World Of Hempy

Sooo... I'm trying this out and I'm already messing up, I wanted perlite vermiculite but I bout the mother earth coco perlite mix and clay balls for the rez luckily I didn't open it so it's returnable but vermiculite is hard to find right now idk... I can perlite 5 cu ft bags of number 4 perlite for like 30 bucks so I've seen It mention that can be used straight.. with lava rocks at the bottom.. financially that's sounds great and it's readily available so please help me kno for sure this is the right combo? Everything is hard to find in my state now and I'm limited budget and will this fly outdoor?

Jroey said:

Sooo... I'm trying this out and I'm already messing up, I wanted perlite vermiculite but I bout the mother earth coco perlite mix and clay balls for the rez luckily I didn't open it so it's returnable but vermiculite is hard to find right now idk... I can perlite 5 cu ft bags of number 4 perlite for like 30 bucks so I've seen It mention that can be used straight.. with lava rocks at the bottom.. financially that's sounds great and it's readily available so please help me kno for sure this is the right combo? Everything is hard to find in my state now and I'm limited budget and will this fly outdoor?

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you DON'T want vermiculite...vermiculite absorbs water, think of it like kitty litter, because thats what it does. if i was you i'd keep the coco, lose the clay balls, and just go with that. i now use 80% coco and 20% perlite, and it's working great.

Jroey said:

Sooo... I'm trying this out and I'm already messing up, I wanted perlite vermiculite but I bout the mother earth coco perlite mix and clay balls for the rez luckily I didn't open it so it's returnable but vermiculite is hard to find right now idk... I can perlite 5 cu ft bags of number 4 perlite for like 30 bucks so I've seen It mention that can be used straight.. with lava rocks at the bottom.. financially that's sounds great and it's readily available so please help me kno for sure this is the right combo? Everything is hard to find in my state now and I'm limited budget and will this fly outdoor?

Click to expand...

I use 4:1 perlite to vermiculite (80% perlite)....many use 3:1 (75%), but I like it a little drier...been running it like that Since forever with great success...
Soon as you get higher than 25% vermiculite, your mix can stay pretty wet...Unless your good at judging moisture levels...newer growers or 'nervous waterers', benefit from a low % of vermiculite......I can always find perlite and vermiculite at home depot.....

pics...current crop a day before inducing flower and day after....I defoliate day one of flower and again 2 weeks into flower...then cpl pics of last crop and closeup of a Do-si-dos bud...

Ok so this is going to be outdoor and I'm in az so dry and hot.. any extra steps for this process its my first time

@yankeetransplant

Yea ur setup is beautiful I've scrolled a few of ur posts and it's deff what I would like to get to Is it going to be harder for me to run multiple plants my 1st time doing it. should I do a trial run with just a few. my outdoor window is very small so I wanted to take advantage of it before I do something indoor

Jroey said:

Ok so this is going to be outdoor and I'm in az so dry and hot.. any extra steps for this process its my first time

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Keep an eye open for bugs, and you may need to water/feed more frequently when it's super hot

If your plants start to droop, you may need to provide some kind of shading, like a mesh netting

Will your plants be in the ground or in pots?

In pots so I have shady spots in my yard that's plenty big.. I have ten seeds I'm getting ready to sprout

Jroey said:

@yankeetransplant

Yea ur setup is beautiful I've scrolled a few of ur posts and it's deff what I would like to get to Is it going to be harder for me to run multiple plants my 1st time doing it. should I do a trial run with just a few. my outdoor window is very small so I wanted to take advantage of it before I do something indoor

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Indoor and outdoor are COMPLETELY DIFFERENT...Its a whole new learning curve going from one to the other.....Indoors is SO MUCH easier since you have full control of EVERY parameter....Your medium provides perfect moisture levels, your nutrient program provided perfect feeding, always sunny, no harsh weather, pests, or thieves...You control the perfect time to induce flower to insure your space is filled...The list goes on...Outdoors is a lot more harsh of an enviroment...Dealing with and controlling insects alone, can drive you crazy....YOU'LL SEE...

