There are no Stupid Weed Questions

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Pretty cool on how they are made
Expanded clay pellets (Hydroton) are made by heating the clay to over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The process is done in a rotary kiln. As the balls heat up, they fill with bubbles and form into small marble-sized units. While the clay can be used on its own for growing plants, it can also be mixed with soil and other growing media.
 
Hippie is the Man as I envision him
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It should not once rinse real well to get all the dust off
It is only clay balls
They were well rinsed, so I'm out of ideas. The PH was above 8 when I checked, and that was barely two hours after I pushed it down to 6. The seedlings are big enough I went ahead and added some nutrients. That lowered it to 7, and then I added more vinegar to push it back down to 6. I did pull the top off and check one more time, but still no dead mice in there : )
 
What was the PH of the water that you rinsed the hydroton with? If the hydroton retained water with a higher ph, maybe it could have offset the ph of the water your running in it now. Just a thought.

It was tap water ~7.5, but it's just six 4" baskets of hydroton in 30 gal of water. That is, 30 gal of PH adjusted tap water.
 
Hippie is the Man as I envision him
View attachment 291408
Yep! That's me and the Old Hen alright! You been spyin' on me?
They were well rinsed, so I'm out of ideas. The PH was above 8 when I checked, and that was barely two hours after I pushed it down to 6. The seedlings are big enough I went ahead and added some nutrients. That lowered it to 7, and then I added more vinegar to push it back down to 6. I did pull the top off and check one more time, but still no dead mice in there : )
I've always had good luck using phosphoric acid to lower PH. Find some milkstone remover at your local farm store. It's the same stuff the grow shops sell, but less than half the price and a little more powerful. It's even the same color.
 
It was tap water ~7.5, but it's just six 4" baskets of hydroton in 30 gal of water. That is, 30 gal of PH adjusted tap water.
Try rinsing some real well a few times and then load them clay with phed water over night and drain it and then use it. I bet it comes down closer to what you want.
be a good test with a small gallon size amount to prove .
 
Yep! That's me and the Old Hen alright! You been spyin' on me?

I've always had good luck using phosphoric acid to lower PH. Find some milkstone remover at your local farm store. It's the same stuff the grow shops sell, but less than half the price and a little more powerful. It's even the same color.
I have been using lemon juice
 
Try rinsing some real well a few times and then load them clay with phed water over night and drain it and then use it. I bet it comes down closer to what you want.
be a good test with a small gallon size amount to prove .
That's a good idea. I can at least test if they are the cause. Seedlings won't be happy having their medium changed, but if that really is the cause it's better than dumping acid in the tank continuously...
 
I went to a local nursery and asked about the PH issue. As soon as I said vinegar he stopped me and said that's the cause. I said I was using it with tomatoes in a dutch bucket, and the PH wasn't doing the same thing. He said it was, but I just hadn't noticed it, and that the more I use the worse it will get.

I wanted to go look for milkstone remover, but I had taken up a lot of the guy's time asking stupid questions, so I bought a gallon of PH down. He also told me I didn't need to change out the water, but I would need to adjust it every day for a few days. That beats carrying 12 5 gallon buckets in and out.

I'm still testing the hydroton, though. Just in case.
 

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