I have a 50lb bag of rice hulls from the feed store i want to use for aeration.. They came in an unmarked white bale, no brand name, etc.. Was probably locally grown in California.. Im not sure if they are parboiled or not.. is there any way to tell by the color of them or something? Are most rice hulls these days parboiled, or do the parboiled ones cost more? I paid about 11$ for the 50lb bag... If they are not parboiled, do they need to be, or can I just use them as is? how do you parboil rice hulls? is it worth the trouble?
No, they probably aren't parboiled. I've had no problems using them as is, if you don't mind some rice sprouting.
Riceland in Arkansas is the company that brought the PBH to the market and they may be the only one. The rice hulls out of California are what we use in the Pacific Northwest - you're good to go. Great price, BTW!
Sounds like the hulls from Lundberg Farms which is a good thing. I've been using this product for several years in containers and raised beds and have never had an issue with sprouting rice.
Product Detail I am not sure, but this looks like a possible route to purchase. Our local hydro store sells #50 for $46.
That's insane. Even home brewing stores don't stab their customers that hard. "Use something else" - rice hulls are not Mission Critical. When priced correctly (like < $15.00 for 4 c.f.) it's a great amendment. At the price you quoted it's delusional. At best......