Cleaning Hydroton Clay Pebbles

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CaliWildViolet420

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I posted this in an answer, however this is written better for newbies.

Inexpensive Method
- Primarily for those who have never experienced this type of growing medium, and have a large amount of pebbles to clean.

(Please bear in mind, that I believe in all cases, organic solutions should be used for all cleaning for your own health and the environment. It is up to you, the individual, to choose what works best for you.)


I no longer use the pebbles, however when I first moved here, three years ago and up until about 7 months ago, we did use them.

D developed his method of cleaning and possibly primitive, it does work.

Materials:
( I used 6 of each type of bucket, due to the volume of what I needed to clean.)

Two Large Paint type Buckets
Bleach or Hydrogen Peroxide
dustpan or shop vac
Water
Gloves


Creating the Drain Bucket
1. Drill holes into the bottom of one of the buckets, just slightly smaller than the majority of the clay pebbles.

2. Keep one bucket on hand with no holes

Procedure: (my method)

(I have four trays that had pebbles in them and had to be cleaned between each new cycle, or each new set of plants, to prevent any problems.)

1. Once all plants have been removed, I go over the tray and pick out as much of the debris as possible.

2. I have tried several methods for getting the pebbles out of the tray. I used the shop vac once..more hassle than it was worth, but is do-able.

Using a dustpan, pitcher or scoop, fill the bucket with holes in it, about 1/2 to 3/4 full, depending on your own level of strength.

3.Put the bucket with holes in it, and pebbles into the second bucket and fill with water, close to the top.

4. Add your choice of cleaning solution. He used bleach, one or two drops and I used Hydrogen Peroxide, cause bleach makes me ill.

(Please be intelligent and never mix any kind of solution, unless you know the properties and it is safe. I would also suggest that you know what works, before having someone at a hydro store talk you into some wonder cleaning product, because we have tried many and many do not work and the expense was wasted.)

5. Let the pebbles soak for a bit in the desired cleaning solution. Debris will rise to the top, if you are lucky.

6. Put gloves on, if you have sensitive skin like me and keep running your hands thru the pebbles bringing up all dead matter and pile it up outside the bucket to discard.

7. Once you have removed as much as you can find, in my case, almost everything visible to the naked eye..empty the bottom bucket in a safe place to dispose of left over nutrients. (Do not pour nutrients into a septic or sewer drain, unless they are completely organic.)

8. Fill the bucket again with clear water to keep flushing out any color, until the water runs as clear as you can get it.

9. Put clean pebbles back into a completely cleaned and scrubbed tray and check for any left over matter, such as gro cube or root debris.

10. Run clean water over the pebbles in the tray one more time, to make sure your pebbles and tray have been flushed clean of old nutrients.

Now, in addition to cleaning of the pebbles, I cannot stress enough the importance of always starting a new set of plants with a clean tray.
We have a high hard particle count in our well water and while we use RO for all the plants, lugging it by bucket to some areas, we still have high mineral salts buildup on the trays and have to use wire brushes and scouring pads, the green ones, to meticulously scrub the trays. I found the brushes that work best at the hardware store and they are called:

Allway - stainless steel wire brush- narrow and ergonomic
WorkForce also makes this kind of brush.
The design of the handle makes it easier to get into the grooves of the grow trays.


(These brushes are not very expensive and can be found at most hardware stores, in various sizes.)

Bear in mind, that this household has two OCD adults in it, and we do everything pro active to prevent mold or mildew issues, creating a sterile environment in the hopes that pests and other annoying issues, will not thrive in our trays.

One other method, I personally use and have D in the habit of doing now. I dry scrub trays first and use the shop vac to suck up excess dust.

(If you are sensitive to breathing in partical matter or have any issues with breathing at all, wear a mask. )

I am not suggesting anyone be anal about the process, however growing medicinal product is to assist you in your own health and in cleaning your materials, you should be protecting yourself as much as you protect your plant/s environment.

If anyone has other suggestions for cleaning products or brushes or method, please add that to this post.

IMG_4323_1 Bucket 1.jpg


IMG_4322 Bucket Bottom.jpg


IMG_4324 Bucket Internal view.jpg
 
These are the brushes, mentioned in the article on cleaning the hydroton pebbles. They are used for trays in my grow rooms.

IMG_4326 Brushes_1two.jpg
 
Re Use of the Buckets with holes in them:

If you switch away from using the Hydroton Clay Pebbles and want to reuse the buckets with holes in them......I use them for organizing storage items under the house.
I label them, with a sharpie, for things like:
Gloves
Electrical Cords
Gardening Supplies

or whatever. This way, you have a reusable item and nothing left to take to the dump...except Pebbles, which you will find for the rest of your life...

 
well done... i just propossed a easier solution..
without bleach or hydrogen peroxide..
since boiling it will clean it and sterilize it as well.. the crap thats left over after the screening process will float to the top for an easy skim..

theres nothing wrong with your method sir.... i just have a easier chem free way to do er..;)
LH
 
Hi Left,
I read that and I agree with not using the solutions. I am not a sir...last time I looked...HAHAHA...
I love input and added suggestions to all posts..thanks for commenting...a very female Wild Violet...LOL

One question, how many pebbles are you baking. I have two grow sheds...I had to clean and a tray in my house...Do not have to do it anymore....so, as far as easier...I think it is up to the individual..I personally hate pebbles and since I have horticultural gardens too...soil is never wasted here...

The other thing is, that I cook from scratch here...and I would not allow anyone to be doing that in my kitchen...so, it would have to be done outside on the BBQ, or with a fire pit....
 
