Hi all,
Probably you (as I do) like to save money, well I have tried hydroton in my first grow versus construction expanded clays in my second grow (the same expanded clay pellets it is used and sold for insulation) and my plants love it the same. While 50lts of Hydroton is way over $20.00, 50lts of construction expanded clay is just under $2.00, and they both are Ph neutral (I did several tests with the digital Hanna Ph meter and they both came inert: I filled several small deposits with different Ph water: 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 and added hydroton in one deposit and construction expanded clay in another similar deposit with similar Ph water and they both came inert, they did not alter the Ph in the water after 24 hours)
Now, one more thing to add, while hydroton is very circular it makes it very difficult to get it if it falls in the floor while construction expanded clay pellets are more diformal, so they will not be rolling forever as Hydroton.
Another reason, construction expanded clay holds a little (just a little) more water/air than hydroton because of its uniformal shape, and the most important thing (at least for me as I am very lazy) costing just $2.00 per 50lts I do not need to clean the hydroton at the end of each crop
Try it and you will love it
Peace

PS: Ph, and wash and rinse the construction expanded clay pellets as you would do with hydroton, and you will get the same result (and save money and time)

.. its the same stuff mate...

Where can you find the construction stuff for that inexpensive price? I really appreciate the info!

__________________
"A word to the wise is infuriating."
"No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master."
"In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity."
"Buy the ticket, take the ride."
- The Immortal Hunter S. Thompson

Yeal what 4evergreen said.Where are you getting it? Peace

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Hi there,
I am growing in Europe and I get it from a business named Leroy Merlin, similar to Home Depot back in the States. But I have googled "sale of construction expanded clay for insulation" and I got several links from so many different countries, UK, USA, ZL, Philipines, etc!
But if you are too lazy to do a search then ask your local construction material store, and you will get a very cheap staff with a good result
Peace

Looks like I'm going to have to talk to someone, all of my Google searches on this have come up nil, as far as retail sales goes. Home Depot has nada, ditto Lowes. Links showing retailers were available in the U.K. and other places, but I am in th U.S. I always make an effort to search for answers before I pose queries, there is just no information on procuring this LECA. (Construction grade, marketed, etc.)

__________________
"A word to the wise is infuriating."
"No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master."
"In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity."
"Buy the ticket, take the ride."
- The Immortal Hunter S. Thompson

I am sorry if you misunderstood my post, in no way I tried to disrespect you when I said "if you are lazy", I said that because I am (and very much) so lazy that it takes me forever to make a search. I will put myself into it and try to find a local supplier in the States, there must be someone who manufactures and retails that product in USA
Peace, and once again, my sincere apologies

I got thick skin, regardless. I took no offense, and oft times can exemplify laziness to an extreme, depending on my level of medication... No worries! Thanks for the consideration, anyhow!

__________________
"A word to the wise is infuriating."
"No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master."
"In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity."
"Buy the ticket, take the ride."
- The Immortal Hunter S. Thompson

leca is just a brand name...
i googled for 'expanded clay usa' and came up with a page of links to us companies that both produce and sell it.. and i quote follow the yellow brick road ...

here would be a good place to start: http://www.concretecentre.com/main.asp?page=134

http://www.4hydroponics.com/grow_room/geo.asp

LOOK UP MANUFACTURERS OF LIGHT WEIGHT AGGREGATE CONCRETE.. CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES THAT USE THE STUFF... sorry the cAPS JAMMED

http://www.drymix.info/industry-dire...ght-aggregate/


this might be a useful substitute? or not.. its interesting material though http://www.poraver.de/US/DELINK.html

http://www.constructiondir.com/find....lant&country=1

if none of these links help... for some reason there seams to be very few links to the stuff in the construction industry.. its all hydro?!!! amazing.. anyway get in touch with local building contractors, architects or engineers. maybe you know some.. they will have the contacts if they exist. it IS cheaper to buy expanded clay for construction... so look around.. dig deap and i am quite sure you will find it. check bags of the stuff for details of companies that produce it.. surely someone in the us uses the stuff in construction! its used in light weight concrete.. and as insulation... so maybe in the northern states? or canada?

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in europe we have been using it for years! i dont believe you guys import all of it! its easy to manufacture.. all you need is clay a kiln and air...

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Thanks Ileso for the links. I agree with you that construction expanded clay is the same product as Hydroton or any other high marked up expanded clay and the cost is less than 10% of those products that Grow Shops promote. I have been in a local grow shop and pretended I did not know and asked for construction expanded clay and the guy in the Grow Shop insisted to sell me Hydroton. I am sure more than one Newbie has fallen for it (as I did), that is why I posted this thread, to let other members know how to save money in hydro.
And if you add this tip to another tip that Tokecrazy taught me when I started to grow, to lower Ph with Sulfur Acid (car battery acid), which by the way, is a micronutrient and very beneficial to plants at both cycles (veg and bloom)
Also you should not change the water each week as Nutes companies suggest you to do (the more you change the water the more nutes you will use and buy), you can top your rez (Lucas formula), and add the nutes as recommended by the manufacturer, and your plants will love it the same. You will save in water bills and you will save in nutes (of course, check your rez every day and exchange it if it is needed). I want to add about this point that I use ONLY mineral nutes (probably with organic nutes you should change it more frequently, I do not know about it), so I avoid any and all kind of algaes in my system with daily dosis of H2O2 at 35% without damaging my nute mix and save a lot in water
Peace to you all