i recieved my gravel substrate this morning but its very dirty and is proving to be a nightmare to wash through. there must be an easier way. anyone have any ideas?
get a collinder (or a bucket with holes in!) then just rinse under the taps while disturbibg it with your hand.
When you say gravel what sort is it? A lot of specialist plant substrates do not need washing like aquasoil.
We find that a large flexible "gorilla" tub with a running hose inside is good. The real magic part though is a plaster mixing bit placed in an electric drill which agitates the gravel with minimum effort.
I usually fill a bucket about 3rd deep with the gravel and then use my hose on the jet setting. Keep the bucket tipped over slightly so it does not fill up (i.e. just overflows on one side) and when the water get really murky give it a tip to get rid of the water. Keep going until the water is clear. The trick is the tipping rather than just relying on the water overflowing - it gets rid over large volumes of muck in one go rather than leaving in the gravel to get mixed back in with the gravel. I've washed lots of gravel over the years... Gravel Geek.
Have you got any photos - that would make a smashing slide show. Have just had lots of fun rinsing through some Akadama ( :? :? :? ) and the best way I found was two using tubtrugs (flexible gorilla tub thing as mentioned by "the green machine") and a large over sink sieve with a running hose. Start off by running water through substrate while agitating it so all the lighter and floating dust rise to the surface and runs off. When you think things are clearing scoop a few kilos into the sieve and blast with hose over the other tub. This uses a great deal of water so be wary if you are on a meter. Alternatively just spread it out on a blanket, leave it on the lawn and let the good ol' British weather do your work for you.
