Can I add perlite to my soil after seedling have sprouted?

RIKNSTEIN · Mar 31, 2013

tetrahydrofail said:
As far as I know, using Perlite is a total waste of whatever you've put into using it. Nothing beats using high quality grow medium. Perlite won't help improve low quality soil and it also creates dry spots. It soaks in moisture from soil and contains it within the granules.

You can best understand this by sticking moist finger into a bag of Perlite. The granules will suck in the moisture so rapidly that they will literally stick to your finger. Now imagine your finger is the root of a plant. How much good can this sucking effect possibly do to roots?

If your goal is to prevent soil from compacting, get soil with high peat content or maybe use coco. Using perlite in soil for growing pot is highly overrated.

Wow, where did you here that?..yes it holds moisture, the roots will suck it out of there too. Stay with the n00b stuff till you have the hang of growing..and welcome to RIU..

smoke and coke · Mar 31, 2013

i use a growing mix that already has perlite in it. and i add a little more when i am getting it ready for use.

perlite gets a +rep from me.

to the op yes add perlite when you transplant. you may also want to get a better quality soil for the transplant.

New Age United · Mar 31, 2013

"If I'm gonna put a plant out in natural soil and it's kind of clayey and tight, I'll put some organic matter in (peat, potting mix, compost etc) and some perlite or vermiculite. Makes all the difference in the world."

Alright Aim I'll keep that in mind, even when I put it in the ground bc natural soil is quite dense.

New Age United · Mar 31, 2013

@smoke and coke, ya I'll prob just add some to be safe, I'm planning on using sheep manure, had good results with blueberry last year, real strong growth. Is that purple widow in your avatar, that's what I'm growing, looks yummy.

smoke and coke · Mar 31, 2013

New Age United said:
@smoke and coke, ya I'll prob just add some to be safe, I'm planning on using sheep manure, had good results with blueberry last year, real strong growth. Is that purple widow in your avatar, that's what I'm growing, looks yummy.

no idea. its just a pic i downloaded because its looks nice.

tetrahydrofail · Mar 31, 2013

RIKNSTEIN said:
Wow, where did you here that?..yes it holds moisture, the roots will suck it out of there too. Stay with the n00b stuff till you have the hang of growing..and welcome to RIU..

Yeah, keep patting yourself on the shoulder. Calling me a noob and welcoming me when you've joined less than 2 months before me, lol
I don't sit on my ass in front of a PC pretending I'm a pro weed grower making ignorant remarks, like you do, but cannabis is a plant and I know quite a bit about those.

Perlite doesn't do shit for your weed in a flower pot with soil. Do it right and you won't need perlite. Or go perlite and then you are growing hydro.

smoke and coke · Mar 31, 2013

tetrahydrofail said:
Perlite doesn't do shit for your weed in a flower pot with soil. Do it right and you won't need perlite. Or go perlite and then you are growing hydro.

it looks nice on top of the soil after a watering.

tetrahydrofail · Mar 31, 2013

smoke and coke said:
it looks nice on top of the soil after a watering.

I stand corrected!

Coho · Mar 31, 2013

Tetra, whats your mix? I keep a notebook of ideas. :peace:

New Age United · Mar 31, 2013

LMAO tetra, ya I'm pretty sure it is purple widow, looks so good I just had to try it.

tetrahydrofail · Mar 31, 2013

Coho said:
Tetra, whats your mix? I keep a notebook of ideas.

Organic compost with 75% peat and added own fiberous compost consisting of mostly general fruit/vegetable food waste and quite a few tomato plants.
There's also a minute amount of PERLITE in it that came mixed in with the compost. I'd prefer perlite free, but it's there so what. I removed what I could.

It would have worked great weren't it for my brother's specialist weed growing ideas and for me believing his BS. We almost killed it.
I saved it from certain death, but it behaves very strange now, so I've nothing to show for my soil mix.I don't have the time for a new plant so if this one turns out usable I'll post some pictures.

Coho · Mar 31, 2013

Thanks! I may try it with my compost. Old dog and all...Experiments just help you learn. :bigjoint:

AimAim · Mar 31, 2013

tetrahydrofail said:
I'd prefer perlite free, but it's there so what. I removed what I could.

So like you got a couple G's of meth and some tweezers and picked the perlite out of the mix? Man you really got something against perlite.

New Age United · Mar 31, 2013

LMAO Aim, he's burning off the acetone as we speak.

tetrahydrofail · Apr 1, 2013

AimAim said:
So like you got a couple G's of meth and some tweezers and picked the perlite out of the mix? Man you really got something against perlite.

lol, people, you're laughable. You've obviously never mixed soil before. Throw in some more ad hominems to protect your egos. Listen to yourselves justifying the use of perlite by talking about shitty soils. It sound like you'd rather grow in clay than let go of obsolete grow techniques.

Perlite is completely unnecessary with the soils you can get cheaply nowadays, full stop. You're a right suggestible bunch if you believe otherwise. :finger:

Herb Man · Apr 1, 2013

New Age United said:
You do make some good points tetra, I think I might take a runt or a male and test this theory out, if I give them plenty of water and it still dries out I'll prob just stay away from perlite.

Nah, keep using it, it serves it's purpose.

Herb Man · Apr 1, 2013

Sativied said:
Perlite, common in all the popular soil for growing MJ on this side of the pond, sucks up excessive water and releases it again when needed (when possible actually, which is around the same time). And since over watering is something many growers do (unless using drippers or watering many times a day. Ie. many growers over water in the morning so the plant has enough to last for the entire day). If you're going to test make sure (sorry can't resist) you get a real tensio meter.

I agree perlite is no miracle cure or anything, but it's cheap and convenient.

Absolutely.

mytwhyt · Apr 1, 2013

T Fail, I like your little sign off at the bottom of each of your posts, it says it all in a nutshell. Pun intended

PurpleBuz · Apr 1, 2013

New Age United said:
My seeds are all planted and most of them are up, problem is I have no perlite in the soil and I'm worried about overwatering them, can I try to add some in or should I just wait till transplant.

If you have the skills and dexterity to do a an early transplant without causing major root damage, you can move the plant to a higher drainage mix anytime needed.

If your a bit clumsy, then its probably better to wait until the roots grow out a little and ball up in the soil.

For me its not hard to move very young seedlings, despite my shaky hands.

Dwezelitsame · Apr 1, 2013

Maybe I'll do some experimenting with this, try it in a pot and see if it does dry it out, I do have lots of peat in my soil, and I've heard good things about coco, I've heard that coir is good for holding O2. Ya I'm worried abuot root rot, that's just it.

dats da best ting you can do for self
you will always get many diff answers many diff grow styles an opinions
dif set ups ,lights , reson to grow, whut they grow
sum dont know whut day speakin on but still speakin on it

best thing you can do is find whut woks best for you and your set up

you mighthave a 250w set up in soil advice might come from sumone
wit 6 1000W growing in hydro in a closed room wit gas for patients
or vice a versa

I N I

Can I add perlite to my soil after seedling have sprouted?

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