Media

[desertsquirrel]

Anyone using any media besides Hydroton? One of the side-by-sides we are doing right now is media in the UC. Here are some we are testing so far:

 

[KennyPowers]

i am sick of stepping on stray hydroton so im lookin forward to hear what you like best

 

[hogan400]

Same here, I am interested in growstones, since they are simply puffed glass and should be ph neutral and not retain too much water. Being larger and odd shaped compared to h-ton, maybe give more plant support than bucket of balls..

Also the Sun Leaves rocks since they have some silica base to them and that might be a nice addition for water culture in the uc??

more good stuff here, d.s.

 

[motherlode]

i had wanted to try the hygromite - curious to see how it works out for you

 

[hollywood7]

Useing rocks over here no complaints yet

 

[Land of Giants]

So I've used hydroton, growstones and rocks... I hate hydroton for obvious reasons, as far as growstones, not bad with the exception they do need ph'ing and they are just to light to make for a solid base.. Im currently using rocks and they need no ph'ing, just a rinse and they have silica I believe as well...After each round disposing of them is easy , I just spread them around the yard and they look natural.. Rocks for me, IMO...

 

[ZurichTheHunter]

Has anyone heard of a foam collar similar to the EZ Clone Collar for 8" net pots? I haven’t, but thought it would be interesting to use a series of various sized Collars instead of media.

The idea would be to change out the collar as the plant increases in size to accommodate the increased girth of the stalk.

What say you? Are there collars out there, already in production? Has anyone tried using collars to grow medialess? If not, is it a dumb idea?

Would love to hear your feedback.

 

[motherlode]

Has anyone heard of a foam collar similar to the EZ Clone Collar for 8" net pots? I haven’t, but thought it would be interesting to use a series of various sized Collars instead of media.

The idea would be to change out the collar as the plant increases in size to accommodate the increased girth of the stalk.

What say you? Are there collars out there, already in production? Has anyone tried using collars to grow medialess? If not, is it a dumb idea?

Would love to hear your feedback.

what if the foam was rigid enough to hold the plant but could compress enough to allow for growth without having to change out collars

 

[desertsquirrel]

So I've used hydroton, growstones and rocks... I hate hydroton for obvious reasons, as far as growstones, not bad with the exception they do need ph'ing and they are just to light to make for a solid base.. Im currently using rocks and they need no ph'ing, just a rinse and they have silica I believe as well...After each round disposing of them is easy , I just spread them around the yard and they look natural.. Rocks for me, IMO...

why would you throw away media of any kind?

 

[ZurichTheHunter]

what if the foam was rigid enough to hold the plant but could compress enough to allow for growth without having to change out collars

Not sure, seems like it would be work investigating.

 

[Land of Giants]

Well in my old ebb&flo tables the roots would pretty much consume my medium, and anything that was reusable was recycled... Im noticing in the uc though that that's not going to be the case so I will reuse as much as possible.. I still prefer "Rocks" over any other medium.

 

[woodsmaneh]

Back in the early days of hydro (70's) we used river washed pea gravel, all about the size of , well peas. I have looked for it everywhere but not much luck finding it in the last 8 years. I don't like sharp edges in there if I can help it.

How much does the other stuff weigh vs hydroton?

I have seen in some grows white sq. blocks for growing in and they can be reused I beleive. Anyone tried them?

 

[PrefersHam]

why would you throw away media of any kind?

Couldnt agree with you more.

Why the hate for hydroton? Its cheap and easily cleaned also has one of the highest cec's attainable.

also isnt a respirator recommended when handling growstones due to the glass dust?

Keep up the great work DS!!! def tuned in for this one.

 

[PButter]

Hydroton... Havent needed any 'better' product yet...

DS, Whats been going on that you need a new product? Don't get me wrong, if there is something better I'm all for it. Where does hydroton specifically fail you?

PB

 

[BudGoggles]

Ive used the dunarok II and it worked great now Im back to hydroton.

 

[HydroRocks]

We tested Hydroton and the Growstones. We have since switched to the Growstones.

The Growstones do need soaking and cleaning prior to use as well as PH. They are not PH neutral as some have stated. The silica in the Growstones tend to make the PH rise a bit if not well rinsed and PH'd properly, prior to use.

They are way easier to clean than the clay pebbles which seem to break down over time and leave a clay residue behind.

Both median types work well over all. The Growstones can leave behind a gritty sand like substance over time as well.

If you use an enzyme treatment to keep things clean in your grow cycles it GREATLY helps to make cleaning a breeze! The right type of enzymes will eat away any organic matter left behind in the system.

We are currently testing enzyme products in the UC system and working with fine folks that make the Carefree enzyme products.

These we think is the key to reusing media types and keeping a clean, VERY low maintenance, and LONG lasting system.

Cheers!

 

[PButter]

Ive used the dunarok II and it worked great now Im back to hydroton.

Hey BG, why did you want to switch to dnyarok II and if great, whats better about hydroton?

Thanks bro,

PB

 

[PrefersHam]

Bump.

 

[St3ve]

I've used hydroton, hydroton and rockwool, bio-balls, and grow rocks.

None of them support the plant when she gets big so that doesn't matter. I just always tie them to the pots. Over all I stuck with grow rocks because they are cheap, they don't roll, and they are easy to get rid of as mentioned.

 

[ZombieSlave]

yea i like the grow stones a lot ive been useing them this run