Soil and peat floating

Hey guys,

So… Im about to try soil or peat instead of Coco coir.

When i first tried 50% soil and 20% vermiculite and 30% perlite it all went soggy… alot of water sitting on top and slowly draining…

So i tried to do like 80% soil and 10% perlite and 10% vermiculite and the results still the same…

I tried the same with peat and it was the same…

Then i tried without any additives and the results Are the same??? Lots of water on top and soggy mix….

The bags with soil and peat was soaking wet, does that casue waterlogging? Or am i just retarded lmao…

Ive seen alot of people using 50:50 soil and perlite or vermiculite including Dr.Bugsbee.

How on earth do they keep the vermiculite in the mix without it floating on top?

I know they use vermiculite when cultivate medicsl cannabis…

What is the trick or was my soil and peat to wet in the bag casuing waterlogging?

Best regards.

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Soil and coco are managed very differently. They each have differing watering and pH requirements.

Vermiculite retains water and dry cycles are very important for good root health. Vermiculite should never be used in a cannabis grow. I expect the use of vermiculite is a big factor in your soggy soil.

Soil should only be soggy following a watering. The soil should be left to dry out between waterings (generally 2 to 3 days.)

Welcome to the forum.

You may find this helpful:

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Yes, i know about ph in soil and peat.

Dr.bugsebee shows in video that 50% peat and 50% vermiculite or perlite is the optimal mix.

And they use it when growing medical cannabis.

Alot of people Are using it and some people say not use it, so it get very confusing…

Thank you :slight_smile:

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Fair enough; however, Dr. Bugbee is referencing a peat/verm mix and not a soil/verm mix. A Verm/coco mix is very common, but I will say that we’ve rarely heard of peat grows at all and I don’t ever recall a soil/verm mix ever being mentioned. Soil needs drainage and verm inhibits drainage.

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Yes, but as i mentioned i tried peat moss aswell.

Ive heard when watering in soil or peat or any media the water shouldt pool up on top?

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30%perlite. Any potting soil of choice. No miracle grow…lol. you will drain fine. Do not pack the pot. Just scoop it in with no compression. Some perlite will float to top. Dont stress it. If liquid nutes drench/dry cycle. Living soil top dress keep moist for life. Not wet. Damp/moist. Using a riser of any height will assist in drainage also. 1". 5". 10". Wont matter. As long as air between pot and surface then it will pass water. Coco or peat I cant help.

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This is done to provide Mg to the medium. It’s not something I’d recommend unless expert at growing cannabis. If you have someone who IS an expert (@MidwestGuy) for example, you should listen.

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Why then does Bugsbee suggest perlite or vermiculite? There is no nutritional value in perlite? Or am i wrong :thinking:

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Not used for nutrients. Used to help drainage.

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Yes i know, but he Said perlite OR vermiculite.

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I can dig that. But you have to put that info into perspective. Vermiculite for retention.
Perlite for drainage.

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We really are not trying to mislead you.

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I Think i Will just go 30% perlite as you do and just grow and be happy and not over doing shit :joy:

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EXACTLY!! I am 1 of the most basic growers here. Others are numbers guys. We all do well whatever style. Good help up here.

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Welcome to the forum! I use 60/40 soil and perlite with an autopot watering system. Works great. Vermiculite and soil is a big no-no. These guys won’t steer you wrong. Happy growing! :call_me_hand:t2:

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Exactly! Vermeculite retains a lot of water and is usually only used in cases where there is no water for extended periods of time. My opinion is it’s not for growing weed as we want faster wet dry cycles for faster growth. Perlite keeps media loose and helps drainage. I use 40% in Promix and just started a coco grow with 15%. I used up to 50% in soil, but done with soil!

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Wassup growmie! Welcome to the forum! :love_you_gesture:t4: I’m a new grower but I think I can help you a little bit. It looks like you’re having some issues trusting soil and I don’t blame you! imo, I feel like soil is harder to work with when dealing w. cannabis, since it’s usually a dark color and it can be hard to determine when to water, and don’t mention the wet/dry cycle, but I see some people having success, so to each their own.

But like others pointed out, don’t mix vermiculite with soil. Vermiculite retains water really well and from what I know, soil can easily become compacted and waterlogged. If you want to use soil, I suggest mixing with only perlite and amending with your choice of fertilizer(s). I personally use Jiffy Seed Starting Mix. It’s about $5-$10 at Home Depot and it’s a mix of coco, vermiculite, and peat, if you want to go by Dr. Bugbee’s standards. I was pleasantly surprised to find that same video after i started my seedlings. Also, I hear you can’t overwater coco, so I think it’s very good for beginners, I just don’t know about getting those coco bricks and buffering it. I’ve been using jiffy in the garden for many years and it’s always worked wonders. Never had to buffer. These are my plants currently. The big girl is in a 3G and about 10" tall and about 14" wide after some LST and 14 days after getting a good grow light.

This was the big girl 14 days ago, barely filling up the pot


The smaller girls are about 21 days old and I should have transplanted them 8 days ago, but I ran out of soil😭 and the one in the grey pot fell over but she’s recovering nicely. This was her at 14 days old & I did not have to water the mix for 2 weeks since I dropped the germinated seed!

Posted all of this to show you that the coco, peat, and vermiculite mix works. Not soil and vermiculite. I feel like the jiffy is very beginner friendly and very forgiving. You can check my grow journal if you wanna check out anything, hope it all works out growmie!

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When you just cant seem to get it right buy a bag of already mixed and then move on to the next problem that will come along, enjoy.

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@Mr.sus welcome to the family my friend happy growing

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Ive used agricultural vermerculite in the past with my soil grows and prefer perlite. I always add at least 8 more quarts of perlite to my soil mix in a 5 gal container. I do use Coast of Maine Stonington blend (recycle when poss) and it doesnt matter who you order your soil from, youll always have to add more perlite. Cannabis prefers a drier soil with good drainage. thats why a drench to nearly drought routine is needed.

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