DarkWeb
Well-Known Member
Perlite is great......roots love oxygen.
Blaze & Daze
- Thread starter Laughing Grass
- Start date
shnkrmn
Well-Known Member
Isn't perlite essential?
Not in my experience. I haven't used it in years, and aside from my last batch of plants have never overwatered a plant in coco. It was very clear the medium was too sludgy this recent go around though, I just hadn't yet experienced it and got quite a shock. I know what to look for now, and will be less cheap and toss it after 3 or 4 uses
Nah.
shnkrmn
Well-Known Member
Previous roots were hanging out the pot when I stuffed these in. It's just good organic matter, lol, plus the Pro Mix is precharged from the previous grow so win!
Recycling a recent rootball.
DarkWeb
Well-Known Member
It's not about over watering......it's oxygen. And when you have a medium that can get fresh exchange of oxygen more often it's better for the plant.
StareCase
Well-Known Member
They are both peat based. Basically a mix of sphagnum peat, dolomitic and calcitic lime, mycorrhizae, varying sized perlite and wetting agents. SM also contains some silica.
I was thinking of getting a big garbage pail and putting all the used PM/SM into the pail and letting nature flush the old stuff out over the course of a few months. So I don't have to let nature do it's own flush?
my old coco goes in a dumpster.
Sure. But for me, I experienced results I was happy with without spending the extra money. No seedlings died. No plants suffered (til I pushed it). I don't need to spend an extra 150 bucks a grow to get an ounce more off of each plant. I'll agree that maybe if I used perlite and watered more I would get a higher yield. But my plants are usually healthy and happy. To each her own, and mine is saving a large amount of money for very low loss.
TCH
Well-Known Member
That's why you feed multiple times per day in coco. Feeding multiple times per day is all about pulling fresh oxygen into the coco. I too have ditched the perlite and I could not be happier about it. I hate the stuff.
TCH
Well-Known Member
Mine goes right into the firepit with rootball and stems.
Dboybudz
Well-Known Member
We just spray during winter lasts up to 3 to 4 months different stuff same stink
I bought coarse perlite this time. It’s like little stones and way less dust
Dboybudz
Well-Known Member
That's a nice raised bed garden we do exactly same plantings with marigolds just like that for tomatoes too
shnkrmn
Well-Known Member
That's the best!
Mine goes to my raised beds.
Be careful with the off gassing of salts. I'd stay out of the smoke plume
TCH
Well-Known Member
Next run, you should do 1 pot with no perlite and change nothing else. I bet there's little to no difference.
DarkWeb
Well-Known Member
$150 !? I get it in 15# bags and it's not anywhere close to that. You know how much perlite it takes to make 15#........a whole freaking lot lol
StareCase
Well-Known Member
My used shit goes into the entrance of the forest right behind us. When The Little Spud and I walked back there, he loved to piss on the old piles.