PERLITE USERS PLEASE READ

[Guest]

Hi,Just wondering how many people are using PERLITE,How often do you water the perlite?After 12 hours in 18 lt pots at 25/26 C they still feel heavy :scratchin And when i squash a piece of perlite from the bottom theres still alittle water inside of it?When i poke finger in the drain holes i can still feel water....?HELP Was told perlite can be watered every 3 hours in a run to waste THANKS

[F420]

I would buy a moisture meter and water it when that tells you that it needs it.

The last time I used perlite im sure I only watered it like once a day or a few times a week. def not every 3 hours.

I flood my clayballs only for 15 minutes every 4 hours in grow, and they dont hold any or very little moisture.

 

Im thinking about where the plants are found naturally, wouldnt they be more dry than wet normally?

[F420]

ps- DONT follow what I said, until someone with more perlite experiance backs it up or educates us how to REALLY do it.

 

Im also thinking of telling you to mix it with coco or soil.

[Luke Skywalker]

I does depend a lot on the system, and to a very large degree the particle size and shape of the perlite itself. Some brands of perlite are greyish in colour, and even though it may say "P500" on the package, which is supposed to be a measure of average particle size, they are usually quite smaller than this and contain a lot of dust as well. There are other brands of perlite out there which are much better, in particular for me is one in a big yellow brand by a company called "waterworld". Fantastic in particle size, it's about double the nearest competitor, and I've had nothing but bloody excellent results with it. The closer and smaller the particles, the more moisture it will hold over time, and the less you'll have to water. The larger sized hold less moisture, and need watering a little more often.

 

The dust in lesser quality perlites can be a problem as well, and for best results you should always get rid of as much as possible by either screening, (wear a dust mask whenever dealing with dry perlite, the dust is not good for you) or through washing/rinsing the perlite until it runs totally clear. This makes sure there aren't too many micro particles clogging up drainage lines and making the mix a whole lot "closer" than it really should be. I ususally rinse the perlite in a large container of water, dunking the particles under the water several times, and then leaving it all for half an hour to settle, and taking the perlite which is at the top after dunking a couple times again. This washes and cleans it, and you know that the particles you collect from the top will only hold moisture on their outer crevaces, not within the core of the perlite as those which sink do.

 

As to the issue of system, there can be a substantial difference in drainage in various pots and containers according to how you set up. I use 18-20L pots with a single 19mm outlet, which has been put into the pot a couple of centimeters above the base, so there is a small reserve of moisture left at the base of the pot. This shouldn't be made too big though, as if there is too much water the plants may have problems with oxygenation, but really, you'd have to be having a base reserve of 10cm or more to cause problems like that with perlite.

 

The more open the drainage holes, then obviously the perlite will drain quicker and with better effect. MJ likes a Wet/Dry cycle, although never to the point of bone dry. It does like a bit of moisture around the roots, but it needs lots of air filled porosity in the mixture to support the massive growth it puts on.

 

So in short really, every system is individual, and it's very hard to give a definitive answer about how often to water. I use a base layer of about 5 cm of expanded clay in my perlite based systems, this helps the drainage a bit. As a result, I usually set my digital timer to water for about 5-10 minutes every 4 hours in the early stages, making sure to flush out the excess water kept in the base, moving up as the plants grow and demand more, (and of course that will be affected by strain, time of year, ambient conditions like humidty and temp) to around 10 minute feeds every two hours or even every 1 1/2 in late flowering. If you're using a handwatering system though, and you still find plenty of moisture present after a fair while since last watering, don't worry about it. It may be that the plants aren't drawing up as much as you think they need to, if the plants are healthy and growing well, then there's no problem with watering even once a week. It's about matching your watering to plants and media as a whole, and as a response to the plants needs, not to force them to take more or less water according to someone's arbritrary ideas about what's the "correct" amount to water...

 

So really, it comes down to "water them when they need it..." which may sound like a cop out, but hopefully I've explained it well enough.

 

Hope that helps mate....

 

damn it's nice to write a long winding ramble on the boards again, been too busy lately....

[Tom]

Hi,Just wondering how many people are using PERLITE,How often do you water the perlite?After 12 hours in 18 lt pots at 25/26 C they still feel heavy  :scratchin And when i squash a piece of perlite from the bottom theres still alittle water inside of it?When i poke finger in the drain holes i can still feel water....?HELP Was told perlite can be watered every 3 hours in a run to waste THANKS

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Do the plants look healthy? if they do then I would leave things alone. How long are you watering them for each time and how much is running out of the bottom of the pots each watering?

 

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

I haven't used straight perlite that much, and when I have used it, it's been as much for garden variety indoor plants, and general outside plants. Not just grass I mean. Advising anyone how much to water and when without being there, and even then, without living with the plants is fraught with problems.

 

I can't stress enough that I'm no expert with perlite, and I have considered similar problems as you are now. But, one thing that has always amazed me with the stuf,. is just how long you can let plants go without watering them at all, with no adverse effects to the plants.

 

I have gloxinias in perlite that go forever between waterings, and show no ill-effect.

 

Just remember, over-watering will hurt the plants far quicker that under-watering them..no matter what your media is.

 

 

cheers

rob

[Tom]

Just a thought big smoker, you did rinse the perlite well before use didn't you? If you don't rinse it then all the dust settles to the bottom of the pots and clogs up the drainage, all hydro medias should be rinsed before use. I use a large colander and the garden hose to rinse out my perlite before use.

 

[Nath]

damn it's nice to write a long winding ramble on the boards again, been too busy lately....

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Its nice to read your 'long winding ramble' on the boards again, Luke Helped me out alot I prefer Perlite to Expanded clay... I noticed Alot of WA growers use Perlite too. I need to get larger sized Perlite, but the Coco coir from www.cocopeat.com.au has me stuck at the moment, its really good stuff.

 

I've even just cut some clones and started cloning in it! Its been 3-4 days now, so I'll see how they go in a few days time, the clones look just like the day I cut them though

[strictly home-grown]

i feel your frustrations big smoker i am also using a 50/50 perlite vermiculite mix. i am currently running waterings every four houirs in the early stages. i have found it best to water, then return just before the next watering, and stick your index finger about an inch or two to see how the perlite is holding up moisture. if it seems too dry, shorten your lengths between waterings, and if it seems to moist, space out your waterings a little bit more. Keep adjusting until moisture in the perlite/vermiculite is consistent with every watering.

 

hope this helps.......happy smokin

[Dohmar]

Hiyas

 

I have a mixture of medium in my 50lt pots, 2 parts of perlite, 1 part clay balls and 1 part silica rocks.....in summer I water it for 15 minutes every 2 hours, and in winter i reduce that to 15 minutes every 3 hours....im in a pretty dry area so i can get away with watering often, if you're in colder locations like victoria or tassie you might need to play with it a bit.... i also use MH+HPS lights and it dries the air out easily, so if you're using a fluro you might only need to water once a day...of course, it all depends on your plant size, pot size, intake temp + humidity, but this is a loose guideline for you to start experimenting with...

 

 

-Doh