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How to Prepare Expanded Clay Pebbles for Growing Cannabis

Here is a small step-by-step guide How to Prepare Expanded Clay Pebbles for Growing Cannabis. Clay Pebbles are a very popular and excellent planting medium.

Clay is chemically neutral, stable in its structure and ensures excellent drainage and aeration of the roots. The ph-value of the expanded clay (hydrocorrel) is approx 8 when purchased so it ideally has to be adjusted so that its Ph is typically 5.5 to 6.

heath robinson tree grow
Cannabis plants grown in clay pebbles

This is how the Clay Pebbles are Prepared:

Fill fresh water into a large tub and check the pH of the water with a pH meter

How to Prepare Expanded Clay Pebbles for Growing Cannabis
How to Prepare Expanded Clay Pebbles for Growing Cannabis

Lower the pH value of the water to 5. Add a few drops of pH down into the water, stir, wait for 10 minutes and use the ph meter to measure again

Lower the pH value of the water to 5. Add a few drops of pH down into the water
Lower the pH value of the water to 5. Add a few drops of pH down into the water

If the water has a pH value of 5, tip the clay pebbles into the tub and stir well for several minutes Leave in the Ph altered water for 24 hours

tip the clay pebbles into the tub and stir well for several minutes Leave in the Ph altered water for 24 hours
tip the clay pebbles into the tub and stir well for several minutes Leave in the Ph altered water for 24 hours

After 24 hours the pH value is again measured, it will normally have risen to 7.

Remove the expanded clay with a sieve from the tub.  Rinse the water, re-adjust the pH to pH 5, re-immerse the expanded clay and let stand again for 24 hours, then measure the pH again.

It should be at 6. You can now remove the clay pebbles and use it as a plant substrate.

When you change the water, you will notice that clay mud has settled in the tub. If these remain on the pebbles, this could lead to problems with filters and pumps in recirculating systems.

Clay Pebble Reuse

Clay pebbles can be used in your grow system again and again. After use, they should first be soaked in a 5% bleach solution, soak for about 24 hours and disinfected in this way.

Then rinse well and then buffer with ph-corrected water as described above. Thus, germs and pathogens are eliminated and can not spread further. Then the new grow run can start.

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