How do clean it for re-use? I've been experimenting, had a couple of failures and would like to use the stuff again. Is it possible to clean it?
Cleaning Hydroton?
If it's the same stuff like I used for hydroponics back in the 1970's, I always put it in an old colander (kept for rinsing gravel gardening stuff) and would just rinse it well with hot water.
hehehe...you did hydroponics back in the 70's, eh? All joking aside, what about the bits of roots stuck to the stuff?
Yeah, years ago a gal at work had a hydroponics party and I bought a couple of the little two part containers that had a water level window on the side, and the hydroton stuff, and grew a philodendron and some other house plants in the hydroponics for a few years. I thought it was just a fad, hadn't heard of it in years. I have little rooting jars and vases now that I just put small pebbles in, and a little bit of water for rooting plants.
You could use a long handled kitchen type brush to scrub the hydroton pebbles! Good luck! I think I'd just let them soak to see if it loosens up and rinses off. It's a pain isn't it when you get bits and pieces of root material etc. stuck to the little pellets.
It's a big pain!! I think the semi-hydro growing is coming back into fashion. So much neater than soil (especially if you have 7 cats).
LOL, I understand ... we did have five cats, but are now down to 3 old gal's! I have lots of plants, and one of the cats thinks they are her own private salad bar!
I'm lucky that way, none of them ever developed a taste for fresh greens...
Two of mine LOVE bread and crackers too!
I have a cat that loves bread..he's a rescue cat that was found as a kitten by a bakery....guess thats how he survived on bread...?
more than likely he did!
Mine aren't really into people food, they don't even like tuna! The dogs however...
I think most dogs will eat anything ... they don't seem to be as picky as cats. Although, my parents had a large German Shepherd once and that dog would eat anything but green peas. (And, I understand totally!) You could put anything in his dish but if there were peas mixed in, he would take his nose and scoot all the peas out to the side.
I don't think I ever told my husband about that dog. He will laugh because he laughs at me ... I love casseroles and chicken and dumplings and and soups, but if it has peas in it, they are always left on the plate!
I take my old potting soil which is made up of hydroton, cinder, perlite and some redwood bark...I soak it in Physan (which is a fungicide used in Hospitals, Greenhouses etc.), drain and dry it. Then I reuse it in my pots. I have had no problems so far.
That's a great idea to soak it in physan for future use!
definately soak in physan for 24hrs like carol said. i have taken the hydroton and put it in the bags you use for bras and lingerie then inside a closed pillowcase and throw them in the washing machine sans detergent. they will scrub themselves.
I think hydroton was a big thing in the 1970s here too.
Oh, and my parents have a cat that will eat dried banana bits (like you get in fruit and fibre) - never seen anything like it....
I had a couple of groundhogs as pets when I was a kid, they would do anything for dried banana!! They also loved spaghetti and steak bones.
Our dogs love tangerines, bananas, lychee...anything. Thelma will even step on the ripe bananas to squeeze the pulp out and then eat them. Labradors!
Oh, now that is cute! Lab's are wonderfully smart dogs, aren't they! I don't think I've ever known of a dog who eats fruit!