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Hydroponic Clay Pebbles As An Alternative

Soil For Indoor Plants

Project Category: Physical/Applied Science

Researchers: Tristan Kyle Bejerano/ kylebejerano12@gmail.com

Grade Level: Grade 9

Adult Sponsors: Aldrin F. Ramillo/ aframilo020994@gmail.com

School: Oriental Mindoro National High School

School Address: J.P. Rizal Street, San Vicente East, Calapan City

Contents:

I. Research Plan

II. Project Data Logbook

Intel ISEF Forms

Checklist For Adult Sponsors (1)

Student Checklist (1A)

Approval Form (1B)

Research Plan/ Project Summary Instructions

III. Research Paper

IV. Abstract
Hydroponic Clay Pebbles As An Alternative

Soil For Indoor Plants

Tristan Kyle Bejerano

Researcher

Aldrin F. Ramilo

Research Adviser

Oriental Mindoro National High School (OMNHS)

Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro


I. Research
Plan
Title: Hydroponics Clay Pebbles As An Alternative Soil For Indoor Plants

Researcher; Tristan Kyle Bejerano

RESEARCH PLAN

A. Problem Being Adressed

The common problem in having a normal soil is having not enough nutrients, it makes a

lot word for you, being messy and dirty, you have to cultivate the soil, sometimes plants

suffocate and find it difficult to grow under the soil. But if you are going to use hydroponics clay

pebbles it is 10x better because first it retains moisture when you are trying to do planting in a

water scarcity location, clay pebble can make the most out of your irrigation facility. It is a great

way to retain the water and keep your plants hydrated along with any intent minerals or nutrients

poured in there. It absorbs water and stores it inside for plants to take in as per their needs.

Second Clay pebbles are lightweight and porous which holds air in them and increases the

aeration for the root system of the plant. The structural formation of these hydrotons is such that

it is light in weight and has enough space inside to capture the air and let it release whenever the

plants or harvest needs it. Plants grow better when receives proper air, water, and sunlight.
B. Research Questions, Hypotheses, Expected Outcomes

Generally the study aims to have a better alternative soil for indoor plants and make the

plants get more nutrients and grow bigger and healthier. It answers the following question first,

what are hydroponics clay pebbles? They are hydroponic substrate with units about the size of

marbles or peanuts. Clay pebbles can be used in both hydroponic and aquaponic systems.

Second, Do clay pebbles hold water? Clay pebbles don't have good water holding capacity, or

WHC. Since WHC is what allows a substrate to stay moist even after being drained, low WHC

means that crops can get dry and wilted if not watered often enough.

Hypothesis

There is no significant difference in gathering sunlight of hydroponics clay pebbles and a

normal soil depending on the plant you have.

Expected Outcomes And Goals of the Study

The expected outcomes is making the plant bigger and healthier using hydroponics clay

pebbles and the goal of the study is always take care of the plant and compare it with a normal

soil.
C. Materials and Procedures

Preparation And Gathering of Materials

The materials needed in preparation of hydroponics clay pebbles as an alternative soil is

a red clay, plant, water, pot, watering can, soil, shovel, hammer, charcoal

We have to have a lot of red clay, two plants, two pot and from that materials we can

make a hydroponics clay pebbles and a normal soil plant

Making the hydroponics clay pebbles

First we have to have red clay, second we have to round the clay, third we have to burn

the clay for a while in the charcoal and wait until the fire is gone. Fourth get the clays and rinse

them, fifth you have to put them into water for a whole day, lastly remove the clays and it turned

into an hydroponics clay pebbles.

Data Analysis

Data will be obtained in the observation in normal soil and hydroponics clay pebbles,

which where we have to compare which is bigger and healthier plant.


D. Bibliography

https://university.upstartfarmers.com/blog/pros-cons-hydroton hydroponics#:~:text=Clay
%20pebbles%20or%20hydroton%20

(sometimes,size%20of%20marbles%20or%20peanuts.&text=Clay%
20pebbles%20can%20be%20used%20in%20both%20hydroponic%
20and%20aquaponic%20systems.= meaning of hydroponics clay pebbles

https://www.construction21.org/articles/h/5-benefits-of-using-clay-
pebbles-in-hydroponic.html= Benefits

https://uponics.com/make-hydroponics-clay-pebbles/= How to make hy-


droponics clay pebbles

https://www.epicgardening.com/expanded-clay-pellets/= How to grow


hydroponics clay pebbles

https://hydrobuilder.com/learn/grow-medias-clay-pebbles-vs-growstones/
=Difference of normal soil and hydroponics clay pebbles

https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/mauisoil/a_comp.aspx#:~:text=The%
20typical%20soil%20consists%20of,is%20very%20complex%20and%
20dynamic.= Normal soil
II. Project
Data
Logbook
Hydroponic Clay Pebbles As An Alternative

