100% soil...is this bad?
- Thread starter Blazeftw
- Start date
Seedlessone
Well-Known Member
you should of put peralite in the soil...but what you did is not gonna kill them or anything...peralite would of just made the soil better.....
tetrahydrocannabinol
Well-Known Member
some vermiculite woudnt hurt either
MajoR_TokE
Well-Known Member
Careful not to overwater, by this i mean not too water to often. There is no perlite in you medium your soil should hold water for a long time.
ah ok. yeah
to 1st poster, growin indoors btw.
but yeah when we used perilite i noticed the whole drainage aspect...good stuff.
really hopin this grow will go alot better, just doin 2 seeds from amsterdam (ice...looks stinky)
thanks for the input....
not having perilite/verm isn't going to raise chance of rootbounding is it?
to 1st poster, growin indoors btw.
but yeah when we used perilite i noticed the whole drainage aspect...good stuff.
really hopin this grow will go alot better, just doin 2 seeds from amsterdam (ice...looks stinky)
thanks for the input....
not having perilite/verm isn't going to raise chance of rootbounding is it?
babygro
Well-Known Member
It's actually a very smart way to go, but, you do need to know what you're doing and adhering rigidly to a wet/dry watering schedule is going to be very important because without the 'safety net' of perlite to assist drainage it would be very easy to over water your plants.
There are two different schools of thought on adding perlite/vermiculite to your potting soil. First, most newbie growers are advised to add them up to 30% of the total volume because it makes watering much easier and more forgiving of mistakes because the perlite helps soil aeration and drainage and the vermiculite helps water retention.
Second, more experienced growers reduce the amounts of perlite/vermiculite to their soil mixes because 1) they're more experienced at understanding the watering requirements of their plants and don't need that 'safety net' and 2) reducing the amounts of perlite/vermiculite to their soil mixes means more soil is used, which means more nutrient content of the soil is retained which means less nutrient feeds in the feed water are required. Particularly important when using chemical/mineral based nutrients as these can build up to toxic salt levels which then require flushing. The less nutrients you have to use - the better the end results will be, as the plants will grow more naturally with reduced levels of chemical/mineral nutrients.
endoinsanity
Active Member
actually, if he's using 100% soil, vermiculite wouldn't do anything but retain more water... so unless that's his intentions then i wouldnt advice adding vermiculite into the soil now
Seedlessone
Well-Known Member
how could you ever agree that more airation to roots could be a bad thing? i can see both sides....
babygro
Well-Known Member
Well modern good quality compost based soils have vastly improved aeration and drainage compared to a few years ago which makes the addition of soiless substrates such as perlite and vermiculite less of a requirement. There's soils now which contain a water retaining gel which improves water retention and drainage substantially.
Growers choosing not to use large quantities of perlite and vermiculite in the soil mixes and who follow the wet/dry watering cycle rigidly probably get better results than those who do use larger quantities of perlite.
Additionally perlite dust is now considered carciogenic, so you can't really blame people not not wishing to use it.
As you say, there are two sides of the coin to this, both sides have merits.
Wavels
Well-Known Member
The points regarding the benefits of perlite are valid....It provides superior aeration, and protects well against the ravages of overwatering.
For large outdoor containers, I use even more perlite/vermiculite, as it makes the soil mix lighter in weight,...... because I move outdoor containers frequently throughout the day, this helps save my achin' back.
I use roughly equal parts perlite and vermiculite in my soil blend.
For large outdoor containers, I use even more perlite/vermiculite, as it makes the soil mix lighter in weight,...... because I move outdoor containers frequently throughout the day, this helps save my achin' back.
I use roughly equal parts perlite and vermiculite in my soil blend.
Seedlessone
Well-Known Member
holy shit thats fantastic....didnt know that....
yeah i bet this topic could go around and around......i can for sure see the two sides of the topic. i tried both; ive had better reults using perlite, but thats just me...its also been awhile since ive tried not using perlite.