Perlite and beyond: the pros and cons of various drainage and aeration amendments

[schwagg]

yeah i just checked my local brew shop and they charge $2 a lb. what a rip off!

 

[jaykush]

look at animal feed stores, that's where they sell it around here. for bedding. which i actually use it for in my chicken coop. there shit along with them turning it daily makes nice effortless compost. just take it out once a month and let rest another month or two or as long as you want to balance out.

 

[mad librettist]

around here, we don't get rice hulls for bedding as far as I know, because there is no rice production. It's really awkward to ship.

 

[jaykush]

that's where the use of something local is best. not all soils benefit the most from rice hulls either, pure clay and rice hulls = cement when dry.

 

[mad librettist]

I live in the land of silt... but I know some clay people.


Got a few pounds of rice hulls, wet them with seaweed and neptune's and mixed with azomite. I mixed the hulls into my worm bin , which has material as old as three years (I always start with some finished castings as my substrate).

 

[mad librettist]

Q. and A.

Q. and A.



Q:

wait, you just stick fresh cuttings in a moistened bed of DE and they root?

A:


Day 11

Easiest cloning I ever did. (where is my photo?)

 

[heady blunts]

thanks mad!

so i added an equal amount of my EWC to the DE, which i presoaked in a seaweed solution. i dunno why, but i felt like that would make a really nice environment for some roots to form.

i'm using some pretty stressed out cuttings, so if they don't take root i'll have to try this method again, since i won't blame the medium for the failure.

i hope i can leave rock wool behind forever!

 

[jaykush]

i hope i can leave rock wool behind forever!

i hope you can too, i hate the fucking stuff.

 

[3rdEye]

fantastic thread mad thanks . I'm going to check with some microbreweries around here. There are a lot in my part of the us. Should be able to get some decent prices.

 

[heady blunts]

soaked diatomaceous earth in a seaweed extract solution, drained well, then added equal part EWC, mixed well.

will report back in another few days on the progress...

 

[Vincent VanGrow]

Do you use DE in your soil mix as well? At what rate if so?

 

[heady blunts]

mad lib does. i'm seriously considering it after this initial experimentation. it's great stuff! btw i used carquest #8033 which has a slightly larger grain with almost no fines. definately don't need to screen it.

 

[mad librettist]

btw i used carquest #8033 which has a slightly larger grain with almost no fines. definately don't need to screen it.

Good to know!


for my soil mix I just used it 1:1 as a perlite substitute by volume. Someone needs to play around to figure out the optimal rate.

 

[headband 707]

I don't like permiculite for my own reasons but there could be different grades of permiculite I'm not sure peace out Headband707

 

[headband 707]

Do you use DE in your soil mix as well? At what rate if so?

Do remember that DE is "DANGEROUS" if inhaled when it's dry!!!! Kinda like breathing in fiberglass in the lungs... Which is why they recommend an expensive mask when they handle it.. Personally it's a bit too dangerous for me peace out Headband707

 

[heady blunts]

Do remember that DE is "DANGEROUS" if inhaled when it's dry!!!! Kinda like breathing in fiberglass in the lungs... Which is why they recommend an expensive mask when they handle it.. Personally it's a bit too dangerous for me peace out Headband707

good point, the dust is bad news. basically micro-abrades tissue. that's how it kills bugs. imagine it in your lungs. no thanks.

soaking it separates it out tho. then you're good to go.

 

[jaykush]

Do remember that DE is "DANGEROUS" if inhaled when it's dry!!!! Kinda like breathing in fiberglass in the lungs... Which is why they recommend an expensive mask when they handle it.. Personally it's a bit too dangerous for me peace out Headband707

not all DE is the same. the stuff for pool filters WILL fuck you up. the food grade( i.e the stuff used in soil) is far less harmful. that being said breathing any fine particle is not good for you.

 

[Bullfrog44]

If I were to sub pumice for perlite, what could I expect? Watering less?

Would I add at the same ratio?

Also, what is DE?

 

[DARC MIND]

do you guys use some kind of wick system to keep your DE stuff moistened?

2 weeks for roots like this, with simple water
this works with perlte & vermiculite

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Looks good Darc.

I have made my first mix in ages without any perite.

Found some kitty litter in the supermarket that is marketed as lavarocks. Product of Argentina. It looks and feels like the DE i bought but its all one colour.

Mixed up a batch of soil for the garden with organic topsoil, bit of mushroom compost, coco coir, dried kelp, dry ferts, dolomite and the kitty litter.

I also got a bunch of clones in DE and bit of coco.