hello! thank you so much for sharing this information with us.it really helped me to decide whether or not to use clay pebbles in my Orchid setup. I live in India, Chennai. its very warm and humid here.. thanking you sheetal
I just bought that clay pebbles you were holding today. It's made in Italy. Awesome size and no artificial color for my small scale kratky hydroponic herbs.
Thank you Dr. Nate for another great video. I started a small indoor operation using clay, and had several issues with algae and white residue on the clay. I am pretty sure the residue was from my well water, but not sure. Algae started within a couple weeks, both green and blackish. All indications of ammonia, nitrates and nitrites were zero, so I did not start planting for nearly a month. Unfortunately I had to dismantle the system since we are now moving. I am seriously thinking of DWC in my next setup, or towers if I end up retiring and putting up a greenhouse. Please keep the great videos coming!!!! You are without a doubt the most informative and non-biased person I have seen on the internet.
Nice video. I first learned of clay pebbles when looking after my friend's plants. A con you didn't mention is they have little nutritional value for your plants (or so I read).
I could really use some insight on my general year-long planting strategy and I'm sure it would be helpful to others as well: Start seeds in mid-January with the paper towel method. After germination, transplant into rose pots with a potting mix under grow lights. After one month indoors, transplant seedlings to towers. Keep in towers until November (keeping any winter harvest crops like kale). At the same time, start winter-harvest seeds in October for transplant in November when I take out Spring crops. These can all stay in until mid-February when I plant a new Spring garden for the next year. Does this sound right?? haha
Hi Weston, you might be able to save yourself some labor by seeding directly into the plugs. The rest depends a lot on your crop and their life-cycles. For something like kale, that sounds like a great start!
apparently yes you can. The only downside i can observe by myself, is that perlite or vermiculite are really tiny pieces while Clay pebble are the size of a pea to the size of a perl.
Why do you hold and show gray pebbles while the GrowIt brand only sells the orange/tan ones? Do the orange/tan ones and the gray ones have the same characteristics for semi-hydro? Where can I buy the gray clay pebbles?
What should the irrigation frequency be in this media using drip emitters? I have a dutch bucket system and I'm currently running the pump continuously.
I'm experimenting with growing things in a Kratky style. I've used clay pellets with some of the plants and quickly noticed a white substance forming on the pellets. I'm assuming it's a microbial growth, mildew, fungus or something. It seems to have spread to mint leaves nearby. Have you experienced anything foreign growing on your clay pellets? If so, how do I get rid of it? I'm thinking of throwing out all of the pellets because of this. Can you offer any suggestions?
What's the humidity matrix? Since they are porous and have air would you say they are at like a 90 percent relative humidity? Also could you do a test of a fully soaked clay pebble with a seeding sprout near it on a time lapse how long would it go for as you burped it as well
Nope. The sort of clay pebbles we use in hydroponics don't soften or break down when wet; in fact they can be washed and reused multiple times. Hope that helps!
Is there ever an issue with algae build up on the clay pebbles? I'm currently using pumice stones and have an issue with green algae build up. Does clay work better? Thanks.
The trick when using either of these substrates is to have a layer or two at the top that remains above the waterline. This way light is kept off of the moist pellets lower down.
@@ZipGrowInc I'm using an ebb and flow system. It feels up and drains out. So it sounds like there really is no way around preventing algae. Lower how far the water feels up to keep the top upper most sun/light layer dry. Would that be the answer? Algae grows on clay too. One is not better than the other?
Could u mix this into soil? To get a way to keep the soil draining well? I don’t use hydroponics but I have mostly epiphytic cactus...I’m wondering if this would mimic a more natural growing medium?? They aren’t ever packed into dirt in the wild....they live in cracks of trees. I could layer these in the middle of the pot of dirt? Am I making any sense or is it late and my brain is being slow lol
Could i start some plants in clay pebbles and coco mix? Not hydro. Just want to try something different than soil. Yes later when they get bigger i'll eventually throw them in some soil but i'm asking just to start for the first month or so is clay and coco fine to start?
What do you think would work the best for growing salad from seeds in an Ikea seedbox in my windowsill? I already have coconut coir and pumice stone from Ikea, and saw today that they also have those clay pebbles pretty cheap. Or would a mix work better?
Yes. My aquaponic systems I built I used river gravel. It's pretty heavy so that's something you'll need to consider. If you have a clean creek you can get it for free.