Set up like (2) 5 gal hempy buckets...Buy a light that will cover more though so you can expand...dont have to run it on 100% intensity...2 buckets would occupy about a 2ft by 4ft space....Ideally your plants would be about 2ft across by 2ft tall when done...THEY CAN be vegged longer and fill a bigger space but this is a nice start....A typical yield for those size plants in that size bucket is about 5-6oz depending on strain...Nice start to pull 10-12 jars of good bud...
Do-si-dos plant in pic yielded just under 6 jars (jar=oz)....Someone mentioned about single part nutes...I wont use anything but those... I use the Dyna line of products...Foliage pro for vegging and their bloom for flowering...THATS IT...Any one selling 2part and even 3part nutes is doing so for only 1 reason... TO MAKE YOU BUY MORE PRODUCT FROM THEM...Many are EXCELLENT, but there IS NO NEED FOR MULTIPLE PART FORMULAS....I wont buy a base formula, then another for vegging, then another for flowering and in some cases, ANOTHER for micro nutrients....Just one bottle for vegging and 1 bottle for flowering...I wont EVEN get myself worked up over how many 'snake oils' are on the market....MASSIVE THIS, MEGA THAT, 'F' all that BS....ITS NOT NEEDED when you have a balanced COMPLETE nutrient, and Dyna offers just that...So whatever you do, DONT FALL for all the nutrient ADDITIVE CRAP on the market....I've been growing since 1979 and learned the hard way over the years...Good info is only a click away, but so isnt your demise...DONT BELIEVE every thing you read..Get info from REPUTABLE SITES...NOT FORUMS...Someone might suggest something stupid that can only grow a good case of toenail fungus...YOU HAVE NO IDEA who is who in forums....GROWWEEDEASY.COM is an example of a reputable site with QUALITY INFO....Sharing ideas and pics in forums is fun BUT BEWARE of taking advise that could cost your whole crop....Check and double check everything before making major decisions....

another typical bucket plant...this Gelato yields less than my Do-si-dos, but still gives right about 5 jars a bucket...
BTW, I use 3 gal buckets....IDENTICAL to a 5 gal utility bucket except the depth...I found for the size plants I like in my space, that the 3 gal buckets work just as well...my space is 4ft wide by 5 foot deep, with 6 bucket...So each occupies SLIGHTLY more than 4sqft...
YOU CAN have 2 plants in 5 gal buckets fill this space...You would need a screen and have to veg longer, but I would fill it..
What I do is take cuttings off plants when I put a crop on flower...I root them under 2 fluorescent tubes.....Cool white kelvin is best for rooting..Then I move them into a second stage of my nursery which has 4 LED tubes (daylight kelvin)...there they stay till I harvest that crop...By then I have transplanted them from 8oz cups (that I root them in) to 16 oz cups...Top them a cpl times while still in the nursery...By the time I need them to replant (into main grow space), they are big enuf where I only have to veg 2-3 weeks and can induce flower...Turnover is FAST...

As a new grower, the yellowing of leaves in those LATE flower pics is intentional...You withhold nutrients the last week-10 days to 'clean out' your buds...Water only the last few waterings does that...You dont want residual nutrients in your buds...Smokes cleaner and tastes a lot better...

I too am having a hard time finding suitable vermiculite . Most I find has too fine a size particles , some like grits . Is there any significant difference between " horticultural " vermiculite & vermiculite used to pack / cushion containers of hazardous materials ? Asking because coarser grades available & it's cheaper just have to buy more . Hesitant to purchase if it's been treated with something that could affect plants .

boatbum325 said:

I too am having a hard time finding suitable vermiculite . Most I find has too fine a size particles , some like grits . Is there any significant difference between " horticultural " vermiculite & vermiculite used to pack / cushion containers of hazardous materials ? Asking because coarser grades available & it's cheaper just have to buy more . Hesitant to purchase if it's been treated with something that could affect plants .

