A while ago, another member of this community posted a study on how old used fabrics can be utilised to grow hydroponic plants.
The fabric should be made of synthetic fibers if you want to keep it for longer than a few days.
On the main picture I'm growing cress on a "single use" cotton cloth I use to wipe my glasses dry, so it's basically clean, but has some lint or whatever on it and would otherwise land in the trash after some uses.
It will decay after a few weeks, but since the cress (or other microgreens) will be eaten in a matter of days, that won't happen ;)
I also created a "buffet" for my cats, consisting of different cat grass types and catnip.
I have to replace them quite often, especially the wheat, because they get nasty really quickly, but I don't want to waste any substrate, like LECA, coco coir or even soil for that matter.
For that, I've cut my old polyester sports shirt into segments and stapled them onto nursery pots, just long enough that they're reaching into the nutrient solution.
The textile will act as a wick and keep the surface and interior constantly moist, while most of the roots will either grow directly through the fabric, like in the kratky method, and some will grow sidewards.
The great thing is that it won't create any waste, and is basically free. I can just throw it away after use, or maybe even reuse it again, let's see!
Sprinkling the tiny seeds was also extremely easy, and I can keep it small enough to be modular.
