peanuts or perlite as a media. Has anybody here ever used them? My concern is that packing peanuts would be too light to support larger plants or that it may dry out too fast between flooding. I am considering using a mix of packing peanuts or perlite mixed with vermiculite and a small amount of Hydroton for weight and stability.
Am I on the right track or hopelessly lost? lol
I used to grow a long time ago using Hydroton as my growing media and always had great results. For my first crop in years I was advised to use 6" rockwool cubes. I've got a moderately large set up, two ebb and flow tables adding up to 6' x 6', under two 600 w bulbs. For this first crop I had the 6" rockwool cubes just by themselves with no other media around them. The results were disasterous but no need to dwell on the past. I want to find a different media other than rockwool. I think it's OK for starting clones, and I have fifteen clones that are about ready to go that were started in 1" rockwool cubes but I still don't have a media picked out for the main grow.
The problem is size. I've got space for fifteen or more 2 gallon buckets in my ebb and flow trays and that would be a lot of Hydroton. I estimated the weight alone would be several hundred pounds of Hydroton, to which hundred of pounds more of water would flooded twice a day. Plus that much Hydroton is a heck of a lot of cleaning. I remember it being too much work years ago with a much smaller system. I really don't want to clean thirty gallons of Hydroton. What else can I use?
I already have my nutrients so I don't think I can switch to coco because I think that needs its own kind of nutrients.
I want something that is cheap, lightweight and preferably disposable. I've heard about growing using packing peanuts or perlite as a media. Has anybody here ever used them? My concern is that packing peanuts would be too light to support larger plants or that it may dry out too fast between flooding. I am considering using a mix of packing peanuts or perlite mixed with vermiculite and a small amount of Hydroton for weight and stability.
Am I on the right track or hopelessly lost? lol