The traffic to my Water Roots website has increased dramatically since I launched it a few short years ago, and so has the correspondence that I receive from it. Emails end up in my virtual mailbox from people all over the world for many different reasons. Some write in just to comment on the website, sometimes to compliment it, which makes my day and encourages me to keep adding information to it.

A few people write in asking for advice on how to take care of this or that plant, how to restore the health of one that’s ailing, where to find that Dracaena they saw in my photo album, whether to repot their newly-purchased Fern, if they can grow vegetables this way and what exactly “medium light” means. Others write in asking me whether a particular plant they own can adapt to hydroculture, how to convert plants to the system, what they should do if the soil on the roots can’t be removed completely when they transplant and, to my amazement, for my prediction on how their plant will react to the conversion. I’ve even had a couple of individuals write in while their plant is converting, looking for some reassurance that their drooping/minor-leaf-dropping/slightly-yellowing/newly-transplanted specimen is not dying.

So it goes without saying that the subjects and questions in the emails that I receive from the visitors to my website are vast and varied. But by far, the most common inquiry from my readers is: “Where can I find the clay pellets?” And the reason I get so many requests about the medium used for this system is that it is not readily-available in local stores, not even garden centers, and can be quite frustrating to track down anywhere in close proximity. I have experienced this first-hand (my local greenhouses do not supply this medium) therefore I can certainly relate.

When I first tried my hand at hydroculture, I had a heck of a time finding the clay pellets, just like many of my web visitors. Initially, I did not realize that this inert medium would more likely be found at hydroponics shops, which I was unfamiliar with, so I visited all the local garden centers within reasonable distance instead. Luckily enough, I ran across one chain of local home improvement stores that carried the Hydroton brand and was able to begin my hydroculture adventure. But that happiness was short-lived because soon enough the store discontinued the product.

Because I was at the beginning stages of my new growing style, I had done what all my readers do: I focused on the big box stores and the local greenhouses/garden centers. Since it was obviously not working out, I spent some time on the internet researching and – bingo! - finally discovered the hydroponics shops, which have the required product. And that’s where I’ve been sending my readers ever since. Now, whenever I receive an email asking me where the clay pellets can be found, I respond with “...try and locate a local hydroponics shop... they will be able to provide you with all the information (and supplies) you need to grow your plants in the hydroculture system”

And that sounds fine and dandy, right? Right. And it makes sense that you would find clay pellets in a hydroponics shop since hydroculture is passive hydropnics, right? Right. Except that it isn’t working out quite as well as I expected.


Clay Pellets And Confusion Found In Hydroponics Shops

The problem isn’t that the people I refer to hydroponics shops don’t find one locally, they do, especially if they live in big cities. The problem is that when they do visit their local hydroponics shop, they leave from there frustrated, confused and sometimes even discouraged. The employees at those shops that they are speaking with are preaching unsolicited advice, pushing fully-automated systems on individuals that are new to hydroculture or insisting that growing plants in the simple setup that includes nothing more than a water meter and inner and outer pots, and sometimes only a glass vase and clay pellets a) does not exist, b) is not workable or c) will fail without added automated equipment. In addition, many of the individuals working at these stores are insisting that plants grown this way will keel over in due time and that capillary action is not possible with clay pellets, which will dehydrate and kill whatever you decide to ‘foolishly’ grow in this questionable style.

Every time I receive an email with ill-received advice such as that above, advice that disputes the simple style of hydroculture that I share information about on this website, advice that pushes unnecessary and expensive add-ons, I sigh heavily (in frustration) and find myself, yet again, sending a response to counter the shoddy advice that has been given. So once again, even though I’ve already written about this topic in an earlier Hydro Log called "Gotta Love Those Doubting Thomases, eh?", I will dedicate a little time to explaining to my readers what the hydroculture style on this website is about so that they can be equipped with information when they visit their local hydroponics shop.

Just for the record, there are many different ways of growing houseplants in soilless mediums and there are many different sources of information dedicated to each of those styles. But not all those styles are discussed on this website. This website is not about the high-end, automated application of hydroponics or about growing plants in peat, bark, sand, pumice, sphagnum, perlite, vermiculite, coconut husks and other such soilless media. This website is not about growing plants directly in water, their roots submerged 24/7 and their containers filled with river rocks, gravel, shiny glass stones, marbles or colourful crystals. This website is not about aeroponics, aquatics, aquaponics, organoponics or any other ‘ics’. And it’s not about light kits, air pumps, bulbs, reflectors, timers, water pumps, air stones, blowers, fans or any other equipment that you may run across in a hydroponics shop.