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I am not sure why but the "pandemic" has really put an interruption on the supply of vermiculite.
This first link is the desired product along with a couple links for alternatives :




I also spoke via email with a sales rep from ViaGrow which sells on the Home Depot website and was told they will be releasing a "Jumbo" vermiculite later this year

P.S. if your looking on the U-Line site pay attention to the "Substitute" notes

DONT BUY VERY COURSE OR JUMBO vermiculite....you want it about the size of your perlite, WHICH TOO shouldnt be very course or jumbo in any way....
But FINE GRADES are not a good choice either...I NEVER had any issue with what the big chain hardware stores Carry...Most are a nice medium size horticultural grade....
I can use it for starting seeds, doing cuttings and in my buckets for the full growing...All I need to do is mix them Differently...I run 80% perlite for my buckets, 50/50 for cuttings and ABOUT a 60/40 for sticking seed sprouts in (60 being the perlite side)...50/50 mix is too wet for growing but is EXCELLENT for root propagation....I do my cuttings in 8oz styro cups and ALSO for sticking seed sprouts in....Perlite and Verm are very versatile and can be mixed to cover EVERYTHING your doing...Been using it for DECADES....its nice only needing those for everything AND the same MEDIUM horticultural grade of both...Its the most common and IT WORKS JUST FINE...

I have seen some that hasnt been graded though...Ideally BOTH should be ABOUT the size of popcorn kernels, or slightly smaller....If its bigger, its only good for buckets and not very good for cuttings and starting sprouts....BUT THERE IS SOME REAL BIG SHIT I wouldnt use for buckets either...Tends to separate when you top water, until you have a full root system 'LOCKING' it all together...

yankeetransplant said:

I have seen some that hasnt been graded though...Ideally BOTH should be ABOUT the size of popcorn kernels, or slightly smaller....If its bigger, its only good for buckets and not very good for cuttings and starting sprouts....BUT THERE IS SOME REAL BIG SHIT I wouldnt use for buckets either...Tends to separate when you top water, until you have a full root system 'LOCKING' it all together...

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Have you noticed any benefit to root structure incorporating Vermiculite in Hempy?
My thought would be better filling of the upper portion of the container

OneHitDone said:

Have you noticed any benefit to root structure incorporating Vermiculite in Hempy?
My thought would be better filling of the upper portion of the container

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It makes the perfect blend of medium for moisture and air levels....The ORIGINAL Hempy bucket thread, recommended a 75:25 mix (perlite:verm)....Hempy bucket design has been around since the 80ies.....SOME ONE named it and promoted its use...But make no mistake about how long its been around...I started growing in 1979 with STRAIGHT dtw...it was all we knew, AND IT WORKED INCREDIBLE...We use to bust up floral foam to LOOSEN the vermculite, before perlite became more popular, and cheaper to use...We use to put drip trays under the buckets to catch the run off, and then let the plant RECLAIM it for use, before watering again..BUT, having fertile water out in the light ALWAYS was a recipe for algae growth...SOMEWHERE along the way, someone raised the drains holes to keep that 'RUN OFF TRAY' INTERNAL to the bucket...Hempy design...
It went from that to Wick systems (rope inside the bucket hanging out into a res).....THAT TOO, is still a VERY effective, cheap hydro system....
I've been using the perlite:vermculite mix for DECADES and NEVER found ANYTHING that outgrows its or produces buds of higher quality....IT SEEMS ppl Always want to fix something that was NEVER BROKEN to begin with...I've grown with every system known and designed one of my own...AND HAVE COME FULL CIRCLE back to DTW....Its cheap, simple, and cant be beat IMO...THE INDUSTRY spend a lot of $$ to tell less experienced grower OTHERWISE...Hempy IS A DTW SYSTEM but will adjusted drain holes heights to create the internal res to prolong time btw waterings...
DONT BOTHER LAYERING THE SHIT... Will not gain you anything and your messing up the unique air to water ratios that make it such a perfect mix...
ITS NOT BROKEN AND IS MANY DECADES PROVEN...DONT TRY TO CHANGE IT...

