Some members have asked about this method of growing. It is not described on the website. The technique was described to me over 40 years ago and predates the popularity of coco coir. It is mentioned briefly in Ed Rosenthal's "Marijuana Grower's Handbook."
Fertigation, basically, is hydroponics without the water. Instead of suspending roots in water or mist, the plant grows in a perlite mix and receives fertilization with every application of water, hence the term "fertigation."
The method I use includes a mix of peat moss, approximately 3 parts perlite to 1 part peat moss. The idea with the peat moss is that it is quite acid and it buffers my very hard, alkali tap water. With my water ph running from a ph of 7.5 to 8.2 with an average of 8.0, and peat moss ph ranging from 2.5 to 3.5, the plant's roots are able to find their Goldilocks zone. My mixtures are not homogenous; instead they look a bit layered and I don't take too much time breaking up the peat moss before mixing.
Today's transplanting from a 10" pot into an 18", 5-gallon pot shows of what I'm doing.
In my continuous grow system I start in 3" peat pots and quickly transplant into 1o", 2.5-gallon pots very quickly. I can fit 4 of these pots in a 2x2 cabinet, where I can determine sex, and determine which plant continues to the larger pot and flowering.
I try to transplant when the drip line of the plant reaches the edge of the pot; let it grow beyond the edge of the pot and I risk allowing the plant to grow root bound. This little rascal has grown beyond the limits.
It's beyond time to transplant. So I gather my stuff. Note the face mask on the bag of perlite, when working with significant amounts of perlite it is a good idea to wear a good dust filtration mask, and water the perlite frequently. The stuff kicks up dust.
After some experimentation I've found that cutting some landscape fabric to fit into the bottom of my pot is the way to go. I fill the fabric space with packing foam from my Vipar S[ectra lights that I cut up; it keeps the pot light and easy to move. I had been filling the space between the foam blocks with peat moss, but little grew in it, so I now fill that space with perlite.
Here, I've filled in the spaces between the foam blocks with perlite, wet it down, leveled it and am checking the height before removing the plant from its pot.
With the the proper level determined, I loosen the plant from the pot and find that the shaggy plant overhanging the pot has also started to become root bound. Note how the roots follow a particular density of peat moss. The plant is doing the work; not me. See how there are very few roots in the dense peat moss at the bottom of the pot?
So we need to peel away the circling roots in order to prevent them from choking out the plant int the future. Don't worry. This won't hurt the plant; it helps it.
Now it's time to put the plant in the larger pot. I'll layer a scoop of peat to two scoops perlite around the roots until I have reached the top of the root ball. It's not an exact science. A rough mix works best, I think.
Finally, I finish with a white topcoat of perlite to keep things clean and brite.
She looks a bit small, ragged and bushy for the pot, now, doesn't she? Well, any time you mess with a root system, it's always a good time to do some pruning (and training) on the upside.
Now, we're all ready to go!
Have a great day!
Fertigation, basically, is hydroponics without the water. Instead of suspending roots in water or mist, the plant grows in a perlite mix and receives fertilization with every application of water, hence the term "fertigation."
The method I use includes a mix of peat moss, approximately 3 parts perlite to 1 part peat moss. The idea with the peat moss is that it is quite acid and it buffers my very hard, alkali tap water. With my water ph running from a ph of 7.5 to 8.2 with an average of 8.0, and peat moss ph ranging from 2.5 to 3.5, the plant's roots are able to find their Goldilocks zone. My mixtures are not homogenous; instead they look a bit layered and I don't take too much time breaking up the peat moss before mixing.
Today's transplanting from a 10" pot into an 18", 5-gallon pot shows of what I'm doing.
In my continuous grow system I start in 3" peat pots and quickly transplant into 1o", 2.5-gallon pots very quickly. I can fit 4 of these pots in a 2x2 cabinet, where I can determine sex, and determine which plant continues to the larger pot and flowering.
I try to transplant when the drip line of the plant reaches the edge of the pot; let it grow beyond the edge of the pot and I risk allowing the plant to grow root bound. This little rascal has grown beyond the limits.
It's beyond time to transplant. So I gather my stuff. Note the face mask on the bag of perlite, when working with significant amounts of perlite it is a good idea to wear a good dust filtration mask, and water the perlite frequently. The stuff kicks up dust.
After some experimentation I've found that cutting some landscape fabric to fit into the bottom of my pot is the way to go. I fill the fabric space with packing foam from my Vipar S[ectra lights that I cut up; it keeps the pot light and easy to move. I had been filling the space between the foam blocks with peat moss, but little grew in it, so I now fill that space with perlite.
Here, I've filled in the spaces between the foam blocks with perlite, wet it down, leveled it and am checking the height before removing the plant from its pot.
With the the proper level determined, I loosen the plant from the pot and find that the shaggy plant overhanging the pot has also started to become root bound. Note how the roots follow a particular density of peat moss. The plant is doing the work; not me. See how there are very few roots in the dense peat moss at the bottom of the pot?
So we need to peel away the circling roots in order to prevent them from choking out the plant int the future. Don't worry. This won't hurt the plant; it helps it.
Now it's time to put the plant in the larger pot. I'll layer a scoop of peat to two scoops perlite around the roots until I have reached the top of the root ball. It's not an exact science. A rough mix works best, I think.
Finally, I finish with a white topcoat of perlite to keep things clean and brite.
She looks a bit small, ragged and bushy for the pot, now, doesn't she? Well, any time you mess with a root system, it's always a good time to do some pruning (and training) on the upside.
Now, we're all ready to go!
Have a great day!
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