Name: Carol Noel Hawaii (near Hilo) It's all about choices.
When I went for some more Hydroton, I was told it was 'pau' which means in Hawaiian that it is 'finished'. Apparently they are no longer making it...who ever
'they' are. So I bought the new replacement (around here growing 'weed' is a BIG industry and the 'Hydroponic Store' does a rousing business)...called Grow Stones.
Skeptical, I brought my little 'sample' bag home to try out. I broke some of the bigger pieces up to be smaller...set a cutting in it just like hydroton and in 2 weeks was gifted with nice starter roots. Wish the photo of the cutting were clear, but it came out all blurry...(excitement, I guess). I am sold. The stuff is great. It stays 'damp' much longer than Hydroton even without sitting in a shallow dish of water. Next I will try a cutting of H. callistophylla which is a real bugger for me to root.... Here is the pot of Grow Stones...
I will definitely keep my eyes open for these 'rocks'....interesting to know if we'll have them here as well. Stores are just starting to bring in spring stuff....
Looks and sounds a bit like pumice. I am glad you found the alternative to the hydroton. I would also like to know what is the trade name of this stuff ...may be a picture...so I can begin hunting for it too.
Meanwhile I am thinking ,what is going to happen to orchid mixes? They have so much hydroton mixed in, are they going to have this rock now?
Name: Carol Noel Hawaii (near Hilo) It's all about choices.
Shirley...THANK YOU!! The folks here had no information. I am definitely going to buy a bag...and...I have found, they are lighter (in weight) to hydroton and actually I like them better!!!
I did go thru the bag and take out the large 'stones' and break them...thinking the are too large. But when I buy the bag I will grow some cuttings out in the large pieces...probable won't make a diff.
Shirley, thanks for the link.
Read the description, it is made of glass.....like puffed up glass particles from recycled bottles.They powder the glass and then put it through some kind of blower to make the particles puffy.
I checked out one place in Tampa(Florida) and they charge $28.50 for a 1.25 cu ft size bag ,plus shipping and handling.
I am not sure whether to get it yet....to expensive. Plus, I still have some hydroton supply from previous shopping...so I will wait till that is gone.
But still, sounds like it is a good alternative. Specially since it is lighter than Hydroton,like Carol said. Good discovery Carol.
Name: Carol Noel Hawaii (near Hilo) It's all about choices.
I find it VERY good!! Better than...? Since they aren't making Hydroton anymore...yes it is better than...HAHA. I am VERY pleased with how it rooted my test plant....!!!!
Name: Carol Noel Hawaii (near Hilo) It's all about choices.
I did an experiment; one pot I broke up some of the larger pieces (about half of the pieces) and the other pot I didn't. It didn't seem to make a difference. It holds the water a very very long time which is good for rooting... Actually, it holds moisture, not water!
Name: Carol Noel Hawaii (near Hilo) It's all about choices.
I rooted a H. pottsii in the large Growstones...they rooted quickly (2-3 weeks) and nice healthy roots...they didn't cling to the growstones, either, when I pulled them out. So here's a photo of the hydroton replacements: The small sized Growstones are about twice as expensive as Perlite...but I like it much more as it retains/holds the water for AGES!!!! I am going to try a mix of the small Growstones and my orchid bark. The Hydrocorn is just like Hydroton but it is rougher and a wee bit irregular. I had to pay 50$ for 50 litres - really expensive, so I am sticking with Growstones which were about $27 for the same sized bag. Lighter in weight too.
I may even try to grow a whole plant in the large Growstones as well as the small ones with a really small amount of orchid bark. Putting in too much orchid bark might create mud in the bottom of the pot when the bark starts to break down due to better moisture retention of the growstones..... H. callistophylla would LOVE it...as would the other patterned leaf Hoyas that like moisture but nothing soggy around their feet....
I have been collecting, studying and selling hoyas for about 10 years. This Cubit is about growing hoyas, and about the hoyas I have to sell. I welcome any and all hoya lovers, whether you want to buy or not. Hooked on Hoyas is another great Hoya sight
H. callistophylla would LOVE it...as would the other patterned leaf Hoyas that like moisture but nothing soggy around their feet....
