Grow Mediums AutoPots and just clay pebbles and nothing else.

[Nosias]

From a little Google search I found that Hydroton clay pellets do wick. So that thought is done...I will set up two 2.2 gal AutoPots with all Hydroton. No airdome. I will follow all of my other routines for growing in the AutoPots, this time plain Hydroton. I am cleaning the Hydroton now. What a dirty mess I found in the Hydroton. I rinsed it 5 times and still there is dirt/dust. Not an issue. I'll keep rinsing it until it is clear. At the moment it is sitting in a 3.9 PH (vinegar was used) solution where all pellets are covered. I will let them sit for 24 hours and then I'll rinse it until clean. Once clean it will sit in PH 6.0 water for 24 hours.
I hope Sunday will be planting day.

 

[Nosias]

Damn those clay balls are so dirty !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nosias]

Damn those clay balls are so dirty !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I repeat Damn those clay balls are dirty.

 

[Saven]

Any update on this? Was interested.

 

[Nosias]

Any update on this? Was interested.

I have one lady in all hydrton. I will post her here a bit later today. She is growing well.

 

[woody]

Hey mate was it a wilma you used before?
I know your pain with washing those clay pebbles!
Also agree theres no point runing airdomes as a pot of pebbles is already super aerated.
Good luck bud

 

[Nosias]

Hey mate was it a wilma you used before?
I know your pain with washing those clay pebbles!
Also agree theres no point runing airdomes as a pot of pebbles is already super aerated.
Good luck bud

Good evening Woody. I used a home made set up. I took 3 gal pails that were 12 in tall and circular and about 1.5 foot diameter. I drilled holes in the bottom for drainage. I had 2 x 8 pieces of new lumber and laid them on their side to form a three sided "box". I placed the pails on top of this box and with lots of heavy duty plastic I put it between the 2x8s and let it hang down in the middle. This way the water would come from my rez, it was on the floor and the boxs were off the ground and titled towards the rez. Water was pumped into each pail with 1/2" PVC. I use lava rock that time. You can find it in the states at a landscaping yard. I did this in 1982 and I got some Northern Lights from Nevil at the old SEED BANK in Amsterdam.

Today for this grow I an using a 2.2 gal AP and I let it sit on the edges of the tray. I hand water and the water that goes in the tray is 6.9-7.1 ph so those clay pebbles are still throwing off the ph. It goes in as 6.0. So this is not a great process. The lava rock has no clay/dry dust to mess u up. She is 6 dazes old. Looking as good as the LSD-25 in coco. Coco with a few hand fulls of the clay pebbles. No perlite ot Bizz Mix Lite.

 

[Nosias]

Here is my experimental grow using only Hydroton clay pebbles.
I dropped a Sweet Seeds "Unknown" that I bought as a MIX pack. 10 unknowns and for me I have learned that I like to KNOW what I am growing, ok thats just me. No harm meant to any one.

I will call her SSU. SSU is 6 days olds and is growing right along with the rest of the garden. I have a Fast Buds LSD-25 and a Blim Burn Seed CREAM about the same time. SSU is looking great. I am watering her by hand. The run off PH is 6.9 - 7.1. Man, I tried to PH balance the clay balls but they are co-operating with me. The clay balls do hold water so I am lifting up the 2.2 gal AP to see if it needs to be watered. I have place a white plastic cut out square over the entire surface of the AP with the intent of keeping some gnats out and to see if I can control to some extent the evaporation from the surface clay balls. I do know that this has help on watering. I am using 16oz of mix for every watering. So far I have watered twice. Mix was .50g per liter of MC3, 20 PPM of epsom salts and 20 mil of cal/mg.

My main thought going forward is she may run into issues with the higher ph in the clay pebbles unless hand watering may lower the PH. Either way there is the weeds control square on the bottom of the AP with the clay balls on top.

 

[DCLXVI]

I thought I subbed this. Hmm well, onboard now! Definitely interested in how this turns out. So no soil/coco or anything? Just a starter cube and then pebbles?

 

[Nosias]

I thought I subbed this. Hmm well, onboard now! Definitely interested in how this turns out. So no soil/coco or anything? Just a starter cube and then pebbles?

Correct. 2.2 gal AP with weed barrier placed on bottom then only Hydrton clay pellets. Then a seed is placed, pointed end up, in a Root Riot. That is placed in a 3" rock wool cube. Both the Root Riot and the cube were presoaked in weak MC3 mix. Thats all. But cleaning those pellets ......
I will keep posting about 6-8 days here. Thanks for your interest.