Insane idea about Silica?

[Greenpassion]

Hello everyone. It's been awhile since I've been on here. Things have been going really super. Until now that is. So, I grow in soil, with cloth pots, under viparspectra LED lights, in two separate very climate controlled grow rooms in my home.
About a year ago I had stopped using silica from Botanicare because I got the idea then that very slow drainage when watering was due to a buildup of silica. All subsequent grows from when I stopped using it I had perfect drainage and no problems.
For some reason this time around which is about my 50th grow I would say, I decided to start using it. Up until today literally things have been going fine.
But today I am still upstairs waiting for the water to drain down in several of my cloth pots. I can't understand how something can change from one day to the next. And no, I am not over-watering. I've been doing this long enough to be confident that regard. So am I crazy?

[Greenpassion]

Also, the description on my page of how and what I grow is outdated. I do not grow in kind soil. I grow Autos, super autos, and photos. Various strains of all. I use the Botanicare nutrient line, in coast of Maine potting soil. I don't know how to change that whatever you call it description. I can't find any way to get to it in my profile.

[kingfish]

I can't help you with the soil. But to change your signature, click on your Username in the upper right corner. Then click on settings. Then click on account and scroll down the list to Edit signature.

[Shankemdirty]

Gonna Keep a Eye on this post cause i plan on using a Silicate Product next grow.

[crucialbunny]

I began using medium coarse sand in my potting soil instead of silica a couple of years ago for the very reason you mention here. It provides many of the same benefits but doesn't form concretions like I was experiencing with silica that over time made my soil very dense similar to adobe. I believe that sand is the reason I've had such good drainage and water dispersion throughout my containers. I grow primarily photo plants outdoors so it's imperative that my soil remains viable for 8-9 months. Good luck

[crucialbunny]

I have in the past used a long thru-wall drill bit to bore holes down into my soil. I know it sounds harsh on the roots but I never encountered a problem. Six holes in a 5 gallon pot helped a lot when faced with absorption issues. Don't try and poke holes because that just adds to compaction of the soil. A drill bit pulls soil out.

[Greenpassion]

crucialbunny, thank you so much for validating my post. When I ran into this a year-and-a-half ago, and made my decision to stop silica, no one seems to have had any experience with this problem. So again I really appreciate it. Unfortunately now I'm not sure what I'm going to do during this current grow. They are in their third week of flowering, so I'll have to figure something out. It took me well over an hour just to water those three plants.

[Greenpassion]

And thank you kingfish . Will do!

[Greenpassion]

crucialbunny , I actually had the thought of having someone lifts up these heavy cloth pots while I poke holes into the bottoms of the pots. I know that cloth pots have very good drainage but as I said this is compacted in the bottom of the pot because of the silica. There's a term for compacted soil which i can't think of at the moment...but silica deposits are the cause.