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Easy way to rinse hydroton or leca

This has been the easiest way I've come up with-

One five gallon bucket w/ buncha holes drilled in the bottom. I drilled 5/16" holes. Helpful tip- keep the holes smaller than the pellets-

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Another bucket- I use a 4 1/4 gallon at the bottom so the top one holding the expanded clay sits higher than the bottom of the lower bucket and it's easier to get out. I'm sure another five gallon would be just fine too. Also gives a small area for the crap you rinse off to settle to.

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It only took a few times to rinse, and I could use the rinse water to water other crap around the yard. It's important to get the most out of water in Southern California.
 
I had the hardest time with that since I don't have access to a hose. Had to do it in my bathtub. Ended up almost clogging the drain lol
 
Wow - this sounds so much easier than using the old toothbrush to scrub each pellet!

BTW, I don't wash them at all - just stick them back in another net pot.

Mike
 
I always wash new batches before I put them in whatever unit they're going in. And at the end of a run/season. Helps get old roots and random debris that accumulates over the plants run, including excess salts and nutrient build up, and crap that can clog stuff up. Some people use diluted solutions of hydrogen peroxide or bleach to clean and/or deal with possible pathogens as well when reusing their media.

All I know is it's faster and easier than my old way, which was pretty bad.
 
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