Perlite in soil in fabric pots?

  • Thread starter BigBlonde
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2Bad

2Bad

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I cannot afford it....I mean I probably could but everytime I go to the grow store and see the price I say fuck it. I like sand in my mix and rice hull is cheap enough. Did I mention I am really cheap?
Are you making your own? Rice hulls look more costly then perlite
 
2Bad

2Bad

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@Shaded_One It looks like rice hulls have to break down and they are mainly silica.. so maybe they like it as a source of silica? Perlite's cheap tho $30 worth of perlite at home depot is like the size of a 60lb bag of promix
 
Shaded_One

Shaded_One

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@Shaded_One It looks like rice hulls have to break down and they are mainly silica.. so maybe they like it as a source of silica? Perlite's cheap tho $30 worth of perlite at home depot is like the size of a 60lb bag of promix

I mean I'm not arguing that rice hulls aren't effective or a good additive to your soil, but what's with the war against perlite? lol...comes in and just randomly says to never use it and peaces out 😂
 
MIGrampaUSA

MIGrampaUSA

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@Shaded_One It looks like rice hulls have to break down and they are mainly silica.. so maybe they like it as a source of silica? Perlite's cheap tho $30 worth of perlite at home depot is like the size of a 60lb bag of promix
It also lasts a few grows. Last I bought some was over a yr ago so I've had 4 maybe 5 runs of 6-8 plants per run since I bought it.

At $30 a bag.

4 runs - $7.50 per grow cycle for all plants in those runs combined

5 runs - $6.00

It's benefit far outweigh its costs imo.
 
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Madmax

Madmax

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It also lasts a few grows. Last I bought some was over a yr ago so I've had 4 maybe 5 runs of 6-8 plants per run since I bought it.

At $30 a bag.

4 runs - $7.50 per grow cycle for all plants in those runs combined

5 runs - $6.00

It's benefit far outweigh its costs imo.
Yeah thats pretty cheap..i gotta start cutting down on coco/perlite waste and start reusing it..i should make a big square box to throww it in after use then reuse after roots have decomposed..just gotta keep the bugs out somehow..
 
GasFactory

GasFactory

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ps perlite is organic and what's the reason for advocating against using it?
A few things to unpack here, I didn't "peace out" I am just really busy starting/investing/building a 4000sqft facility and check in when I have some free time. I'm just getting back to using THC Farmer and sharing, so relax mate.

I don't advocate against it, I said something is better than nothing. The reason I choose to use rice hulls + pumice is because it is just flat out better than perlite for many reasons. Especially in my style of growing where I reuse my soil every grow and don't throw it out. For that reason I like to have something that provides more benefits to the plants. The rice hulls are for aeration + as they break down they provide silica. The pumice is just better than perlite because it's more porous and provides better drainage and some trace minerals. The downside to pumice is it's VERY hard to source and VERY expensive. But if you're a no-till/living soil grower like myself, it's a 1 time cost and it's fine. The cheaper alternative which I also mentioned and is much easier to find is lava rock which I still probably wouldn't use if I was throwing out my soil due to costs.

Combined they are just more beneficial for your plants as well as more eco friendly than Perlite in the way they're harvested. I always use what I feel is the best quality materials I can for my babies. As with anything in growing weed, it really comes down to personal choice and this is what I like to use for drainage/aeration in my setups.
 
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Shaded_One

Shaded_One

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My issue is not with rice hulls, it's with your war against perlite for some reason. You use phrases like "I wouldn't use perlite..." and "rice hulls + pumice is just flat out better" without zero proof, facts, or data to back anything up.

1663338831946
 
Oldchucky

Oldchucky

Supporter
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I Re-amend my perlited Soil every winter. Would never even consider throwing away 200 gallons of soil with perlite in it. Just don’t have to add more perlite.
 
GasFactory

GasFactory

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Shaded_One

Shaded_One

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meh, you're extremely confrontational and I got no time for that, have a nice day.

+1 Mr. Anti-perlite guy

While you might see me as confrontational, what I'm actually doing is preventing the spread of serous misinformation to new growers that might be reading your words and taking them literally. Like one user almost did in this exact thread.
 
BigBlonde

BigBlonde

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Well... Thanks for the discussion! I appreciate everyone's willingness to help.

I like the idea of adding rice hulls, but apparently, while having their own unique benefits, they don't quite do what perlite can do. So, I'm thinking of adding a mix of both. We have the rice hulls and will order some perlite. Now the question is how much of each to add to the FFHF soil we bought to use for our next grow.

We lost our crop to spider mites, so this is a sad day here. It also means growing our next crop can begin soon after we sterilize our growing room. We can probably germinate seeds before the end of this month.
 

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