Brian Fischer it takes A LOT of rising. As I found out... Even after 3 times rinsing my 350L of hydroton I still had quite a bit I just let settle in my 175 gal tank then I just siphoned it off the bottom.
logically yes it is, theyre very porous and has large surfae area, but since its pricey, I think for filtering purpose u better buy sera siporax, seachem matrix, or eheim substrate, theyre has alot surface area than clayball, cos theyre used to be a filter media, clayball main purpose is grow media not filter media, it can do but not the best, but if u want u do a aquaponic thing thats a different story
10% of your total amount of soil have to be clay pebble, from what i've read about clay pebble and soil. So if you have 100L of soil, you put 10L of clay pebble.
one of the best media possible to plant into when already in place too. raise your flood level to submerge all the media in your container and they move right out of the way of your hand full of roots. can't do that with most stone or "rock" products that tend to lock together due to shape.
Hi. Thanks for your video! I'm new to aquaponics. I set up a small grow bed and used clay pellets about three months ago. This week, I noticed the top layer of pellets have some mold growing on them. What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance.
hey, just wanted to add a point... if you use clay pebbles in a cold environment with the potential of frost they can split and chip down to nothingness. might be better off going with natural rock or try the grow stones? that's just my experience. everything else in this video is dead on accurate and they are great to work with otherwise.
Bright Agrotech what do you mean by "winterized" to me that gives the impression that you made it temperature change resistant which would prevent it from happening. The threat would be if water was freezing which would kill the fish and plants long before these pebbles would break down. Just trying to avoid confusion.
I had goldfish. They can survive frozen water as long as they have a hole to breathe... I live in Chicago so sometimes diy jobs aren't ready for -10/-20 for a week with no sun.
Well, I wanted to see more videos. But sadly, you started off giving false information. It's sad when professionals give false info on simply basic knowledge. These are not "expanded" clay. It's just earthenware clay, anyone can make them. You go out dig a hold, soak the dirt in water and Bamm (extra steps) you have clay. then you bisque the clay to harden at 1800-2100 *f. To make them hard. Bisque clay is just terra cotta. Literally you can go get broken shards of terra cotta and use them. Because it's the same stuff. CLAY NEVER EXPANDS during heating. Clay shrinks during heat processes. Anyone with common sense would know that. Anyone who has touched clay and worked on clay products would know that. While clay you use for turning pots and cups have finer grit. These "balls" mix in a little bit of organic matter. So while they are baking, the organic matter is burnt off and leaves you with holes and imperfections in the clay. But you can literally just use pure clay and cook the balls yourself and make the same stuff. Even mentioning that this is a "pollutant" is pointless and dumb. Clay, just like used in cat litter. Literally can't be a pollutant. It doesn't do anything negative to the environment where it is dumped. Nature will just take it over and over years and year of soil erosion etc. It will break down back into dust. Baked clay can never be a pollutant. Simply put. Also, if the clay gets a lot of salt. You can clean them. It's the same with people who have terra cotta pots near the ocean, the salt in the air tarnishes the pots and puts a rustic look to them. All you have to do is run them through a few baths and wash them up and dry them out a few times. It's a process, but it's literally simple. You never have to "replace" the medium once you buy a bag. Just learn how to wash them and take care of them.
hello!
thank you so much for sharing this information with us.it really helped me to decide whether or not to use clay pebbles in my Orchid setup.
I live in India, Chennai.
its very warm and humid here..
thanking you
sheetal
I just bought that clay pebbles you were holding today. It's made in Italy. Awesome size and no artificial color for my small scale kratky hydroponic herbs.
I've been dabbling with these.... trying to start some seeds using them this week so thank you for all your information.
Thank you Dr. Nate for another great video. I started a small indoor operation using clay, and had several issues with algae and white residue on the clay. I am pretty sure the residue was from my well water, but not sure. Algae started within a couple weeks, both green and blackish. All indications of ammonia, nitrates and nitrites were zero, so I did not start planting for nearly a month. Unfortunately I had to dismantle the system since we are now moving. I am seriously thinking of DWC in my next setup, or towers if I end up retiring and putting up a greenhouse. Please keep the great videos coming!!!! You are without a doubt the most informative and non-biased person I have seen on the internet.
Thanks Steve. Glad we can help.
Nice video. I first learned of clay pebbles when looking after my friend's plants. A con you didn't mention is they have little nutritional value for your plants (or so I read).
Correct that’s what hydroponics is , an inert media that gets water based nutrients grown in an inert medium
I have been using them.
But now I know more about them.
Thank you.
I could really use some insight on my general year-long planting strategy and I'm sure it would be helpful to others as well:
Start seeds in mid-January with the paper towel method. After germination, transplant into rose pots with a potting mix under grow lights. After one month indoors, transplant seedlings to towers. Keep in towers until November (keeping any winter harvest crops like kale).
