Replacement for perlite?

[NOYB]

Expanded shale

 

[ShoeboxSherman]

homemade biochar. it goes with the sand at a 1:2:1 part ratio( char:sand:rock powder ) in the composting process, then that is used as a base potting mix or mixed into the ground for planting.

Many Thanks jaykush. I'm going to look into this for future use.

 

[CT Guy]

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

It would be really easy to add ingredients like seaweed or humic acids, etc....to the brew at the end of the brew cycle, right before spraying. That would be my recommendation if you're trying to limit your applications and keep it simple.

 

[jaded1]

has anyone used fytocell?

 

[cosmiccowboy]

homemade biochar. it goes with the sand at a 1:2:1 part ratio( char:sand:rock powder ) in the composting process, then that is used as a base potting mix or mixed into the ground for planting.

what is biochar?

 

[jaykush]

do a google search. there's tons of info out there.

 

[cosmiccowboy]

do a google search. there's tons of info out there.

what is google?

 

[ballplayer 2]

Do you guys think pea gravel from the local hardware/big box store would be an acceptable replacement for perlite. Normally it is stored outside and the bags seem to take on water. I would wash the gravel the same way I do hydroton. Can you guys think of any possible positives/negatives?

 

[gregor_mendel]

Lava sand/ small lava rock.

 

[maryjohn]

Do you guys think pea gravel from the local hardware/big box store would be an acceptable replacement for perlite. Normally it is stored outside and the bags seem to take on water. I would wash the gravel the same way I do hydroton. Can you guys think of any possible positives/negatives?

Major compression from the weight, and reduced aeration. Rocky soil.

If you want an alternative to perlite use pumice/sand.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Perlite is my choice over pumice. Perlite is manufactured up in Portland so the price is definitely cheap enough. Pumice is mined down near Klamath Falls, Oregon so it's price competitive with perlite.

It probably comes down to availability and pricing.

Rice hulls are also a good thing to add to both soil as well as worm bins. Brewing suppliers offer this product as it's used as a filtering agent at a couple of points in the brewing & bottling process at micro-breweries. Well worth checking out, IMHO

HTH

CC

 

[habeeb]

here is some info on rice hulls, not sure if they are pushing product or stating facts:

http://www.riceland.com/coproducts/popup.asp

 

[JackKerouac]

Growstones are blown recycled glass bottles. They have a consistency that is similar and the medium is great at wicking. They even provide slow release silica to plants. The company might even send you a box full for free if you ask nicely.

 

[habeeb]

^ link ?

 

[MickTheBrag]

coarse sharp sand.



peace.

 

[JackTheGrower]

^ link ?

http://earthstonetechnology.com/horticulture/retail__garden_center_products.html

Now I like that it recycles and avoids strip mining.. I never thought about perlite b4 like this..

Oh it holds water so have to watch that in poor draining soil

 

[JackKerouac]

Hey Jack,

Because of the airspace, it actually works really well in poor draining soil. K+ for ya.

 

[Leviathan]

i recomend coco, plus when u discard dirt mixed with coco in say a feild, back yard, etc..theres less evidence of human mixing going on....every little bit of stealth helps in my opinon

 

[Clackamas Coot]

The American Society for Horticultural Science has a list of articles about using rice hulls (in many forms) as a soil amendment.

If you're not a member of the ASHS then you can only view the abstract, i.e. not the entire article.

Lots of good information even in the abstract format.

HTH

CC

 

[THC123]

cocos is a perfect alternative