So I just bought a 10lb bag of hydroton pebbles

just use them in the bottom of the soil containers , like an inch or so a pot at the bottom instead of rocks,

 

healthy drainage, iirc. bonsai growers use it to keep the plant in constant stress.

 

yup!

 

This is an interesting concept. Is there a post I can look at that elaborates on this idea?

My first grow is going to be dwarf plants, but eventually I'll use a "regular" size strain, and will want to keep a mother for clones. Why is stressing the plant important, and why do the rocks in the bottom have anything to do with that? Thanks.

 

It's a good thing for drainage but if you're grabbing rocks out of the dirt in the yard I'd wash them first so you dont transfer any mold spores or anything to your grow room.

 

I use about 2inches of hydroton on the bottom of my 5gal buckets, then fill the rest with the soil... works great