should i add perlite to fox farm soil??
- Thread starter iBong
- Start date
.. i can tell you that it wont hurt anything
jimmy130380
Well-Known Member
what is the right mix for soil
and should i be watering with nutes
thanks people i think ur all very nice
jimmy
and should i be watering with nutes
thanks people i think ur all very nice
jimmy
Cyndrindale
Active Member
I always add a whole extra bag of perlite to any bag of soil, it really improves drainage and help the roots grow faster,. From my experience the roots are also much thicker and whiter probably due to the fact that they get more oxygen and are never "water logged". But it is all personal choice really.
wallimaster
Well-Known Member
i also put about 2 inchs of nothing but p-lite in the bottom of my pots, and mix in alot with my cocco. this helps alot in drying out, so i can water twice a day. i feel if i can water twice a day its double the nute intake that im giveing my girls. rather than haveing them set wet for a day or two in between feedings
Perlite is the reason why people who never grow anything (not just cannabis) usually have shit plants - when they miss it out.
I usually add enough that the soil will 'free flow' out of my hands rather than dropping as lumps, and I sift it between my fingers to get any lumps broken up.
I don't pack it down during planting and I try to avoid watering where you spray (hose) or pour water over the soil from above. The weight of the water and squishyness of the soil allows it to compact down.
Compacted soil is a fk'ing knightmare. It means waterlogging, poor root penetration and poor gas exchange.
I've used vermiculite before but don't like it as much as perlite - I don't think vermiculite holds up the structure as well. It's good for mushroom media, but there you're using so little water that the substrate is almost dry. Growing mushrooms is a good example where you can see the 'root penetration'. If the media is squashed down a little too much, the mycelium will take forever to get through it. Light and fluffy and it'll rip through.
Try to do it outside if you're doing 50l of soil+, there's a lot of dust in the perlite bags and it'll hang around for a while in the air. Your body can't break it down so you don't really want loads of it in your lungs.
I guess you'd probably want somewhere between a 1/5th and 1/3rd perlite? It depends on the structure of the soil it's going into and I always do it by eye.
I usually add enough that the soil will 'free flow' out of my hands rather than dropping as lumps, and I sift it between my fingers to get any lumps broken up.
I don't pack it down during planting and I try to avoid watering where you spray (hose) or pour water over the soil from above. The weight of the water and squishyness of the soil allows it to compact down.
Compacted soil is a fk'ing knightmare. It means waterlogging, poor root penetration and poor gas exchange.
I've used vermiculite before but don't like it as much as perlite - I don't think vermiculite holds up the structure as well. It's good for mushroom media, but there you're using so little water that the substrate is almost dry. Growing mushrooms is a good example where you can see the 'root penetration'. If the media is squashed down a little too much, the mycelium will take forever to get through it. Light and fluffy and it'll rip through.
Try to do it outside if you're doing 50l of soil+, there's a lot of dust in the perlite bags and it'll hang around for a while in the air. Your body can't break it down so you don't really want loads of it in your lungs.
I guess you'd probably want somewhere between a 1/5th and 1/3rd perlite? It depends on the structure of the soil it's going into and I always do it by eye.
jimmy130380
Well-Known Member
wake
Well-Known Member
stilltokin
Well-Known Member
Perlite is good but ive had trouble with it when I add it too my seedling cups. Its hard for the little roots to grow around it and one of my seedlings actually died because it tried growing through a piece of perlite. It was a healthy green on one day and then lying on its side the next day
...brown and shriveled lol
...brown and shriveled lolFox Farm Ocean Forest
OrganicGorilla
Well-Known Member
Nothing like waking up a 7 year old thread.
Kerovan
Well-Known Member
Yes, FFOF has a helluva lot perlite in it by default. I add only about 10-15% more myself. But even if you add none it will still be good.
SchmoeJoe
Well-Known Member
I've noticed the same thing when adding hydroton to soil to increase aeration and drainage. More, bigger, healthier roots in less time. 20 to 30 percent of total and soil volume is the general rule. Another thing to keep in mind is that you're displacing soil. Whenever I do this, for example, if I'm adding 20% perlite or hydroton I always use a pot that's that same 20% bigger so im still using the amount of soil.
