These tips don’t come from me; they come straight from Facebook fans, so take them for what they are. The question I posted this week was ‘What is the best grow medium, and why?’ Here were the responses:
Christian Lavoie – I like fox farm if I’m using soil, has a very well balanced make up, add some large perlite for better drainage. I use an EZ-Clone for cuttings and move them straight to hydroton in my hydro set up. I HATE ROCK WOOL!!!!!!!!!! Everyone should have an EZ-Clone in my opinion, amazing results!!!!
Mickey Martin – I like sunshine pro mix 4, because it is a good inert medium for manipulation, but still has the forgiving properties of soil. Add plenty of perlite though for aeration. You can get the same earthy taste from soilless as you do in soil dependent upon what you add. In soil you are stuck with the elements that are in that dirt, which is not always a bad thing, especially outdoors, but if I am spending a grip on electricity I want to control everything my babies eat every day. Coco would be my second choice. PH accuracy is imperative, but it is also a good medium.
William Parsons – soil is best for taste…expanded clay is reusable but has a hard time holding nutes with all this CaCO2 in our water. Rockwool is my choice or aero if you have time. Come to think of it using something like coco might be a good way to deal with the hard water… FYI to all it can cause salt lockup in the root system and actually draw magnesium out of your nutrient solution and soil. I use regular Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate). The sulfate will bind to the excess Calcium and allow the roots to uptake the magnesium (which is almost impossible to use at toxic levels). If you have leaf edges curling upwards this can be a sign of root lockup and Mg deficiency.
Jesse Alexander – 50/50 light warrior and ocean forest from foxfarm with expanded clay as mulch. Seems to work very well for someone on a tight budget. Not really for those who like hydro is the only problem. Also holds water well in my arid climate. Coco is a calcium hog so be sure to buy calcium supplement. But very inexpensive.
Mark West – I like coco, I like being 100% organic and in total control of any organic nutes that go in it. I have not seen any of the other problems other people have reported with it.
