Question about clay pebble medium

[nubie1]

I was wondering if it was a good idea to reuse clay pebbles for a second round or should i just get new ones i had them in a ebb n gro system . tks

 

[Castor27]

if you rinse them off well I don't see an issue with them. not only that it sucks using new clay pellets you have to rinse them and that is always a pain lol.

 

[Papageno]

Totally can be done...but gramma is correct. I can't count how many people have posted problems from not cleaning the medium good enough first.

Wash 2 times before you wash 2 times...and then wash 2 more...

 

[nubie1]

Totally can be done...but gramma is correct. I can't count how many people have posted problems from not cleaning the medium good enough first.

Wash 2 times before you wash 2 times...and then wash 2 more...

tks

 

[Castor27]

I've found it easyest to clean the hydroton in a 5 gallon bucket with a bunch of holes drilled out of it, and spray it with a hose.

 

[Fuzzy Duck]

Clean as much of the old roots out as poss, ye that is the painful bit

Give em a jolly good rinse to which some may allow them to soak in PH adjusted water with added H202 to sterilize etc for 24 hours.

Now ya not gonna get rid of all the old roots & this may decay or added some minor problems etc but i a useful product to use is enzymes or go's by names cannazym, powerzyme by some brands not all offer this product but helps break down old roots & turn them in essential plant foods etc... just some thing else to ponder over ?

 

[Castor27]

Clean as much of the old roots out as poss, ye that is the painful bit

Give em a jolly good rinse to which some may allow them to soak in PH adjusted water with added H202 to sterilize etc for 24 hours.

Now ya not gonna get rid of all the old roots & this may decay or added some minor problems etc but i a useful product to use is enzymes or go's by names cannazym, powerzyme by some brands not all offer this product but helps break down old roots & turn them in essential plant foods etc... just some thing else to ponder over ?

I wonder if orca has this in it? or is it just for benificial bacteria. and the ones that eat dead stuff is diferant bacteria? you got me thinking!

 

[Papageno]

Orca does not have enzymes.

All that is great advice but you can get away with a good wash... all that other stuff you should be adding anyway so it is a bit overkill / wasteful to do it and not have it end up in the res.

It wont hurt and will absolutely help. It is great advice...but I would just give a thorough wash... I mean GOOOOOOOD wash. Then when the rooted plants are transferred into the net pots you give them a good dose of bacteria and enzymes through the basket into the res... that should be just general practice anyway... and you should be good to go.

I think the one I would do is the H202...clean it, kill it, dry it out...then use it correctly.

 

[Castor27]

thanks for the info villageidiot!

 

[Tead]

I use bleach. I know it seems insane, but with enough time and rinsing, it's quite effective. I sometimes reuse perlite in a passive hydro the same way. Apply bleach and water. Let sit for a day. Rinse the crap out of it allowing it to dry between rinsings for a few more days. Reuse.

 

[BuddroGreen]

Been growing with hydroton for a long long time, the easiest way to clean it is to put in a tote and boil some water and soak the hydroton in the boiling water overnight (no soap or anything else needed), same as reusing it after a grow, clean all the roots off and put it in the tote and give it a boiling water bath overnight.

Once soaked overnight, rinse in a colander and let dry, then use