Soil For Indoor Plants

Tristan Kyle Bejerano

Researcher

Aldrin F. Ramilo

Research Adviser

Oriental Mindoro National High School (OMNHS)

Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro


ABSTRACT

. The hydroponic clay pebbles retain moisture when you are trying to do planting in a

water scarcity location, clay pebble can make the most out of your irrigation facility. Plants grow

better when receives proper air, water, and sunlight, Clay pebbles are lightweight and porous

which holds air in them and increases the aeration for the root system of the plant. Hydroton is a

loose media, so it’s easy to transplant and pull plants out of after harvest. This is how you make a

hydroponic clay pebble the first step is gathering all the materials, next roll the clay into any size

and circle it. Next place the pebbles next to charcoal on your grill while you burn it. Once the

day has passed collect all the burned clay pebbles in your grill and rinse them with water. Make

sure to clean it properly. Results of weeks the ficus microcarpa survives in a hydroponic clay

pebble. In the first and second week of observation the plant survives in hydroponic clay pebble.

By observing the plant there is no sign of the plant dying like color of the leaves turning yellow,

wilting, exposed roots and dropping leaves and there is no sign of growth. And in the seventh

and eight week of the observation the plant still survives in the hydroponic clay pebbles. Nothing

has change since last week Therefore the plant can indeed survive in a hydroponic clay pebbles

and it took a long time to grow a plant.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION ...................................................................1

METHODOLOGY .....................................................................3

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ...............................................11

CONCLUSION .........................................................................22

Recommendation .................................................................22

Bibliography ........................................................................25

Acknowledgement ................................................................29

Appendices ...........................................................................30
ABSTRACT

. The hydroponic clay pebbles retain moisture when you are trying to do planting in a

water scarcity location, clay pebble can make the most out of your irrigation facility. Plants grow

better when receives proper air, water, and sunlight, Clay pebbles are lightweight and porous

which holds air in them and increases the aeration for the root system of the plant. Hydroton is a

loose media, so it’s easy to transplant and pull plants out of after harvest. This is how you make a

hydroponic clay pebble the first step is gathering all the materials, next roll the clay into any size

and circle it. Next place the pebbles next to charcoal on your grill while you burn it. Once the

day has passed collect all the burned clay pebbles in your grill and rinse them with water. Make

sure to clean it properly. Results of weeks the ficus microcarpa survives in a hydroponic clay

pebble. In the first and second week of observation the plant survives in hydroponic clay pebble.

By observing the plant there is no sign of the plant dying like color of the leaves turning yellow,

wilting, exposed roots and dropping leaves and there is no sign of growth. And in the seventh

and eight week of the observation the plant still survives in the hydroponic clay pebbles. Nothing

has change since last week Therefore the plant can indeed survive in a hydroponic clay pebbles

and it took a long time to grow a plant.


INTRODUCTION

. The hydroponic clay pebbles retain moisture when you are trying to do planting in a water

scarcity location, clay pebble can make the most out of your irrigation facility. It is a great way

to retain the water and keep your plants hydrated along with any intent minerals or nutrients

poured in there. It absorbs water and stores it inside for plants to take in as per their needs.

Second Clay pebbles are lightweight and porous which holds air in them and increases the

aeration for the root system of the plant. The structural formation of these hydro tons is such that

it is light in weight and has enough space inside to capture the air and let it release whenever the

plants or harvest needs it.

. Plants grow better when receives proper air, water, and sunlight The difference is that the

nature of soil-based minerals is slow release whereas hydroponic minerals are fast release with

fast up-take, thus optimal results & faster growth. Sometimes, plants suffocate and find it

difficult to grow under the soil. Clay pebbles are lightweight and porous which holds air in them

and increases the aeration for the root system of the plant. Larger aggregates like hydroton, pea

gravel, and crushed granite have much larger space between each rock or pebble than perlite,

sand, and other small particles. While the biological surface area isn’t usually as high, the pore

space is much higher. Hydroton is a mineral and not considered a pollutant, we still don’t want it

to end up in a landfill. Luckily, they are reusable almost indefinitely. You usually want to rinse

any built-up silt or organic matter from it before reusing it, but unless you have an extreme salt

build up in it.