CaliWildViolet420 said:
Hi Left,
I read that and I agree with not using the solutions. I am not a sir...last time I looked...HAHAHA...
I love input and added suggestions to all posts..thanks for commenting...a very female Wild Violet...LOL

One question, how many pebbles are you baking. I have two grow sheds...I had to clean and a tray in my house...Do not have to do it anymore....so, as far as easier...I think it is up to the individual..I personally hate pebbles and since I have horticultural gardens too...soil is never wasted here...

The other thing is, that I cook from scratch here...and I would not allow anyone to be doing that in my kitchen...so, it would have to be done outside on the BBQ, or with a fire pit....

LOL my appologizes miss.. lol
i was using just over 2 gallon pails.. and doing a 5 gal pail at a time..
i think the secret is letting the root matter dry out first.. ie. spreading it out on a tarp for a day.. and then you screen it, in a screen tray br you throw it back into the pails 90% of the root matter is on the tarp after.. the rest floats to the top for skimming.. fish net works great for this..
but if a guy can do it in his back yard.. a water basin would be best over a fire pit..
LH
 
i used to empty them and spread em apart for few hours at harvest then i put them in big metallic containers and into the oven for couple of hours the roots will become ashes and can be flushed away and rocks become strilized and all your consuming is some natural gas
 
Great..whatever works for each individual is the best way to do it...We just never had the time to do that kind of clean. We had to do it in one day and set up the tray for the next transplanted cycle. It has been a year now, I checked my photos..so we are forever done with clay pebbles....
 
Why not use new hydroton? It's alot eaiser & it's not that expensive. Plus, you will not get all the salts out of the center of it. They will release into the next grow & will mess with your ph. A friend was boiling & doing the best he could to clean them & still had a ph problem. He started using new hydroton & his ph problem went away. Always use new.
 
DLM3 said:
Why not use new hydroton? It's alot eaiser & it's not that expensive. Plus, you will not get all the salts out of the center of it. They will release into the next grow & will mess with your ph. A friend was boiling & doing the best he could to clean them & still had a ph problem. He started using new hydroton & his ph problem went away. Always use new.

This may come off as rude but thats the stupidest thing ive heard all day..
sorry.. but thats why most PH there hydroton.. i havent had a problem with my ph.. nor a hand full of people i know who reuse it.. i would have to say its lack of cleaning.. lazy.... inproper procedure... that would cost me over 100$ a grow.. hmmmmmmmmmmm big waste of money there..
after im done cleaning mine it looks bran new.. :D
LH
 
DLM3 said:
Why not use new hydroton? It's alot eaiser & it's not that expensive. Plus, you will not get all the salts out of the center of it. They will release into the next grow & will mess with your ph. A friend was boiling & doing the best he could to clean them & still had a ph problem. He started using new hydroton & his ph problem went away. Always use new.
The pH problem can be gotten around by boiling it. I put mine into a large galvanized tub on cinder-blocks and build a fire under it with wood from the yard. I boil the hydroton until the plant matter all comes to the surface and I just scoop it off. Then I lay the hydroton on a tarp to dry. I've done this for years and never had a problem with pH. I live in the country, so it's no problem to do this. It's way cheaper than buying it over and over. It also sterilizes it.
 
For the suggestion on purchasing 'New Hydroton Clay Pebbles' for each grow....sorry but I do not mean to be rude either...Growing is work...and if anyone does not have the will power to work...they are going to have a rude awakening...If we had to purchase new pebbles every time...in addition to the $800.00 a month PGE bill...uh uh....
Conservation of funds is imperative and that is part of what our dialogue reflects. I am not going to put anyone down for offering a suggestion, that is applicable for the wealthy few....
Just illustrating in my case, between property taxes, electric and propane bills...not an option...
I like to cook from scratch and have money for food to feed anyone who does work for us here and my lil family. I also love to outdoor garden and I need extra funds for those few things I get to do....
Thanks for offering that idea though. In a small, small grow..it is probably applicable...
 
or buy 10$ bags of lava rock you can buy 3 bags for the price of 1 50L bag of hydroton..
LH
Caliwild..... :p
 
Would it be fair to say lava rocks are just as good as hydroton?
 
never used them....aren't they sharp, edgy, or are we talking about pumice type, that are porous...I would think they would be more susceptible to issues and collect problems...

I found this on another site:
"The issues with gravel or lava rock is gravel doesnt hold any moisture like hydroton clay pebbles do and lava rocks are sharp and can dmage roots when moved at all they cut.Hydroton is cheap and best"

"Lava rocks are okay too if you aren't planning on moving the plants at all, because they are heavy and tend to slice the roots."
 
DLM3 said:
Why not use new hydroton? It's alot eaiser & it's not that expensive. Plus, you will not get all the salts out of the center of it. They will release into the next grow & will mess with your ph. A friend was boiling & doing the best he could to clean them & still had a ph problem. He started using new hydroton & his ph problem went away. Always use new.
cuz it's actually easier to clean used hydroton than it is to clean new hydroton;)
 
CaliWildViolet420 said:
Great..whatever works for each individual is the best way to do it...We just never had the time to do that kind of clean. We had to do it in one day and set up the tray for the next transplanted cycle. It has been a year now, I checked my photos..so we are forever done with clay pebbles....

what the heck are you using if not hydroton?

I would love to find another medium to run my waterfarms with....
 
I have saw this discussion since I joined. Man, if someone were to create something that was ph neutral, a solid mass, did not retain hardly any water, off to the Virgin Islands for retirement......
 

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