I heard somewhere that using a high amount of perlite in your grow medium makes the plants grow a bit faster because the roots get more air..is this true ?
i dont think it will be noticeably huge gains in growth but it definately good for your soils consistency.....more airation
perilite should be used in your soil. its helps hold the moisture in the soil. i'm not sure about helping roots. i can't imagine the roots caring either way. but ya everyone uses different amounts of it in the soil. i use about 30% perilite 70% soil.
You can use perlite all by itself with a drip system, but it's great to use mixed with just enough vermiculite to hold some moisture in a drip or wick based system. As already noted, it's a good soil additive as well. It aids in drainage and does help hold some air for the roots. They gotta have their oxygen!
Yep, I use a passive hydro system(wick) so my medium is about 70-80% perlite and 20-30% vermiculite. Check out the link in my sig if you want to see some more info on it.
Looks good to me. I used a similar mix back in the day and still use that mix for seeds. Everything else I do in rockwool. Love your setup. I don't have detailed pics of mine, and it's very simple, but here are some of the results.
Yes mix them, although a layer of pure gravel or perlite at the very bottom can aid in drainage in the event of an overwatering.
Perlite retains water, Vermiculite resists it. Sand works in place of vermiculite for its draining properties. 50% soil, 30% perlite, and 20% sand has been a successful mix. If you plan on going soiless, go with hydroton (clay pellets) or Co-Co Grow.
so would it be correct to say that the purpose of perlite as an addition to the grow medium would be water retension and airation ?
It actually does both. It retains a good degree of moisture, but it also allows for good drainage and for oxygen to get to the roots.