I'm about to start my first grow and I'm looking for a good medium that I can buy locally Ive heard sand is good but it sounds like to much of a mess, Ive also read that any gravel is ok.. but do you guys have any suggestions on what gravel is best?
You have a lot of options, but I'd go with Coconut Fiber which is a little bit intricate to work with. However if you want to spend time with this you'll learn to love it. But if you are thinking more gravel I'd go with Hydroton (it's clay pellets) and I've had success with it many times for actual hydroponic gardening.
for hydro grow medium i always recommend hydroton, or lava rock. lava rock can be a little trickier because you must let it soak for a couple of days then repeatedly flush it for hours before using to get rid of all the salt buildup. coco coir or rockwool are nice, but command a higher level of expertise and care, also they retain fertilizer salts and must be rinsed and flushed twice as much as any other growing media.
they will work, but can compact together and dont really leave enough space for roots to thrive. the same goes with sand.
couldn't larger pebbles solve that problem? at my local hardware store they have two different sizes bagged ready for indoor gardening
never really used pebbles, i have used lava and hydroton on my past hydro grows, but decided soil is alot better for my needs.