I grow most of my plants in perlite, also with
house and garden. I don't measure ph or ec but ph is roughly 5.5 - 6.7. EC 1.2-1.8 depending on plant and pot size. It frankly does not matter that much.
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I usually use wires to keep my plants down instead of up so can't help you there. Maybe ductape the bamboo to the outside of the pots. And yes, it gets green sometimes. I call it mojito growing. Never had pests with perlite and it's imo the easiest way to grow.
Like seamaiden said, treat it like hydro. That's why I use it. I prefer NFT but small perlite bottles allow me to grow many small plants without roots getting entangled in a tray (need to be able to remove males and some females) while still getting mediumless hydro-like results.
O haze:
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