The klx Way!

Yes, memories are flooding back to me. I remember a lot of dust after drying mine. I spent ages recovering them from the rootmass. Such a tight arse, I am. Your method seems like the sensible route.

klx said:

After I harvest I put them outside, pot and all, to dry out then shake them into a container by holding the base of the stem. Any pebbles really encased in the rootball goes into the compost with the roots. Then I just blast them with the hose in a container with holes drilled in the bottom to make it like a large sieve and mix them around with my hands. Back into the sun to dry out and reuse. Takes a few days but most of that is just the pebbles sitting in the sun.

If, for whatever reason, I want to sterilize them I soak them in a container with a bit of bleach added after I have cleaned them, then rinse well before reusing.

Click to expand...

Why did you start using clay balls again? Did
You have issues with using no media at all?

SamWE19 said:

Why did you start using clay balls again? Did
You have issues with using no media at all?

Click to expand...

No mate no issues but I have been doing some pollen chucking and popping a lot of seeds and just generally fucking around. Seeds and no media is something I have not worked out yet :/

klx said:

No mate no issues but I have been doing some pollen chucking and popping a lot of seeds and just generally fucking around. Seeds and no media is something I have not worked out yet :/

Click to expand...

Good to hear. I’m designing my new room entirely based on your no media method.

cleaning or disposing of 100l of hydroton everygrow is a nightmare

I'll be honest, I've used the same large bag of hydroton, which had made it's way into 2x 5gallon buckets, for near 5 yrs now. Not once have I ever washed, cleaned,or rinsed them in any way. Once the fine roots hairs become dry and dry out fully, even once wet don't pose an issue to me. It's used as more of an anchor for me and I can see would be different if being flooded like you.

I'm curious, I'm sure it's in this thread somewhere so I'm sorry, but in STRAIGHT Hydroton, how often and for how long do you flood that tray? It's pretty RAD. I may do it one day.

Airwalker16 said:

I'll be honest, I've used the same large bag of hydroton, which had made it's way into 2x 5gallon buckets, for near 5 yrs now. Not once have I ever washed, cleaned,or rinsed them in any way. Once the fine roots hairs become dry and dry out fully, even once wet don't pose an issue to me. It's used as more of an anchor for me and I can see would be different if being flooded like you.

I'm curious, I'm sure it's in this thread somewhere so I'm sorry, but in STRAIGHT Hydroton, how often and for how long do you flood that tray? It's pretty RAD. I may do it one day.

Click to expand...

Every 2 hours for 15 minutes. First flood at lights on, last flood at lights off.

My clay is old too. I have added a bag here or there but most of it is over 5 years old.

Airwalker16 said:

I'll be honest, I've used the same large bag of hydroton, which had made it's way into 2x 5gallon buckets, for near 5 yrs now. Not once have I ever washed, cleaned,or rinsed them in any way. Once the fine roots hairs become dry and dry out fully, even once wet don't pose an issue to me. It's used as more of an anchor for me and I can see would be different if being flooded like you.

I'm curious, I'm sure it's in this thread somewhere so I'm sorry, but in STRAIGHT Hydroton, how often and for how long do you flood that tray? It's pretty RAD. I may do it one day.

Click to expand...

im building 4ft x 14ft flood tables. I had considered using hydroton but at harvest I plan to be able to walk into the tables to access the plants at the back which would crush the hydroton in that case but also do you not get white salt stuck to your hydroton since the nutes evaping causes this build up?

SamWE19 said:

im building 4ft x 14ft flood tables. I had considered using hydroton but at harvest I plan to be able to walk into the tables to access the plants at the back which would crush the hydroton in that case but also do you not get white salt stuck to your hydroton since the nutes evaping causes this build up?

Click to expand...

I am super interested to see these when finished. I have been experimenting and basically copying the guys in the US who are pretty much all doing top fed coco or rockwool in their facilities as a way of testing the waters for my next space which is going to be hopefully much bigger. But if I could figure a way to go mediumless or flood and drain in a larger space I would do it, because all those spaghetti lines and drippers are annoying as fuck if you ask me.

klx said:

I am super interested to see these when finished. I have been experimenting and basically copying the guys in the US who are pretty much all doing top fed coco or rockwool in their facilities as a way of testing the waters for my next space which is going to be hopefully much bigger. But if I could figure a way to go mediumless or flood and drain in a larger space I would do it, because all those spaghetti lines and drippers are annoying as fuck if you ask me.

Click to expand...

how come you can’t figure how to do flood and drain large scale? It’s the most simplest grow method imo
I’m probably going to be working on it over Christmas. Big project

SamWE19 said:

how come you can’t figure how to do flood and drain large scale? It’s the most simplest grow method imo
I’m probably going to be working on it over Christmas. Big project

Click to expand...

