hydroton floating?

[smokers]

i am almost ready to put my 10 seedlings into an ebb and flo
im going to be using hydroton around a 2 inch rockwool cube
my question is when i was rinsing the pebbles today to get rid of dust they all floated is this normal and will they settle if so will they provide enough support?
any input is greatly welcome
:smokin:

smokers Reviewed by smokers on 08-11-2009. hydroton floating? i am almost ready to put my 10 seedlings into an ebb and flo im going to be using hydroton around a 2 inch rockwool cube my question is when i was rinsing the pebbles today to get rid of dust they all floated is this normal and will they settle if so will they provide enough support? any input is greatly welcome :smokin: Rating: 5

[avon211]

Yes the Hydroton float in water therfore I would put your rockwool seedlings in a plastic pot and fill with hydroton. Set these in your tray and do not let the water go above the top of the pot only high enough to hit the roots. I use a DWC system and have great success with it. My ph seems very stable with this method . I hear ebb and flow ph flucuates more. Ph is very,very important for nutes intake. This must be maintainted at all cost.

[smokers]

i was considering using rockwool also i have 3in rw cubes in still undecided is it the same with rw (flood to below top of cube)?
:smokin:

[avon211]

yes as soon as your water/nutes hit the rw it aborbs the juice up to the roots. I would put a 2 inch layer of hydroton in the plastic pots and lay your 2inch cube on top and fill sides with hydroton. just do not flood above the top layer or your hydroton will float out of place. Within a week or two your roots should start popping out of the bottom/sides of the plastic pot. Keep the ph between 5.5-6.0. Forget the 3 inch cubes they are not needed. the hydroton will keep your baby in place

[tinytoon]

Hydrotron floats if it is not holding any water. Not only do you need to rinse Hydrot but also soak. I run E&F in 2 seperate cabs and only have maybe a half dozen pebbles that float. No pot is needed in your E&F tray. put a layer of pebbles then you RW cube and bury the cube about 2/3 up. only need to flood to top of tron, NOT to top of cube. If you constantly flood to top of RW you flirt with stem rot issuses. working on my 2nd year of doing the same exact thing and it works.

[smokers]

well theres two reasons to go either way lol
well ill have to decide tomorrow the hydroton has been soaking since 3 today so ill look tomorrow
lads thanks for the imput really appreciate it
:smokin:

[avon211]

i put some hydroton in my outdoor pond and they never sank. They certainly absorbed enough water. If you fill your tray with hydroton you will sure need a huge bag depending on your tray size. I would simply use plastic pots and flood to the middle of your rw and drain. If you use hydroton in your tray they should not float out of place as long as the water level never goes above the top layer. Hell of a grow tinytoon. Your advise is worthy in my book

[smokers]

i put some hydroton in my outdoor pond and they never sank. They certainly absorbed enough water. If you fill your tray with hydroton you will sure need a huge bag depending on your tray size. I would simply use plastic pots and flood to the middle of your rw and drain. If you use hydroton in your tray they should not float out of place as long as the water level never goes above the top layer. Hell of a grow tinytoon. Your advise is worthy in my book

thats exactly what im going to do avon thanks for the imput
:smokin:

[smokers]

Hydrotron floats if it is not holding any water. Not only do you need to rinse Hydrot but also soak. I run E&F in 2 seperate cabs and only have maybe a half dozen pebbles that float. No pot is needed in your E&F tray. put a layer of pebbles then you RW cube and bury the cube about 2/3 up. only need to flood to top of tron, NOT to top of cube. If you constantly flood to top of RW you flirt with stem rot issuses. working on my 2nd year of doing the same exact thing and it works.

tinytoon thanks for input but il try other way (for now) and see how i get on
:smokin:

[toxinn]

dwc > * i run a very similar system to avon. the weight of my rw keeps the hydroton down in the cups. at least half the rockwool is submerged at any given time so it has water weight