Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Would the bags of pea gravel in the lumber dept at Lowe's be ok to use if I washed them thoroughly prior to putting in my grow beds? I'm planning on putting the pea gravel in then top it off with expanded clay. I would use the clay alone, but I'm wanting to keep my cost down as much as possible. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Some pea gravel can contain lime, ask if you can take a handful of pebbles home to do a vinegar test. Other than that go for about a 15 -25mm size.

the pea gravel at the big box stores looks too small to use to me.. river gravel would be about the same cost at those stores.. or landscaping places.. just make sure there isn't lots of limestone in it.. like charlie said, 1/2" to 3/4" works great

I tested local cheap river stone and most of them tested fine, but there are a few white pieces (assuming limestone) that bubbled like crazy. So check before big purchase.

Pershing

I used pea gravel in bags from Lowe's here in Maryland, but each bag could be different so checking is a good idea. The ones I got weren't too small, probably 1/2" or greater.

I used it in my first system it worked fine just had to give it a thorough wash it marked my FT real bad for quite a while cause I didn't rinse good enough

"Marked my FT"?

Sorry, but that's just how ignorant I am about all of this. Started looking into it a whole 3 weeks ago.



Jim