This website is about one soilless growing style: hydroculture, which is also referred to as passive hydroponics. And the visitors to my website, albeit clear on what this growing method is after they’ve visited a few of my web pages and read through some of the Hydro Logs, are left confused after visiting their local hydroponics shops, which they visit because I’ve advised them to visit. And why do they become confused? Because some of them run across hydroponics experts (or sales clerks) that muddle the idea they have of hydroculture. And this is frustrating to them – and to me. Why? Because I send them to these specialty shops, which they’d never venture to otherwise (possibly never even knew existed), where I know they’ll find those frustratingly hard to find clay pellets. And they trust that I know what the heck I’m talking about, so they go. But when they get there, some of them end up with someone trying to sell them everything but the kitchen sink instead of just ringing up the damn sale for the clay pellets, which is all they’re there for to begin with. And ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ would be fine if I was sending people to hydroponics shops because my website promoted automated styles of plant growing that required all kinds of gizmos and gadgets. But it’s not. It’s promoting a very simple style that requires very little equipment.

So, now that we’re all here together, and I’m in the ‘ranting and raving’ mood, let’s clear the air by getting a clear definition of what hydroculture, as promoted on this website, is and what it isn’t.

Hydroculture is the low-end of growing plants in water and does not require a water or air pump or any other thingamajig no matter what a store clerk at any shop may be trying to push on you. Never, ever, ever buy all the ‘extra’ plug-ins (automated or not) that your local hydroponics enthusiast is trying to talk you into taking home. Well, I suppose if you really, really want to pick up all those extra items, you can. I certainly can’t stop you. But what I’m trying to tell you is that you don’t need to. You don’t need all that added jargon for this style, the hydroculture style you read about on this site.

Yes, hydroculture is related to hydroponics but it’s much smaller scale and does not involve the extra equipment. And yes, I agree that the people working at the hydroponics stores are very well-versed in that high-end style (I’ve met and spoken to some of them) and eager to share all their knowledge, and that’s all very nice. But that’s not what you’re there for; you’re there because all you want is a bag of clay pellets or the inner and outer pots or a water level indicator or some fertilizer. And nothing more.

Furthermore, the hydroponics shops should be well-versed in the simple, non-automated hydroculture system and all its glory; a basic style where indoor plants grow happily in an inert clay medium with no complicated add-ons. They really should. If they are not, and if they insist that such a thing does not exist, you shouldn’t be taking advice from them about it in the first place. The fact that they’ve never heard of it, and certainly don’t understand it, is enough to shatter their credibility when it comes to offering you advice about it. How can someone who doesn’t have a clue what you’re talking about offer suggestions (good or bad). And if the people you speak to become too pushy, you might even want to consider taking your business elsewhere.

Below is part of a hilarious email that I received from someone who had an exasperating encounter with a ‘Hydroton Expert’ at a local hydroponics shop:

“I simply asked where the Hydroton was, and he asked me what I planned to do. Upon hearing my intentions, he launched into a spectacular display of burning, verbal diarrhea. I was gobsmacked. In addition to saying things I knew to be dead wrong, he wouldn't even let me explain how the system could be feasible, cutting me off mid-sentence to lord his unsolicited opinion and unrelated hydroponic knowledge."

In all fairness, not all hydroponics shops are created equal; there are many highly-knowledgeable individuals in some of them who are experts in all aspects of hydroponics, including hydroculture, ready and willing to help you. But if you happen to run across someone who is clueless about the method in which I use to grow my plants, just pick up what you need and leave, or find another shop with employees that are clued in. Remember, this style is not very popular in most of the world, so the lack of awareness is quite understandable. The unsolicited and incorrect advice isn’t.

The next time you find yourself arguing with a sales clerk about whether or not you need that list of automated items, bear in mind that the hydroculture system is made up of five basic parts (listed below) and nothing more.

1. outer pot (for holding the water reservoir)
2. culture pot (inner growing pot)
3. growing medium (expanded, fired clay pellets)
4. water level indicator
5. nutrient (fertilizer)

The glass container method, which I share information about on my website, is not standard, but simply a further simplified method that I’ve created to better suit my needs. Hydroculture in its true form includes the five basic parts listed above.


To learn more about hydroculture:

Isn't That Like Hydroponics, Dude?
What Are Those Meatball Thingies?
Hydroculture vs. Growing In Water
The Advantages Of Hydroculture Kits
Put On Your Hydro Thinking Cap
Converting Plants To Hydroculture


Some websites & web pages to visit (personal and professional):

Houseplant Hydroculture

How to Grow Houseplants in Water (Hydroculture)

Interior Water Gardens

PurLec Hydroculture (This is my favourite North American hydroculture supplier. I have tried their products and highly-recommend them. If your local hydroponics shop gives you a hard time, give this company a try.)



So that’s that folks. I hope that this is the last time I need to write about this topic. Don’t be afraid to visit your local businesses now that you are equipped with the appropriate knowledge about the simple method of hydroculture. And don’t be reluctant to debate about it with people you encounter that are opposed to it.

What surprises me the most is that the hydroponics shops are not embracing the business that I am sending over to them, which doesn’t cost them a dime (come on you guys, it’s free marketing; don’t blow it!) Instead they are discouraging potential customers and, at times, driving them away. Shameful.

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