Hydroton is a loose media, so it’s easy to transplant and pull plants out of after harvest.

Don’t underestimate how much time this can save you in wrestling with plant roots and

separating root balls from the media surrounding them. The best thing about hydroponic clay
pebbles is that you can reuse over and over again you just have to rinse it to clean it. Hydroponic

clay pebbles is just quite hard to use in the beginning.

The study aims to answer the question, can plants survive or grow in a hydroponic clay

pebbles. And is it better to have a ordinary soil or a hydroponic clay pebbles. It answers the

following question first, what are hydroponics clay pebbles? They are hydroponic substrate with

units about the size of marbles or peanuts. Clay pebbles can be used in both hydroponic and

aquaponic systems. Second, Do clay pebbles hold water? Clay pebbles don't have good water

holding capacity, or WHC. Since WHC is what allows a substrate to stay moist even after being

drained, low WHC means that crops can get dry and wilted if not watered often enough.

The expected outcomes are using hydroponics clay pebbles to grow a plant and to make a

plant survive for 2 weeks and the goal of the study is making a hydroponic clay pebbles, and to

grow a plant using a hydroponic clay pebble. This result will be beneficial to plant lovers so they

can plant their own plant using a hydroponic clay pebbles.


METHODOLOGY

This section describes the materials and methods used in making hydroponic clay pebbles.

It can be summarized in four section namely preparation and gathering of materials, Procedures

in making a hydroponic clay pebbles, procedures in planting a plant in a hydroponic clay pebbles

and data analysis.

Preparation and Gathering of Materials

The materials needed in preparation of hydroponics clay pebbles as an alternative soil.

You must gather the following materials in order to make a hydroponic clay pebbles. First is a

clay that mineral made when rocks break down. Second is a charcoal that is needed for burning

the clay pebbles. Third is a grill so you can input all the charcoal in the grill. Fourth is a pot so

you place for your plant. Fifth is a water for rinsing and to water the plant. Lastly a plant.

Procedures in Making a Hydroponic Clay Pebbles

The first step is gathering all the materials, next roll the clay into any size you want and

circle it. Then let the pebbles dry for 1 week to let all the moisture evaporate. Next place the

pebbles next to you your charcoal on your grill while you burn it. Make sure to be careful and

don’t burn it next to something easily burned and always wear a gloves. When the charcoal is red

hot cover your pebbles with the charcoal and lest it cook until the next day. Make sure that you

add a lot of charcoal or wood. Always check and watch your grill to make sure everything is

fine. Once the has passed collect all the burned clay pebbles in your grill and rinse them with

water. Make sure to clean it properly. And that’s your hydroponic clay pebbles. You have to

make a lot of pebbles that can full a pot.


Procedures in Planting A Plant In A Hydroponic Clay Pebbles

Rinse the pebbles thoroughly before using. Skipping or skimping on this step may lead to

more expensive problems down the road. Take the time to do it thoroughly from the very get-go.

You’ll be glad you did. Soak the pebbles for at least six hours or, even better, up to 24 hours.

Yes, the medium will be heavier but your plants won’t have to work hard to get to the water they

so desperately crave. Remove the plant and rinse occasionally. While these clay pellets are

known for their neutral pH and lack of nutrients, they can still absorb and hold onto the nutrients

you add along the journey. After time, phytotoxicity can build up and starve the plants. Watch

for any whitish residue on the top and rinse the plant and pebbles with a pH-adjusted liquid. You

can also leach the system with the liquid. Give starting your seeds a try using clay pebbles. You

can crush the medium to increase saturation or you can keep them whole, use small net pots, and

cover the seed with a couple of pebbles. Misters set to bursts lasting four to 10 seconds every

two or three hours will bring on germination. Just make sure you have soaked the pebbles

beforehand. If you don’t have misters, manual feeding will work fine, too, as long as you don’t

let the pebbles dry out. And don’t reuse the pebbles without rinsing, soaking, and sterilizing with

isopropyl alcohol or peroxide. Taking the time to do it right will save headaches later. Don’t let

the pebbles dry out. Don’t use a regular pot unless you have a dedicated water source. Using

regular pots can sometimes lead to algae and draining issues. Don’t use the pebbles as a

substitute for soil outdoors. You can certainly use them in conjunction with soil but not as a

replacement in your outside garden.


Data Analysis

Data will be obtained in the observation if the plant survives within two weeks and if the

plant grows on hydroponic clay pebbles, by observing how much it growth, and root mass that is

recommended as a final measurement as the plant must be removed from its growing medium in

order to capture accurate data.


RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table 1. Results of weeks the ficus microcarpa survives in a hydroponic clay pebble.

In this table I will answer the question, can a plant survive in a hydroponic clay pebble.

Because normally a plant would only survive four to six weeks without a soil or alternative soils.

And if the hydroponic clay pebbles can be really used as an alternative soil. By observing the

color of the leaves turning yellow, wilting, exposed roots, and dropping leaves

YES NO
Color Of The Leaves Turning Yellow ✓
Wilting ✓
Exposed Roots ✓
Dropping Leaves ✓
Week 1-2 of Experimentation and Observation

In the first and second week of the observation and experimentation, the plant survives

in the hydroponic clay pebbles. By observing the plant there is no changes, there is no sign of the

plant dying like color of the leaves turning yellow, wilting, exposed roots and dropping leaves.

YES NO
Color Of The Leaves Turning Yellow ✓
Wilting ✓
Exposed Roots ✓
Dropping Leaves ✓
Week 3-4 of Experimentation and Observation
In the third and fourth week of the observation and experimentation, the plant survives in

the hydroponic clay pebbles. By observing the plant there is no changes in the color of the

leaves, no sign of wilting, there is no visible exposed roots and there is no leaves that drop.

Week 5-6 of observation and experimentation

YES NO
Color Of The Leaves Turning Yellow ✓
Wilting ✓
Exposed Roots ✓
Dropping Leaves ✓

In the fifth and sixth week of the observation and experimentation, the plant still survives

in the hydroponic clay pebbles. By observing the plant there is again no changes in the color of

the leaves, no sign of wilting, there is no visible exposed roots and there is no leaves that drop.

YES NO
Color Of The Leaves Turning Yellow ✓
Wilting ✓
Exposed Roots ✓
Dropping Leaves ✓
Week 7-8 of observation and experimentation

In the seventh and eight week of the observation and experimentation, the plant still

survives in the hydroponic clay pebbles. By observing the plant there is again no changes in the
color of the leaves, no sign of wilting, there is no visible exposed roots and there is no leaves that

drop. Therefore the plant can indeed survive in a hydroponic clay pebbles.

Table 2. Results of weeks the ficus microcarpa grows in a hydroponic clay pebble.

By looking at the color, measuring the height using ruler, number of leaves and the color

the researcher used the following agendas to answer the question can plants grow in hydroponic

clay pebbles on week 1 to week 8 of experimentation and observation . These are the following

agendas:

Excellent=5

Very good = 4

Good = 3

Fair = 2

Bad = 1

Week 1-2 of experimentation and observation

Hydroponic Clay Pebbles


Height of The Plant 1
Texture 1
Color of Leaves 1
Number of Leaves 1

In the first and second week of the observation and experimentation, the plant show no signs

of growing in the hydroponic clay pebbles. By observing the plant, there is no difference in

height, texture, color of the leaves and number of leaves.


Week 3-4 of experimentation and observation

Hydroponic Clay Pebbles


Height of The Plant 1
Texture 1
Color of Leaves 1
Number of Leaves 1

In the third and fourth week of the observation and experimentation, the plant show no

signs of growing in the hydroponic clay pebbles again. By observing the plant, there is no

difference in height, texture, color of the leaves and number of leaves.

Week 5-6 of experimentation and observation

Hydroponic Clay Pebbles


Height of The Plant 1
Texture 2
Color of Leaves 1
Number of Leaves 1

In the fifth and sixth week of the observation and experimentation, the plant show no

signs of growing in the hydroponic clay pebbles again. But there are some slight changes in

texture. By observing the plant, there is no difference in height, color of the leaves and number

of leaves.
Week 7-8 of experimentation and observation

Hydroponic Clay Pebbles


Height of The Plant 1
Texture 2
Color of Leaves 1
Number of Leaves 1

In the seventh and eight week of the observation and experimentation, the plant show no

signs of growing in the hydroponic clay pebbles again. The texture remained the same after last

week. By observing the plant, there is no difference in height, color of the leaves and number of

leaves. In the researcher’s hypothesis it needs some more sunlight because the researcher’s plant

is an indoor plant and it depends on what the plant is. Ficus microcarpa takes time to grow and it

needs a lot of care.


