Old lowcoast , new grow

[Lowcoast grower 2]

Ok, got my sawneys beans.
Think I'm gonna start with blue moon and reeker.
Out door grow, 5 gallon fabric pots

Quick question, if I wanna add perlite to my soil, all I see is the miracle gro kind, and it has miracle gro fertilizer in it,,,don't wanna use that right?

Also gonna be germinating straight into the pot where I will finish. No transplanting..

Was gonna soak seed for 24 hours in spring water with a drop or 2 of super thrive
Then into the soil.

Do I still put a clear plastic cup over it and spray the inside until it sprouts and then remove cup

Temps here are about 73 to 80 degrees

Oh yea, soil for outdoor will be hp organic gardners mix.
With some mycro,earth worm castings and and a few other goodies,like kelp and guano

@WildBill
@Lil Dab
@Sawney_bean

 

[Lowcoast grower 2]

Any info would be appreciated
And hope all is well with everyone

 

[BII]

You should use only pure perlite.

If in the US, I often use the Home Depot Vigoro brand; otherwise buy larger sizes from Amazon or Ebay. For ex., see https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vigoro-2-cu-ft-Organic-Perlite-Soil-Amendment-100521091/205655210 and https://www.amazon.com/Norcal-Perlite-Horticultural-Organic-Certified/dp/B0C8RZDXRK/

 

[Lowcoast grower 2]

You should use only pure perlite.

If in the US, I often use the Home Depot Vigoro brand; otherwise buy larger sizes from Amazon or Ebay. For ex., see https://www.homedepot.com/p/Vigoro-2-cu-ft-Organic-Perlite-Soil-Amendment-100521091/205655210 and https://www.amazon.com/Norcal-Perlite-Horticultural-Organic-Certified/dp/B0C8RZDXRK/

I'm us as well

 

[Lil Dab]

Ok, got my sawneys beans.
Think I'm gonna start with blue moon and reeker.
Out door grow, 5 gallon fabric pots

Quick question, if I wanna add perlite to my soil, all I see is the miracle gro kind, and it has miracle gro fertilizer in it,,,don't wanna use that right?

Also gonna be germinating straight into the pot where I will finish. No transplanting..

Was gonna soak seed for 24 hours in spring water with a drop or 2 of super thrive
Then into the soil.

Do I still put a clear plastic cup over it and spray the inside until it sprouts and then remove cup

Temps here are about 73 to 80 degrees

Oh yea, soil for outdoor will be hp organic gardners mix.
With some mycro,earth worm castings and and a few other goodies,like kelp and guano

@WildBill
@Lil Dab
@Sawney_bean

I've been using this perlite for awhile now it's last awhile and was much cheaper the last time I bought the bag is huge

I only soak for 3-5 hours in kelp and humic acid anything more than that can cause drowning of seeds. Too much controversy over super thrive for me so I've stuck with kelp and humic

 

[BII]

Regarding the Mother Earth perlite on Amazon cited above, to me over $70 just seems too much to pay for perlite. This is 2x the cost of the same size Nor-Cal perlite on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Norcal-Perlite-Horticultural-Organic-Certified/dp/B0C8RZDXRK/), which appears to be a high, perhaps even higher(?), quality product. The Nor-Cal perlite is also much less dense, fluffier, lighter, etc., presumably better, because of this (containing more air vs. silica), with the Nor-Cal bag weighing 14 lbs. vs. nearly 2x as heavy, 27 lb., Mother Earth perlite.

And the $27 smaller 2 cubic feet bag at Home Depot should meet the needs of most smaller-scale growers. I've used this product off-on for years without any pre-use rinsing/flushing and never had any problems.

 

[Lil Dab]

Regarding the Mother Earth perlite on Amazon cited above, to me over $70 just seems too much to pay for perlite. This is 2x the cost of the same size Nor-Cal perlite on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/Norcal-Perlite-Horticultural-Organic-Certified/dp/B0C8RZDXRK/), which appears to be a high, perhaps even higher(?), quality product. The Nor-Cal perlite is also much less dense, fluffier, lighter, etc., presumably better, because of this (containing more air vs. silica), with the Nor-Cal bag weighing 14 lbs. vs. nearly 2x as heavy, 27 lb., Mother Earth perlite.

And the $27 smaller 2 cubic feet bag at Home Depot should meet the needs of most smaller-scale growers. I've used this product off-on for years without any pre-use rinsing/flushing and never had any problems.

Yeah 70$ seemed pricey to me too I didn’t pay that the last time I bought it’s normally around 40$ my problem I’ve had with most other perlites is the size the Mother Earth stuff is large and doesn’t turn to dust most cheap stuff I’ve found is really small to fine and most gets crushed to dust

 

[BII]

Yeah 70$ seemed pricey to me too I didn’t pay that the last time I bought it’s normally around 40$ my problem I’ve had with most other perlites is the size the Mother Earth stuff is large and doesn’t turn to dust most cheap stuff I’ve found is really small to fine and most gets crushed to dust

I've not had powder/dust or small sized particle problems with the Vigoro/Home Depot perlite. I haven't used the Nor-Cal perlite, but they claim it is screened, suggesting powder is removed before packaging. Due to shipping and handling, I presume some powder in perlite bags is unavoidable.

Looking at the Nor-Cal horticultural perlite page (https://norcalperlite.com/product/horticultural-perlite/) they assert their grade 2 product (looks like what Amazon is selling?) has "diverse particle size [that] makes it suitable for a wide range of horticultural applications, from soil conditioning to hydroponics." They cite larger perlite as being better for drainage with smaller particles better for aeration.

 

[WildBill]

Or you can just get this and last for years and years on end!

BuildASoil Pumice

Use this pumice as direct replacement for perlite last longer than perlite and has more minerals. Pumice is a perfect addition to potting soil. We offer free shipping on the best quality pumice with the best price. Don't get a tiny bag of random pumice, Get BuildASoil Pumice today!

buildasoil.com

 

[Lowcoast grower 2]

Do really small weed seeds mean anything?
Small plants?
Less chance to germinate?