Tips For Growing In Vermiculite / Perlite??

Hey guys,

About to ditch the hydro grow i did last time and moving to a grow using a perlite / vermiculite mix in pots and feeding from about like a normal potted plant lol.

Just wondering how often should i be flushing with clean PH'd water.
I have a mate that grows with this setup but i would prefer some advice from some experts (dont get big heads! lol)

If you guys have any advice for growing in this medium im more than open to advice!

Ill be growing using canna nutes and superthrive during veg..

Tristan, as I said on your other thread, I use this method to great success.
But don't worry, I'll not get the "big head". Gardening in general has a way of keeping you humble. ;)

As someone else :stoned: on your other thread said, you can grow even your clones this way. I haven't so far, but I'm going to try it myself next cloning session. I'm still an old dirt girl in general.

I'll try to give you a quick summary of what you should do, but you would be best served by researching wick hydroponics in general and "hempy buckets" in particular.

Your mix: perlite/vermiculite in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio. I just eyeball it but you can use a container to measure 3 or 4 scoops of perlite to 1 scoop of vermiculite. That's it, I add nothing else.

Your container: Growing inside, I want the smallest, lightest container I can reasonably use to get a decent yield. I also look for the shape that will fit the best in the area allotted to the plant. Right now I'm growing in 1.5 gal. plastic trash cans that I get from the $1 store. I line each with a grow bag (which I sterilize and reuse) to cut any light that may come thru the white plastic. You can use duct tape or whatever you have to block light, as needed. If you don't care about container size or weight, then you can go with a larger container. I don't have any experience with that yet. My research suggests larger is not always better..... when talking about containers. :jointsmile:

Container prep: Your container should NOT have drain holes in the bottom. You drill or melt 1 hole, about 2 inches from the bottom. This creates a 2 inch deep reservoir in the bottom and becomes your drain hole.

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Planting: I start clones and seeds in rapid rooters, pure vermiculite or even peat pellets, whatever I have around. Just transplant into the p/v mixture as normal when you have some roots showing. I don't remove any of the rooting material, just bury it.

Nutes: I've used Advanced Nutrients 3 part and currently, Humbolt Nutrients 3 part. I generally mix nutes using the "moderate" feeding charts for the brand. I use molasses in bloom along with a bloom booster.
I never spray or foliar feed. (bah humbug!) I haven't used Superthrive or any other additives.

Watering: You feed with every watering, because your mix is sterile and cannot give any nutrition to the plant. You use the pH range given for hydroculture, not soil. I set my pH to 6.0 after mixing everything in, and that works for me. You water from the top, until you get a good flow out of the drain hole. If it gets clogged with p/v, just use a stick (chopsticks work great) and punch out the hole again. Things should flow nicely. You want at least 10% overflow to wash out old nutes and air and replace with new nutes and fresh O2.

Schedule: When you first transplant into the hempy bucket, the roots have not had time to grow to the res. yet, therefore, you water every day for the first week (?) or so. Watch your plant. I bet you'll be able to tell when it reaches the res. ;) After they settle in, you extend watering to every two days (my normal schedule). You cannot overwater with this system, but you can underwater.

I don't flush until two weeks before harvest, lots of plain water (no, I don't pH it :o). After flush, water with pH adjusted water only until harvest.

Good luck. I think you'll love it. Let us know how it goes for you or start a grow log.

Whew, I'm exhausted now. Nap time.

thanks heaps crabby! :)

All that stuff was exactly what im after!
Quite likely ill try and source some square pots to same some space and i think ill actually have a larger kiddy pool as a replacement for those water collectors that usually go under the pots.. Just to save a lot of effort lol

Do you mind if i rack your brains if any issues arise as i can't find many others that use this medium?

Legend Mate! :thumbsup:

I reiterate that you would be best served by doing some research on the topics I listed in previous post. I have only offered you one way, of many, that was successful for my grow environment.

If you're really in the UK, your climate is nothing like mine, I assure you. :lol5:And even when growing inside, I find climate to matter more than I first imagined. Also, I use my own tap water instead of any R/O or distilled, because so far it works for me. You may have a local tap water issue, who knows. Finally, I'm sure you have a different lineup of products, like nutes, to choose from.

So you will need to adapt to your own unique grow environment. You have a better chance of getting it right, and sooner, when you have seen and heard other hempy bucket growers ideas and experiences.

Good luck. :thumbsup:

Hello,
I have been useing this mixture for the last ten years. It works well for me.
2 parts vermiculie (holds nutrient solution for the plant)
1 part perlite (provides oxygen for the plant roots)
1 part all purpose sand. (provides drainage and a stable medium for the plant)
I grow in 1 1/2 gal nursery pots.
Hope this helps.
I'm new here. This is my first forum I've ever joined. I'll have more to post as time goes on. I hope to learn some things as well.
Let me know if I can be of any help.

Gladstone (The Gander)