At the same time, start winter-harvest seeds in October for transplant in November when I take out Spring crops. These can all stay in until mid-February when I plant a new Spring garden for the next year.
Does this sound right?? haha
Hi Weston, you might be able to save yourself some labor by seeding directly into the plugs. The rest depends a lot on your crop and their life-cycles. For something like kale, that sounds like a great start!
can you use these as a soil amendment in place of perlite or pumice?
apparently yes you can. The only downside i can observe by myself, is that perlite or vermiculite are really tiny pieces while Clay pebble are the size of a pea to the size of a perl.
i'm using Clay Pebble in a soil to replace vermiculite and perlite. Is it a good choice? i'm using it for oxygenation.
Would you ever use clay pellets and rockwool together? Or is it one or the other?
What a cute, friendly and informative man :)
Listed in order of importance to you.
Why do you hold and show gray pebbles while the GrowIt brand only sells the orange/tan ones? Do the orange/tan ones and the gray ones have the same characteristics for semi-hydro? Where can I buy the gray clay pebbles?
Amazon has them reasonable. I guess because I see a year and you have no answer yet from the channel owner I won't get one or anyone else now.
What should the irrigation frequency be in this media using drip emitters? I have a dutch bucket system and I'm currently running the pump continuously.
Wonderful stuff, good info as usual. I'm learning so much from you guys.
That's so great to hear! We're happy to help in any way we can.
If you're interested in digging deeper, you should enroll in Upstart University! university.upstartfarmers.com
Bright Agrotech n
I'm experimenting with growing things in a Kratky style. I've used clay pellets with some of the plants and quickly noticed a white substance forming on the pellets. I'm assuming it's a microbial growth, mildew, fungus or something. It seems to have spread to mint leaves nearby. Have you experienced anything foreign growing on your clay pellets? If so, how do I get rid of it? I'm thinking of throwing out all of the pellets because of this. Can you offer any suggestions?
Helpful video
What's the humidity matrix? Since they are porous and have air would you say they are at like a 90 percent relative humidity? Also could you do a test of a fully soaked clay pebble with a seeding sprout near it on a time lapse how long would it go for as you burped it as well
When these get wet do they soften? I found a clump of a clay like material in a bunch of cilantro from a store… 😳
Nope. The sort of clay pebbles we use in hydroponics don't soften or break down when wet; in fact they can be washed and reused multiple times. Hope that helps!
Is there ever an issue with algae build up on the clay pebbles? I'm currently using pumice stones and have an issue with green algae build up. Does clay work better? Thanks.
The trick when using either of these substrates is to have a layer or two at the top that remains above the waterline. This way light is kept off of the moist pellets lower down.
@@ZipGrowInc I'm using an ebb and flow system. It feels up and drains out. So it sounds like there really is no way around preventing algae. Lower how far the water feels up to keep the top upper most sun/light layer dry. Would that be the answer? Algae grows on clay too. One is not better than the other?
Could u mix this into soil? To get a way to keep the soil draining well? I don’t use hydroponics but I have mostly epiphytic cactus...I’m wondering if this would mimic a more natural growing medium?? They aren’t ever packed into dirt in the wild....they live in cracks of trees. I could layer these in the middle of the pot of dirt? Am I making any sense or is it late and my brain is being slow lol
Could i start some plants in clay pebbles and coco mix? Not hydro. Just want to try something different than soil. Yes later when they get bigger i'll eventually throw them in some soil but i'm asking just to start for the first month or so is clay and coco fine to start?
What do you think would work the best for growing salad from seeds in an Ikea seedbox in my windowsill? I already have coconut coir and pumice stone from Ikea, and saw today that they also have those clay pebbles pretty cheap.
Or would a mix work better?
Should this be frequently irrigated from above or this will absorb water from downwards?
Do you put soil in with these rocks
What is better clay pebbles or leca clay large pellets?
Are clay pebbles good for my roses that are in a pot?
How about blue metal, is it any good as a grow media
Please tell me you're going to pro/con GrowStone.
We'll try to film one sometime soon!
Will it soften water by chance
Are these useful for fungus gnats? Any ideas? Thx
can we use little rocks instead?
Yes. My aquaponic systems I built I used river gravel. It's pretty heavy so that's something you'll need to consider. If you have a clean creek you can get it for free.
Dues this reduce nitrates by supporting anaerobic bacteria?
Are they OK with Fish? (After being cleaned at the start)
Yes sir! They're very commonly used in aquaponics.
Brian Fischer it takes A LOT of rising. As I found out... Even after 3 times rinsing my 350L of hydroton I still had quite a bit I just let settle in my 175 gal tank then I just siphoned it off the bottom.
love you video. great information.learn a lot so far. hopefully soon I would I try a aquaponic system in the carribean.
