What would be the correct mix of perlite for 2 cubic foot bag of Happy frog to get good drainage to be able to water every couple of days
I usually added an 8 or 12 quart bag of perlite to the 2 cubic feet of Happy Frog, which worked well. The more perlite you add, the more often you’ll have to water. But watering frequency will be largely determined by plant size in comparison to the pot size.
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Thanks I’ve been using Happy frog for this grow but doesn’t seem to drain very well holds a lot of water was thinking about trying cocoa but not sure I can water everyday or a couple times a day
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I always added a good amount of perlite to Happy Frog (or any potting soil really) to get it to drain better as peat moss loves to hold on to water.
The one downside of coco is the watering frequency, yeah it gets a little old watering every freaking morning in flowering at least. Not so bad when they are sprouts or still in veg and can water every other day or so depending on pot size.
I use HF and about 15% perlite (by volume.)
Thats why I’m debating on switching. Watering everyday is for the birds.
Nope, part of my move to coco was getting away from using perlite.
I’ll eventually move to an auto-watering system then it won’t matter anymore.
I didnt even think about an auto watering system lmao jeeeez. Yeah that would be tits then it wouldn’t be a hassle
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I’ve seen some of greenjeans videos where he uses the hydro lock system looks pretty sweet
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Hellraiser-
What was it about perlite that you didn’t like? Would gypsum be a better alternative? Or vermiculite? Fixing to start a grow soon and it looks like I will be using Happy Frog as a top half and home made living soil on the bottom half of the pot. Any thoughts? As always thank you for your input. I am going to try to get back on track with my growing. Peace…
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It’s the dust from the perlite that I didn’t want to deal with anymore, breathing it in - should really wear a dust mask when messing with perlite. I always taste/feel it in my mouth after planting and transplants and coughing it up for hours later. While it is not considered a hazardous material, breathing that crap in for 30 years can’t be good for anyone.
Perlite dust can aggravate existing respiratory conditions and cause eye irritation. Perlite does not cause cancer, although some commercial perlite products may also contain a very small amount of quartz, which is listed as a carcinogenic substance.
I’ve also noticed some perlite dust on buds (under magnification) when I used to use it during transplants after flowering has been started, and read about some dispensaries finding perlite dust on buds as well in their testing.
I still use Happy Frog (which has perlite in it) for my clone mothers and house plants but all my bud production plants no longer see any perlite. The small amount of perlite in Happy Frog is not a problem but I used to add a lot of extra perlite to the soil and that’s when there were dust clouds of it. Never noticed any perlite dust from pre-mixed soil but dealing with a big bag of straight perlite is a nasty dusty affair and that’s what I’m avoiding.
So no alternatives needed really, just avoid dealing with straight perlite, or if you must, get a good dust mask. Best to avoid anything too dusty that you might breath in or contaminate the buds with.
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I always rinse the dust off the perlite for that ery reason. Just poke some holes in the bottom of the bag and flush then dry.
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I have a new cement mixer.
Would it be advisable to dump 3 of the 2 cubic foot bags of FFHF and 3 of the 8 to 12 quart bags of perlite into it and mix it that way or would it be to aggressive?