Vermiculite & Perlite, (no soil..) :)

[tristan1986]

Just wondering if anyone has heard of growing in just a perlite / vermiculite mix and no soil what so ever!

I have a mate doing this with success although i would like to hear what you guys think about this? or whether any of you guys have done this before..

tristan1986 Reviewed by tristan1986 on 07-12-2009. Vermiculite & Perlite, (no soil..) :) Just wondering if anyone has heard of growing in just a perlite / vermiculite mix and no soil what so ever! I have a mate doing this with success although i would like to hear what you guys think about this? or whether any of you guys have done this before.. Rating: 5

[crabbyback]

And fungus gnats don't like it. :thumbsup:

[irydyum]

I'm sure as long as you get the ph figured out for it, and feed it more like hydro you could get some great results.

[Dutch Pimp]

And fungus gnats don't like it. :thumbsup:

well...I'll reduce my soil % a lot more next grow: 33% soil- 33% perlite - 33% vermiculite....and 1% bullshit....

[Greenthing]

I know someone that uses that method for clones and has good results:hippy:

[FreeDaHerb]

If it's a constant drip or a various type hydro system then it's fine...alot of people use various things to suspend the plants roots in...heck you can use marbles or lego's if you want...does'nt really matter much as long as they stay moist and have balanced nutrients and the roots have ample space to grow. In a pot though growing like "soil" I would say definitely add more to the mix like coconut fiber and/or spaghnum peat moss otherwise you will surely have some imbalances and it could dry out too much and stunt or kill the plants plus it does'nt offer much support to roots as it's extremely lightweight and overly porous. Best bet is to use a high quality potting soil for your "pot"

[ForgetClassC]

OMG is that what those gnats are? fungus gnats? how do you get rid of them, one of my plants has gnats all over it, but its doing pretty fine, Ive been worried about it, just don't know what to do, how do I fix it?

[FreeDaHerb]

fungus gnats spread diseases and they will become a bigger problem trust me...get a vacuum and just suck em' up...then use an organic & natural insect egg killer on the moist part of the grow media where they are hatching from, don't let these things get out of control you will regret it!

[crabbyback]

well...I'll reduce my soil % a lot more next grow: 33% soil- 33% perlite - 33% vermiculite....and 1% bullshit....

You can also try topdressing with about an inch or two of perlite, which I do with my mothers because they are in a peat based mix. Also, yellow sticky traps are the bomb! I never get eradication (at least not in warm weather) but the combo of traps and perlite functions quite well as population control. Although, now that I think about it, 1% DP bullshit might do the trick too.

If it's a constant drip or a various type hydro system then it's fine...alot of people use various things to suspend the plants roots in...heck you can use marbles or lego's if you want...does'nt really matter much as long as they stay moist and have balanced nutrients and the roots have ample space to grow. In a pot though growing like "soil" I would say definitely add more to the mix like coconut fiber and/or spaghnum peat moss otherwise you will surely have some imbalances and it could dry out too much and stunt or kill the plants plus it does'nt offer much support to roots as it's extremely lightweight and overly porous. Best bet is to use a high quality potting soil for your "pot"

I'm sorry FreeDaHerb, I have to disagree with some of your information and specifically your last statement.

I'm a lifelong gardener, inside and out, and most of that time I've practiced organic gardening. I'm a huge proponent of organic practices and avoidance of 'cides and the like. That being said, however, growing inside, growing outside, and growing a short crop intensively are significantly different things.

The practice of growing in perlite/vermiculite (ratio 3:1 or 4:1) falls under the category of "wick hydroculture". The p/v mixture has the perfect ability to "wick" up the water and nutrients from a small reservoir in the bottom of the pot. More information can be found under "hempy bucket".

The main reason I changed from soil to perlite/vermiculite was for fungus gnat control for my blooming plants although I found many other reasons after I made the switch. My blooming ladies never, ever get gnats, no matter what the weather or if the other soil based plants have them. Its foolproof as long as you don't f***up when mixing water and nutes (an unfortunate problem :stoned: that I seem to have). I water manually every two days. No automation/tubing/pumps required.

[Dutch Pimp]

I get gnats because their eggs are in the potting soil I buy.

me and the dog kill them individually...:stoned:...or at the same time...:thumbsup:...It gives us something to do.

...that dog hates anything that flies...:glugglug: