Growing indoor with peat moss + vermiculite

chrisstortenbecker@gmail. said:

Bruce Bugbee recommends it as his media of choice.

Vermiculite has the added benefit of silica.

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Aussieaceae said:

That's all well and good. Not doubting your own success using it.
Only problem is if you didn't add something extra for added aeration, that may be half your problem.
Vermiculite is nice and fluffy when dry. But is the total opposite of what you want when wet. It'll squish too.

Did you add any extra aeration or drainage?

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chrisstortenbecker@gmail. said:

I didn't. Based on his recs, vermiculite aerates. My pots dry out in 24-48hrs dependent on the plant, so I've always taken this as a sign that the medium isn't compacted. The roots seem to grow through it very well, though it did occur to me that my problems could be due to roots having difficulty breathing with lights out.

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Aussieaceae said:

It does when it's dry. But it's a great amendment for water holding capacity. I also understand peat moss can become hydrophobic when too dry. I'd assume that's why you said you're using a wetting agent in your first post.

If your pots really are drying out in that time, then maybe extra aeration isn't necessarily needed.

I am still leaning toward acidity, or overfert myself. But perlite is a lot better than vermiculite for aeration, unless you want extra whc as well.
That case thare really isn't anything wrong with a little of both imo. It drains better too.

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