yankeetransplant said:

It makes the perfect blend of medium for moisture and air levels....The ORIGINAL Hempy bucket thread, recommended a 75:25 mix (perlite:verm)....Hempy bucket design has been around since the 80ies.....SOME ONE named it and promoted its use...But make no mistake about how long its been around...I started growing in 1979 with STRAIGHT dtw...it was all we knew, AND IT WORKED INCREDIBLE...We use to bust up floral foam to LOOSEN the vermculite, before perlite became more popular, and cheaper to use...We use to put drip trays under the buckets to catch the run off, and then let the plant RECLAIM it for use, before watering again..BUT, having fertile water out in the light ALWAYS was a recipe for algae growth...SOMEWHERE along the way, someone raised the drains holes to keep that 'RUN OFF TRAY' INTERNAL to the bucket...Hempy design...
It went from that to Wick systems (rope inside the bucket hanging out into a res).....THAT TOO, is still a VERY effective, cheap hydro system....
I've been using the perlite:vermculite mix for DECADES and NEVER found ANYTHING that outgrows its or produces buds of higher quality....IT SEEMS ppl Always want to fix something that was NEVER BROKEN to begin with...I've grown with every system known and designed one of my own...AND HAVE COME FULL CIRCLE back to DTW....Its cheap, simple, and cant be beat IMO...THE INDUSTRY spend a lot of $$ to tell less experienced grower OTHERWISE...Hempy IS A DTW SYSTEM but will adjusted drain holes heights to create the internal res to prolong time btw waterings...
DONT BOTHER LAYERING THE SHIT... Will not gain you anything and your messing up the unique air to water ratios that make it such a perfect mix...
ITS NOT BROKEN AND IS MANY DECADES PROVEN...DONT TRY TO CHANGE IT...

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Do you recycle your perlite / vermiculite? If so what is your process?

I dump it on my outdoor flower and vegetable beds if thats what you mean...If your talking about reusing it in buckets, I wouldn't even consider a negligent chance like that...It maybe cost me $3 per bucket (If I had to guess) to cover the cost....My 6 buckets would cost UNDER $20 worth of mix (total)....I get an AVERAGE of about a 2lb return for less than $20 in mix...The time alone to reclaim, clean, disinfect/bake would be totally foolish...NOT TO MENTION the chance of MISSING any bacteria that could easily form on particles of roots all thru it.....If I CANT COME OFF A WHOLE $20 FOR A 2 LB RETURN OF HIGH GRADE BUD, I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE GROWING....
This is also a Drain To Waste system....So I'm guessing you might consider REUSING the mix that RUNS OFF when watering...DONT DO THAT EITHER....ITS Drain to WASTE....I'm not trying to be sarcastic but if you would consider reusing medium, you would probably consider reusing your runoff...BAD PRACTICE for the returns you SHOULD expect....The pH will be off (which could be adjusted), But your RATIOS of nutrients can never be determined....just HORRIBLE PRACTICE....I use a Bottle of Dyna FOLIAGE PRO for vegging (not even a whole qt. total), And about 1.5qts of Dyna's BLOOM formula for flowering.......MAYBE $65 worth of nutes per crop....I water to a 40-50% run-off too...It keeps everything stable as can be cause its VERY SELF FLUSHING that way...Other than electric, the medium and nutes expense is $80-$90......You can do the math for prices for an oz in your area, TIMES the return you should be getting.....The expenses are CHUMP CHANGE, as its called around my parts...
Short cuts and PENNY PINCHING will always come back to bite you...