Replacement for perlite?
- Thread starter happyhi
- Start date
J
JackTheGrower
Lots of stuff..
Depends on what conditions you are growing in.. Wanna share some info?
Depends on what conditions you are growing in.. Wanna share some info?
I've seen people use Vermiculite and Hydroton although it depends on what you're using it for. How have you been using your perlite?
Really? Why? Imo it's a perfect reusable substrate. It dries faster than any substitution.
I replaced it with coco coir. My mix was roughly 1/3 coir, 1/3 pro-mix, and 1/3 perlite. Perlite sucks though, it shifts around and it is so light the updraft in my cabinet blows it into my buds! Now I use 1/2 coir, 1/4 compost mix, and 1/4 peat with a little clay added. I use dolomite and Flower-Tone with it, as well as beneficials and compost teas used to treat the soil. The coir breathes as well or better than the perlite, and it allows more root growth, totally stops me from ever over-watering, and is not messy!
C
Chamba
I find various grades of sand, gravel and rock are better than perlite for soil growing and they don't float to the top.....but as Jackthegrower mentioned, it all depends on your method of growing
Experimented with ground up polystyrene packageing material in soil based compost when perlite was hard to find locally a few years ago.
Worked fine and resisted compaction , incredibly messy to grind down and handle with the static cling but good once mixed in , used an inch of straight compost on top to keep it down when watering and plants did as usual.
Probably not going to be popular in organic mixes and i wonder now if any unpleasent chems are present in poly that could end up in the plant , seems pretty inert but there is a solvent smell when processing some material which goes quickly , might be best to rinse it well first.
Worked fine and resisted compaction , incredibly messy to grind down and handle with the static cling but good once mixed in , used an inch of straight compost on top to keep it down when watering and plants did as usual.
Probably not going to be popular in organic mixes and i wonder now if any unpleasent chems are present in poly that could end up in the plant , seems pretty inert but there is a solvent smell when processing some material which goes quickly , might be best to rinse it well first.
H
Hazyfontazy
diatomaceous earth works great in coco
Mickymouse
Member
Sure to grow.Hands down the best.
Always end up with gnats useing coco but get a higher yield , a top layer of Fullers earth could stop this and will try it.
Would be wary of mixing it in as its structure acts much like a carbon filter absorbing chems and retaining them hence its use in catlitter and for removeing dyes from solution , could lead to nute issues.
How do you use it Hazy ?
Would be wary of mixing it in as its structure acts much like a carbon filter absorbing chems and retaining them hence its use in catlitter and for removeing dyes from solution , could lead to nute issues.
How do you use it Hazy ?
H
Hazyfontazy
i started putting a thin layer on the top and bottom of the pot ,it reduced the fungus gnats to near zero .it also made the plants healthier due to the silicon content ,since then ive started mixing it through the coco for extra aeration too ,working well
S
ShoeboxSherman
jaykush, what form of charcoal do you use?
happyhi
Member
too all who replied many thanks! i run 5 gal air pots, currently using Canna Bio Pro, which i love, but was considering making a large batch of soiless mix which i want to charge with
rock powders cook and then use compost tea by kiss only and dump all the bottles.
trying to figure out 1. how much and what to add to a bag of canna bio pro to make it
suitable for the duration adding tea only, 2. make my own soiless mix like the canna and add the powders. My concerns are that if the plant is aprox a two to three month flower cycle what is the right amount of powders to add and how long does it take for them to become available. I have read the LC mix guidelines but wonder if two weeks is long enough for the nutes to be in a state that is readily available. When i did this in the 70's growing the original haze we had a nine month grow cycle and it was in the ground. We mixed the soil two months before putting it in the ground holes and then the plant had from May to Dec to uptake. We used water only. Just trying to come up with a soil mix that will take the plant to the end without adding anything but the Kiss tea. thanks for the help. Peace
rock powders cook and then use compost tea by kiss only and dump all the bottles.
trying to figure out 1. how much and what to add to a bag of canna bio pro to make it
suitable for the duration adding tea only, 2. make my own soiless mix like the canna and add the powders. My concerns are that if the plant is aprox a two to three month flower cycle what is the right amount of powders to add and how long does it take for them to become available. I have read the LC mix guidelines but wonder if two weeks is long enough for the nutes to be in a state that is readily available. When i did this in the 70's growing the original haze we had a nine month grow cycle and it was in the ground. We mixed the soil two months before putting it in the ground holes and then the plant had from May to Dec to uptake. We used water only. Just trying to come up with a soil mix that will take the plant to the end without adding anything but the Kiss tea. thanks for the help. Peace
H
Hazyfontazy
yeah absorbs water ,i only use a smll amount ,,i wash the crap out of it before use to avoid the dust ,i got asthma so did research b4 use ,cheers for the concern
I like perlite ok in smaller percentages, but I find that when the percentages get higher you lose the positive piston action of the downward moving water through the container, which plays a big part in drawing oxygen in from the soil surface. Solid particles of different sizes like sand and gravel work better to promote a good 'suck'.
Recently, I bought some horticultural pumice. Was a bit expensive, but works (and is) almost exactly like perlite only a little heavier in weight. I also like lava rock, but the only stuff I can get around here is chunks in the 1" range, so I buy that and pound it with a sledgehammer into smaller pieces. Another large particle non organic amendment is kitty litter, or expanded zeolite clay. They use it on golf courses and playing fields, I forget what the commercial name is. Kitty litter also holds cations, which can be cool. Just make sure to get the non scented kind.
Recently, I bought some horticultural pumice. Was a bit expensive, but works (and is) almost exactly like perlite only a little heavier in weight. I also like lava rock, but the only stuff I can get around here is chunks in the 1" range, so I buy that and pound it with a sledgehammer into smaller pieces. Another large particle non organic amendment is kitty litter, or expanded zeolite clay. They use it on golf courses and playing fields, I forget what the commercial name is. Kitty litter also holds cations, which can be cool. Just make sure to get the non scented kind.
