Kitty litter as hydroponic grow media?

[sprouts]

Kitty litter as hydroponic grow media?

non odorous and non clumping kitty litter as media

The argument is that the cheap stuff is just plain clay

So I wonder if you bake the kitty litter would it end up like growrox? Maybe ya have to nuke it instead? I am going to buy some tomorrow and experiment. Also has anyone ever heard of using crushed coral (aquarium grade) as a medium? I would think it would hold oxygen well with all those holes. It runs 6 bucks for 30 lb. 60 bucks for 50 liters of growrox is just a bit much for all I want. I checked the yellow pages online and the closest Hydro store listed is 78 miles away. I havnt called them yet to see if they even stock it. I tried the home depot route with orchid rocks per Tailwheels tip. They say they cant get(order)that item any longer. There is a similar product at the depot called orchid mix that has grow rocks and charcoal and some other ingredients in it. I am not sure about using that. I have sifted 5 gallons of smaller gravel out of a load of regular granite gravel and as soon as your hydro mix reaches me my sprouts are going in my 2 liter garden... Ready to hydro in Ga.

[Ron]

grow rocks are clay fired in a kiln and that's pretty hot. Not your basic household oven. Coral or any inert substance can be used as a medium. All you have to do is make sure that it doesn't brake down to quick (like vermiculite) and it doesn't leach undesirable substance into your system thus harming your plants.
I promise to set up test gardens this spring to see which mediums work best.