Mainly the res size needed to flood a giant table. If your tables are 4 x 14ft. How many are there and how big is your rez going to be?

Airwalker16 said:

I'll be honest, I've used the same large bag of hydroton, which had made it's way into 2x 5gallon buckets, for near 5 yrs now. Not once have I ever washed, cleaned,or rinsed them in any way. Once the fine roots hairs become dry and dry out fully, even once wet don't pose an issue to me. It's used as more of an anchor for me and I can see would be different if being flooded like you.

I'm curious, I'm sure it's in this thread somewhere so I'm sorry, but in STRAIGHT Hydroton, how often and for how long do you flood that tray? It's pretty RAD. I may do it one day.

Click to expand...

I grew with hydroton once. It was a jerry-rigged attempt at what I call nft without the soaker/film mat. Used corrugated clear poly roofing sheet rolled into a tube. Plonked in a basic wood frame, with spaced cutouts along the top for plastic pots. Used some 400l/hr? fishtank pump running 24/7 via cheap black drip tube from a kit. No drip emitters used. Tube to each pot. The thing was an abortion, and required propping up to stop the plants toppling the whole thing over. The pots were distorted and packed with roots when I took it down. The pebbles were embedded like choc chips in a cookie. Won't do that again. Ripping apart compact mass of root and pebbles is too much effort. Was a good learning experience. Growth was pleasing.

I think using pebbles the way KLX does, the chance and ease for recovery is greater. But for anything longer veg that root mass becomes a real headache. Think the KLX way is the sweet spot for use.

SamWE19 said:

im building 4ft x 14ft flood tables. I had considered using hydroton but at harvest I plan to be able to walk into the tables to access the plants at the back which would crush the hydroton in that case but also do you not get white salt stuck to your hydroton since the nutes evaping causes this build up?

Click to expand...

I think if you are flooding, depending on liquid level at flood, maybe not so much salt accumulation. My experience with my example above, there was some salt build up by the end. But it was a different use case.

klx said:

Mainly the res size needed to flood a giant table. If your tables are 4 x 14ft. How many are there and how big is your rez going to be?

Click to expand...

I plan to have 3 tables 14 x 4 ft and res will be 750l.

I’m setting up 3 2 inch solenoid valve that switches Between the tables using an arduino

SamWE19 said:

I plan to have 3 tables 14 x 4 ft and res will be 750l.

I’m setting up 3 2 inch solenoid valve that switches Between the tables using an arduino

Click to expand...

I’ve converted to ft the exact table sizes are 105cm x 405cm I will flood to maybe 4 inches

SamWE19 said:

I plan to have 3 tables 14 x 4 ft and res will be 750l.

I’m setting up 3 2 inch solenoid valve that switches Between the tables using an arduino

Click to expand...

Look forward to seeing it and totally copying you lol

SamWE19 said:

I’ve converted to ft the exact table sizes are 105cm x 405cm I will flood to maybe 4 inches

Click to expand...

Getting your cloning on point is going to be critical. You gonna build cloners or buy?

klx said:

Look forward to seeing it and totally copying you lol



Getting your cloning on point is going to be critical. You gonna build cloners or buy?

Click to expand...

I have a space issue.

im toying with the idea of building my own.

vertical hieght is my problem so I am thinking of low profile totes and an inlet pipe and I’ll use a house of hydro fogger with a fan on a timer blasting them with mist

not enough room for the space for pump+ sprinkler manifold

SamWE19 said:

I have a space issue.

im toying with the idea of building my own.

vertical hieght is my problem so I am thinking of low profile totes and an inlet pipe and I’ll use a house of hydro fogger with a fan on a timer blasting them with mist

not enough room for the space for pump+ sprinkler manifold

Click to expand...

I tried Chinese knockoffs of those misters and they broke after 1 week. I like the idea in theory though

klx said:

I tried Chinese knockoffs of those misters and they broke after 1 week. I like the idea in theory though

Click to expand...

So far my house Of hydro misters have been used as a diy humidifier for months no issues. Baring in mind clones don’t use nutes so the corrosion of low ppm tap water is very low. Also house of hydro ain’t no cheap Chinese crap. They have anti corrosion plating

SamWE19 said:

So far my house Of hydro misters have been used as a diy humidifier for months no issues. Baring in mind clones don’t use nutes so the corrosion of low ppm tap water is very low. Also house of hydro ain’t no cheap Chinese crap. They have anti corrosion plating

Click to expand...

Tell me about it. I probably should have learnt by now. I build my controller using one of those cheap 8 channel relays. 10 amps my arse lol

klx said:

Tell me about it. I probably should have learnt by now. I build my controller using one of those cheap 8 channel relays. 10 amps my arse lol

Click to expand...

Havnt got to that part of my build yet. Could learn from your mistake. Which relays do you recommend? I was gonna use an ardunio one on amazon...