Glad it was helpful, Varun!
Can i use this with hard water?
hello,its a excellent material for aquarium biological filter media as well,whats ur take.
logically yes it is, theyre very porous and has large surfae area, but since its pricey, I think for filtering purpose u better buy sera siporax, seachem matrix, or eheim substrate, theyre has alot surface area than clayball, cos theyre used to be a filter media, clayball main purpose is grow media not filter media, it can do but not the best, but if u want u do a aquaponic thing thats a different story
Soak them in vinegar to clean the salt out of them i do this to clean my clay pots. Makes them like brand new for the next time i need them.
Great tip for our viewers thanks!
Does the clay pebble wear out after each use?
No, it never degrades unless broken
What fraction to use in a potting mix with peat moss?
10% of your total amount of soil have to be clay pebble, from what i've read about clay pebble and soil. So if you have 100L of soil, you put 10L of clay pebble.
so they r not good with hard water..?
one of the best media possible to plant into when already in place too. raise your flood level to submerge all the media in your container and they move right out of the way of your hand full of roots. can't do that with most stone or "rock" products that tend to lock together due to shape.
True!
What is the Specific Surface area of hydroton?
I usually just calculate the surface area of a sphere for the size of hydroton I'm using and then add about 20% for imperfections and texture.
If you want more volume per buck incorporate some inverted flowerpots or plastic bottles.
Hi. Thanks for your video! I'm new to aquaponics. I set up a small grow bed and used clay pellets about three months ago. This week, I noticed the top layer of pellets have some mold growing on them. What am I doing wrong? Thanks in advance.
Hi Tate, is it mold or algae? You might be watering too often or might have debris build up. If it's mold then you could have a sanitation problem.
It seems it's just salt from my hard water. Thanks for your reply!
Easy fix! Glad to hear, and it's our pleasure. Happy growing!
Happy to help.
cool !!!
Yeah!
hey, just wanted to add a point... if you use clay pebbles in a cold environment with the potential of frost they can split and chip down to nothingness. might be better off going with natural rock or try the grow stones? that's just my experience. everything else in this video is dead on accurate and they are great to work with otherwise.
Great insight here, Brandon. We really appreciate you sharing that!
How would that happen if you regulate your water temperature?
If you winterized your system and let it set out over the winter that could happen.
Bright Agrotech what do you mean by "winterized" to me that gives the impression that you made it temperature change resistant which would prevent it from happening. The threat would be if water was freezing which would kill the fish and plants long before these pebbles would break down. Just trying to avoid confusion.
I had goldfish. They can survive frozen water as long as they have a hole to breathe... I live in Chicago so sometimes diy jobs aren't ready for -10/-20 for a week with no sun.
they are in my opinion too little porousious. the holes have to be bigger !
Hi
Is this Chris Watts?
Well, I wanted to see more videos. But sadly, you started off giving false information. It's sad when professionals give false info on simply basic knowledge.
These are not "expanded" clay. It's just earthenware clay, anyone can make them. You go out dig a hold, soak the dirt in water and Bamm (extra steps) you have clay. then you bisque the clay to harden at 1800-2100 *f. To make them hard. Bisque clay is just terra cotta. Literally you can go get broken shards of terra cotta and use them. Because it's the same stuff.
CLAY NEVER EXPANDS during heating. Clay shrinks during heat processes. Anyone with common sense would know that. Anyone who has touched clay and worked on clay products would know that.
While clay you use for turning pots and cups have finer grit. These "balls" mix in a little bit of organic matter. So while they are baking, the organic matter is burnt off and leaves you with holes and imperfections in the clay. But you can literally just use pure clay and cook the balls yourself and make the same stuff.
Even mentioning that this is a "pollutant" is pointless and dumb. Clay, just like used in cat litter. Literally can't be a pollutant. It doesn't do anything negative to the environment where it is dumped. Nature will just take it over and over years and year of soil erosion etc. It will break down back into dust.
Baked clay can never be a pollutant. Simply put.
Also, if the clay gets a lot of salt. You can clean them. It's the same with people who have terra cotta pots near the ocean, the salt in the air tarnishes the pots and puts a rustic look to them. All you have to do is run them through a few baths and wash them up and dry them out a few times. It's a process, but it's literally simple. You never have to "replace" the medium once you buy a bag. Just learn how to wash them and take care of them.
Incorrect.
@@legendfpv It is correct. I literally make them. Also shared my mineralogy report to two separate companies that now fully Mfg them.
Is clay pebbles the same as keramzit?