How to get the most out of your Gold Label Hydro?

• Rinse and then soak them before you use them the first time. Measure the pH value, as new pebbles have a high pH. Bring it down with pH- to a an appropriate stable pH.
• After each grow (or even during) flush with enzymes to clean.
• If you have had any disease or infection, disinfect the substrate with a hydrogen peroxide solution (if not it’s a good idea to do it every year).
• Introduce beneficial bacteria’s and fungi! Yes, clay pebbles are a great breeding place for ‘soil’ life. By introducing good bacteria’s you keep the pathogen bacteria’s out. Growing on a dead substrate makes it very vulnerable for pathogens.
• Leave the small root materials in the substrate. It’s great organic material for your beneficial bacteria’s. A second grow on the same substrate most of the time gives a better result because of that.
• The recommended pH range is 5.5 – 6.5, optimum is around 6.2, though some growers rather go a bit lower, around 5.8. That also depends on your nutrients
• Use special hydroponics nutrients that contain chelated micro elements. These work almost pH independent so they work optimal at any chosen pH within the safe range.
• If you re-cycle your nutrients back to your tank you need to clean and refresh it every week.

Starting plants for a pebbles substrate

You can imagine you can’t sow seeds in large pebbles, but it is possible to start clones in them. You can use the smaller size pebbles if you have them available. It is not recommended to put a compost grown clone directly on a pebble substrate (see multi-substrate in a next section). You can wash the soil from the roots carefully with hand warm water before transplanting a plant from soil to pebbles.

Complete growing systems

Of course you can construct your own hydroponics growing system, but there are also many ready made systems on the market, complete with pumps, pipes and tanks. Examples of such system are the Wilma system by Atami or the AeroFlo and Waterfarm systems by General Hydroponics. There is a really big choice out there.

Other uses for clay pebbles

If you use large containers for peat or compost substrate (>25 litres) a layer of pebbles in the bottom of the pot can be a big help. It forms a buffer for water and nutrients but is also has a much better physical stability. Especially in large pots the substrate can be compressed in the bottom and lose much of it’s capillary and airing properties. Actually using a compost based substrate could turn in to a muddy bottom layer. By adding a bottom layer of clay pebbles you keep the air in your substrate and you create a water / nutrients buffer zone. If you use a highly stable peat substrate this is not always necessary. A root cloth over the pebbles makes it much easier to separate them from the substrate later and prevents the substrate to clog the pebbles.

Another use is multi-substrate growing. The bottom part of the pot is filled with pebbles, the top is filled with a peat or mixed compost substrate. The two layers are again separated by a (root) cloth, so you can easily re-use the clean clay pebbles after the grow and the substrate does not clog the pebbles. This is a best of both world situation, especially for those who can not water very frequently, or for outdoor situations to create a better water buffer. It’s a technique also frequently used in hanging baskets.

In a deep substrate bed a bottom layer of pebbles has the same beneficial qualities as the pebbles in a pot, but there is another reason why you should do that. Because the bottom of a bed is completely closed, not a lot of air reaches the bottom part of the roots. An airy layer of pebbles and a few pipes in the corners provide the necessary air to the roots and it prevents your bed to turn into a mud pool when overwatering.