Alternatives to Perlite for soil aeration?

[CrushnYuba]

Coco coir for sure. I also like fired red clay pieces but if it is ground down to since it can swing PH temporarily.

I don't think coco is a perlite replacement at all. It holds a ton of water. People add perlite to coco so it holds less water. Coco is the fluff in a mix. Coco chips sort of can be though. But It's kind off a mix between the fluff and drainage.

 

[conradino23]

Biochar.

 

[Cvh]

^Thanks, I added it to the list.

 

[conradino23]

Yeah it's something to consider if you grow organically. I've been using it in my air-pots and outdoor with good success.

 

[mrghost]

Same here. Biochar is always part of my soil mix. I'm not sure if it helps with aeration but it has various other benefits.
Considering that due to the PH you can't add big amounts of it, I wouldn't consider it a perlite alternative.

 

[conradino23]

If your main problem is aeration in container gardening (outdoor or indoor it doesn't really matter) then switch to air-pots or smart pots and you're gonna have all the oxygen that you need. I've been using air-pots for 12 years and haven't found anything better for soil/organic cultivation.

 

[MattKKZ]

Perlite is amazing I swear by it

 

[conradino23]

And it's also non-organic and non-sustainable.

 

[Kustom_ax]

Hi everyone!

I've always used perlite too and air pots.
In recent weeks tho I have been thinking... You guys know common water bubblers for hydro systems or simple aquariums? Why wouldn't something like that work on a soil pot?

Imagine a 2 inch layer or perlite at the bottom of your pot, fitted with X number of bubblers feeding oxygen from the bottom of the pot to its top. This seems like it would be a happy marriage of the beneficial high oxygen environment (no root rot) and constant water (constant feeding ie explosive growth) with the "hands-off" easiness of soil. I've never seen anyone do this - Im sure this isn't an original idea by any means - but logically is should work hey ?

Maybe it's a stoner's transient epiphany, but imagine a living soil ("water-only" type soil) fitted into a system like this? You'd have a self contained, organic, super aerated pot that requires (ideally)no waterings (considering theoretical 0% evaporation) no feedings, nothing at all from seed to harvest - obviously considering your plants won't need a little mineral/organic boost here and there.

Thoughts?

Cheers,
Kx

 

[Hastings]

Sounds like SIP. The disadvantage is that watering from the top does 2 things: first it peculates by gravity through the soil, carrying air behind it which roots like and that's the way it's done naturally. Obviously plants have evolved to deal with this type of watering (rain). Secondly, it brings down nutrients that bacteria have broken down near the surface, and plus cannabis roots will be in that surface area anyway once they're big to gobble up anything there. Moist soil on top is good for bacteria and root colonization (beneath your mulch).

I think coarse perlite is fine for getting you through short-term. But longer term (like after half a dozen cycles) you're looking to actually build tilth in your soil via stable carbon, minerals, and bacterial glue that holds it all together. You don't get that using additives or amendments... well indirectly I guess.

 

['Boogieman']

To me biochar is closer to vermiculite than perlite in its water holding ability but with that said my outdoor soil has about 20% biochar for both weed and vegetables with great results.

 

[wvkindbud38]

I've used some of this Cloud 9 from Geo Organics. Man it feels like holding a cloud it's so soft. But it's hard for me not to use 30-40% Perlite

 

[wvkindbud38]

Here it is I got a couple bags to try out. I've mixed some in my Outdoor plants. I'm harvesting at the moment so it's gonna be a min before another grow

https://www.amazon.com/Good-Earth-O...ds=Cloud+9+potting+soil&qid=1593744786&sr=8-1

 

[wvkindbud38]

I'll definitely use it to start seeds or maybe add some potting soil to it and putting clones in Solo cups. It's a really soft soil, but maybe as lite of soil I've ever used

 

[CrushnYuba]

1 gallon for 20?! That's just the most ubsurd price i have ever seen!? One of the lightest soils i have ever seen is lucky dog. Kind of too light. Has to be mixed with something.

 

[St. Phatty]

i have a whole bunch of brick shaped super dry hundred year old Madrone in the backyard. Millions and millions of pieces of maybe 100 1/2 de-composed trees.

it doesn't rot, it breaks up into Jenga bricks. They vary in size, from Jenga blocks up to maybe a foot long. If you break it up by hand, it just breaks into more bricks. Never round shaped pieces.

SUPER flammable.

It's mixed in with the insect castings, ants & termites. The resulting dirt has a normal healthy dirt smell.

I started doing Hugelculture, I guess it's sort of like that.

Anyway it's really light. But the dirt is heavy.

The area with all the downed madrone in the mountain crevice, is on the "hardly any sun" side of the mountain. So I carry it to grow spots on the sunny side.

They say too much carbon is bad, but I think the size of the pieces matters. Like saw dust can affect the nitrogen in your soil, but small bricks of madrone are pretty inert. They don't really de-compose, they just create habitat.

As far as how much, it's in patches about 12 inches deep, 50 yards long. It's very treacherous to walk on. It sort of land-slides.

Found a small patch of it when I was out walking this morning.

Is it my age that keeps me from being enthusiastic about moving this old wood about 3/8 of a mile to a grow spot ?

Anyway you just need some 42 gallon 3 mil contractor bags and if you find this really lightweight wood pile, you can use them to add volume to your soil mass.

I think they basically add Habitat for the good Fauna & Flora & micro fauna & flora. like small lizards whose crap helps fertilize your plants.

Eucalyptis is similar to madrone so my guess is there are several kinds of trees that break up "Jenga-style", so you could conveivably use them as Hugel-Kulture-ish soil filling.

 

[flylowgethigh]

I've used some of this Cloud 9 from Geo Organics. Man it feels like holding a cloud it's so soft. But it's hard for me not to use 30-40% Perlite

ORGANIC & NATURAL INGREDIENTS: Cloud Nine contains only low salt coconut coir, sphagnum peat moss and perlite at a pH of 5.8 to 6.2.

I have added some vermeculite for the increased CEC over perlite.

 

[Kristine_M]

For me, I suggest putting sand/pebbles in your soil mix and not in your worm bin.

 

[exploziv]

Pebbles have no value in a soil mix. Sand can be useful. If you add that and also have a worm bin, for sure it's better to add it to the worm bin. Worms need gritty material to be able to eat things.

Also, nobody needs more than 10-15% perlite in their soil(less) mix.

 

[CrushnYuba]

Also, nobody needs more than 10-15% perlite in their soil(less) mix.[/QUOTE]

I mean... There's very little anyone NEEDS. There's starving kids in Africa. There's allot of different ways to grow... But i wouldn't want to grow in a mix without 30% drainage material. Especially since so many are running these crazy mushy compost/worm casting mixes. It doesn't have to all be perlite. Pumice and lava rock can be a portion of that.