Hydroponic Substrate

Growstone Hydroponic Substrate

Growstone Hydroponic Substrate is the perfect growing media for herbs, vegetables, fruit, and flowering plants including tomatoes, orchids, strawberries and gerbera daisies. They can be used in hydroponic grow systems as simple as manually irrigated containers, or as advanced as automatically drip irrigated containers, Ebb-Flow systems, and NFT tables.

Growstones Give You:

An Engineered Product for Consistent Results

Growstones media are engineered to provide an effective balance of aeration and moisture characteristics for your hydroponic growing system. Other substrates maximize either air or moisture, but Growstones are designed to allow for both rapid moisture absorption and controlled drainage and oxygenation.

Recycled and Recyclable

Growstones are manufactured using up to 98% waste materials. They replace strip-mined materials like pumice, perlite, and stonewool, reducing environmental degradation. At the same time, since the product largely consists of recycled bottles, a large amount of waste is given a new life, keeping it from the landfill.

Growstones are a reusable plant-rowing medium. To recycle, Growstones can be sterilized and used again or simply added to soil to improve texture, structure, and aeration.

Growstones are the Perfect Growing Medium:

Download Technical Data for Hydroponic Substrate

 

Getting Started

When you grow hydroponically, your roots need a stable and well-drained foundation for maximum stability and growth. Growstones provide that perfect foundation as a highly porous, non-compacting, and non-clogging substrate, which enhances gas exchanges between roots and the atmosphere. Roots will grow healthy and ready to take full advantage of the dissolved nutrients.

Directions

At home or in the greenhouse, Growstones are an ideal substance to grow a wide variety of crops in different hydroponic systems. Growstones can be used in systems as simple as manually irrigated containers, or as advanced as automatically irrigated systems such as drip irrigated containers, Ebb-Flow, and NFT tables. For best plant performance, follow these simple steps and recommendations:

1. For first time use, rinse by submerging Growstones in a bucket of water.

2. Volume of water should be approximately five times the volume of Growstones. Add a pH adjusting solution (pH down) to reduce the pH of the rinse water to 5.5 – 6.5. For best results let soak for one hour.

3. Discard rinse water.

Seeding and Transplanting

4. Place rinsed Growstones in your growing system.

Ebb-flow systems

Fill container with a volume of Growstones proportional to your recirculating pump. Nutrient solution should rise until Growstones feel moist to touch 1” to 2” below the surface.

NFT systems

Total depth of Growstones should be adequate to support and keep root crown above water level or flow.

Containers

Fill container with Growstones to within 1” from the top.

5. For direct seeding place seed in a peat or other soilless mix plug and insert plug into Growstones media. 

6. To transplant seedlings, gently insert bottom of plug with seedling into the Growstones media. 

 

Build a Hydroponics System with Growstones

pH and Nutrition

Most plants perform best when pH of nutrient solution is between 5.5 and 6.5. Please consult your local garden center or hydroponic store for more information on pH adjusting solutions as well as nutrient formulations that will most benefit your plants. If your local tap water is hard, the use of reverse osmosis water is recommended.

Most pre-mixed formulations developed for greenhouse or garden plants will need Mg and Ca supplementation.

NFT systems

Maintain thin film of nutrients flowing at all times.

Containers

For recently transplanted seedlings, irrigate once to twice a day. As plants grow, maintain moisture 1” to 2” below surface. Irrigate until drainage is visible from bottom of container enough to maintain surface of Growstones moist to touch.

Manual Irrigation

Manual irrigation in Growstones is generally recommended for low water usage plants such as aromatic herbs, perennials or short cycle vegetable plants grown in individual containers.

Frequency and Duration

Twice a day until bottom drainage is visible. As plants grow, increase irrigation frequency to maintain surface of Growstones moist to touch.

How To Reuse Growstones

To reuse Growstones in a second crop, simply remove old plant material from the container and shake well to displace any Growstones attached to roots. As with any media, it is desirable to sterilize the previously used Growstones to eliminate any pest or disease that may be present before reusing the Growstones in another crop. Growstones can be steam sterilized without loosing physical integrity, or more simply they can be rinsed with a 10% diluted bleach solution. For directions on seeding and transplant, simply repeat steps 5 and 6.