CONCLUSION

The study provided reasonable data and table are showed to conclude that the

hydroponic clay pebbles can be an alternative soil. Plants can indeed survive in a hydroponic

clay pebbles. But it takes so long to make a plant grow in a hydroponic clay pebbles. In addition

the results shows the positive and negative impact of a hydroponic clay pebbles. The positive

impact is that plants can survive in a hydroponic clay pebbles within 8 weeks of my observation

and experimentation. The negative impact is that it took so slow to make a plant grow on

hydroponic clay pebbles, according to my observation 8 weeks is not enough for the plant to

grow on hydroponic clay pebbles. I therefore conclude that hydroponic clay pebbles can be used

as an alternative soil.

Recommendation

In this study, hydroponic clay pebbles as an alternative soil were determined using

observation and experimentation. The study provided positive and negative outcome. This will

help gardeners if they want to use a alternative soil. I recommend that the plant you should be

using must be easy to grow and easy to survive. I recommend if you are going to make your own

hydroponic clay pebbles it should be natural clay. I recommend heating it as hot as you can make

in your charcoal and grill. This should help on growing a plant in a hydroponic clay pebbles as

an alternative soil.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://university.upstartfarmers.com/blog/pros-cons-hydroton hydroponics#:~:text=Clay

%20pebbles%20or%20hydroton%20

(sometimes,size%20of%20marbles%20or%20peanuts.&text=Clay%

20pebbles%20can%20be%20used%20in%20both%20hydroponic%

20and%20aquaponic%20systems.= meaning of hydroponics clay pebbles

https://www.epicgardening.com/expanded-clay-pellets/= How to grow

hydroponics clay pebbles

https://hydrobuilder.com/learn/grow-medias-clay-pebbles-vs-growstones/

=Difference of normal soil and hydroponics clay pebbles

https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/mauisoil/a_comp.aspx#:~:text=The%

20typical%20soil%20consists%20of,is%20very%20complex%20and%

20dynamic.= Normal soil


ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost thank you God for keeping the researcher and everyone safe in the

process and area of experimentation. Thank you for the everlasting support of the researcher’s

parents for the financial support and the guidance they give to the researcher, as well to the

people to help to accomplish the product.

The researcher is also thankful to Sir Aldrin F. Ramilo for also guiding the researcher in the

process of publishing this paper, thank you for providing me your knowledge and being a great

teacher to the researcher. The students researcher also thanks the owner of the website and

information which the researcher used and based his research out of it. Once again the researcher

thanks the Lord for guiding the researcher and being safe and unharmed in process of

experimentation.
APPENDICES

Appendix A

The Research Flow Chart

Start

Collecting the Put your pebbles


natural clay in a pot

Roll the clay


into pebbles Then put your
plant in the pot

Leave it for 7
days
Water your
plant 5 times a
Preparation of day
Materials
Prepare your grill,
charcoal, water,
pot and plant. Observe the plant for
4-6 weeks if the plant
will show sign of
dying or growth.
Burn your clay for
1 hour change
your charcoal if
necessary.

Finish

Rinse it with
water for 15
minutes
Appendix B

Making the hydroponic clay pebbles

Charcoal
Pebble form of the clay

Heating the pebbles, During


After
Before
Appendix C
Rinsing

Planting and observation

Ficus Microcarpa

Week 1 of Observation

Week 8 of Observation
Title: Hydroponics Clay Pebbles As An Alternative Soil For Indoor Plants

By: Tristan Kyle Bejerano


Adviser: Sir Aldrin F. Ramilo

ABSTRACT

. The hydroponic clay pebbles retain moisture when you are trying to do planting in a

water scarcity location, clay pebble can make the most out of your irrigation facility. Plants

grow better when receives proper air, water, and sunlight, Clay pebbles are lightweight and

porous which holds air in them and increases the aeration for the root system of the plant.

Hydroton is a loose media, so it’s easy to transplant and pull plants out of after harvest. This is

how you make a hydroponic clay pebble the first step is gathering all the materials, next roll

the clay into any size and circle it. Next place the pebbles next to charcoal on your grill while

you burn it. Once the day has passed collect all the burned clay pebbles in your grill and rinse

them with water. Make sure to clean it properly. Results of weeks the ficus microcarpa

survives in a hydroponic clay pebble. In the first and second week of observation the plant

survives in hydroponic clay pebble. By observing the plant there is no sign of the plant dying

like color of the leaves turning yellow, wilting, exposed roots and dropping leaves and there is

no sign of growth. And in the seventh and eight week of the observation the plant still survives

in the hydroponic clay pebbles. Nothing has change since last week Therefore the plant can

indeed survive in a hydroponic clay pebbles and it took a long time to grow a plant.

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