Starting Seed in Perlite

[@HG-vf5ln]

This was really helpful to watch. I'm just starting out and am a bit intimidated by growing from seed. This helps a lot! 😊

[@C3Voyage]

I'm so glad!

[@DerekRAustin]

C-130 & Hummingbird, cool 😀 Love the wicks!!

[@C3Voyage]

Oh yeah!

[@lowashington]

Loved this vid. It was so helpful! I decided hydro was for me but failed to think it through. I started my seeds and was successful. But when it came to transplanting I was lost. I found your vid and will try it again. The mop string is genius!! I lost all but a few tomatoes and one spinach. The perlite is a great alt to the clay grow medium. Thanks again. I'm excited to see more of your vids!

[@C3Voyage]

You are too kind.

[@Doughty077]

Exactly what I was looking for.

[@TheJimi1971]

I am going to apply this method to a grow system I am putting together! Saves me from constantly buying rockwool. Thanks for your input and this video! Cheers!

[@C3Voyage]

Despite the dust comment?

[@MikkoMarkusKaariainen9023]

New channel for me,looks awesome;)

[@Hussain_Albanna]

i started this in aquaponics, i think it will be fine as long as seeds get some moist

[@C3Voyage]

:O)

[@jokimaguire5045]

I do it like you in net pots but I put them in a heated propagator with a layer of water in the bottom and a small t5 nuld 10 to 14 days later there big and ready to go into the airoponic systems from there I can't believe how quick they fruit or flower

[@bo_392]

wow! all that algae proved the wick works _really_ well (maybe too well) and distributed moisture throughout the perlite all the way to the top. fascinating. this may work better with no wick at all. packed perlite wicks surprisingly well on it's own (2-3" at least). combing a wick with perlite was a great idea. thanks for the video!

[@C3Voyage]

You bet. Play around with the ideas. That's how I do it. :O)

[@365aero6]

a touch of peroxide will help with the algae. @@C3Voyage

[@jjj1981jj]

Do you think I could start a lemon seed sprout in perlite?

[@i.simeonova2158]

Please advise, I have a problem with perlite. When the solution makes a full turn through the buckets to the tank, the ph rises to 7.5, and at the beginning it was 5.5. The perlite was washed at the beginning and has been used for 15 days.

[@miningcompanyparavanperlit2101]

Great job dear Brent

[@C3Voyage]

Thanks!

[@julianchoque7402]

i think that the the wick dont mix with the seeds because the get tangled with the roots....

[@cschuster2703]

just a note on the spinach, my father told me that it would not sprout at temperatures above 50F. Try putting it into the refrigerator to sprout as it doesn't need light to sprout, just cold.

[@C3Voyage]

I'd seen a video somewhere someone had done germination test comparisons where the fridge was one of the locations. It was a temp-based test. Wish I could remember which. Thanks for the tip. I MUST remember that one next time. Brent

[@Ms-et1qb]

Excellent video. Solved quite many problems i faced in starting seeds and later transferring them to hydroponics. Here u simply shift the net cup and once the roots lowers down, wick becomes redundant.. great Few elementary questions I live in india.. quite warm.. 1- green housing/ warmth necessary ? 2- dark corner necessary? 3- will seeds germinate even without mild nutrients ? 4- if placed in dark corner, at what stage do you shift tray to bright natural day light ? Sun light ? How many hours (all these questions to prevent leggier seedlings) 5- if in the tray, few seeds did not germinate with others, do we continue keeping them in dark warm spot ? Will greatly appreciate your replies Thanks..

[@C3Voyage]

1. No, but temps need to be ideal for tomato growth. 2. Seeds need darkness for good germination and root establishment. 3. Yes 4. As soon as cotyledon leaves develop strongly. I'd keep in partial sun util first leaves appear, then full sun. 5. Yes, tomato seeds germinate best at 70-80F.

[@kyddoemiko100]

That was a wonderful idea using the rayon wick to start your 🌱Seedling growth with the perlite I'm curious would you have also used a fungicidal spray to preserve some of the seedlings and helping to grow and to also cut down some of the mold that would have developed in there

[@C3Voyage]

Glad you asked! :O) Search my channel for "antifungal" and you'll find my video for the microgreens antifungal spray I developed. Works wonders.

[@jodysephus6922]

Got a question for you, couldn't the perlite itself just wick the water up to the top? thanks for the informative video..

[@C3Voyage]

dedu bonez Hummm, maybe. I never tried it without a wick because seed needs consistent moisture and I figured the perlite would have limitations in it's wicking capacity. Maybe.

[@jodysephus6922]

C3 Voyage The reason why i asked is because i used to own a small Mushroom farm and the Perlite not only stayed moist but it actually disperse micro particles of moisture up into the air, and is how i maintained a high humidity for them. Nevertheless, keep the good ideas coming as the wick might actually work better.

[@C3Voyage]

dedu bonez No arguments here. I enjoy learning from anybody anywhere. I've switched growing medium to composted rice hulls. Perlite is too expensive and too troublesome to clean for my taste. After done growing in CRH, I can toss or re-use and it works wonderfully with wicking and seed-starting.

[@terrynicholson5214]

How old are the tomatoes? N what nutrients did you use?

[@C3Voyage]

I would say almost 4 years now, lol, but they died in 2014. :O) I wish I could remember for you to give you a solid answer, but that was when I was just starting in hydro Terry. Maybe 5 or 6 weeks?

[@petreyankovski8845]

I did this with cotton cloth, the seeds germinated but then they turned yellow and wilted. How to avoid too much moisture?

[@C3Voyage]

It needs to wick up from the bottom of the tray. Gravity should keep it from getting too wet, but if not, tear the cotton into a smaller strip and try it.

[@bonniehoke-scedrov4906]

Great video! Thanks!

[@C3Voyage]

:O)

[@gradeAbra]

Can you really germinate seed in just perlite alone?

[@C3Voyage]

Yes. Take a look at the video.

[@jhavardjonas2166]

Hi, I am looking for a system likewise to your sentiments of "Since I'm growing hydroponically, I need a sustainable, re-usable method of starting seed. " Also a system that is easy to work with seedling extraction, preserving the roots, and will not have fine medium sediments to cause clogs in the hydroponics system and pump. Since this video, have you found any better / more efficient way?

[@C3Voyage]

Yes, I grow differently with hydroponics now. I grow in FAWN and don't have clogged lines or pumps. You'll have to look at the videos to understand how I make hydro fit what I want. I grow in any inert organic medium I want including seed starting. Can be peat, rice hulls, potting mix, etc. Start here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqTMmGBurdaUg7c Here's another: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWfRp2ubiLalnMU

[@lowashington]

Also, can you answer a question. When planting straight into the hydro. Do I plant directly out side or should I start it outdoors in shade and wait to move to a sunny spot?

[@C3Voyage]

From my experience, all plants need to harden off regardless of what they're growing in. Unless you're seeds are started outside in a sunny location, acclimate them in shade little-by-little into the light. I start mine in the greenhouse now alot so no acclimation needed. I also don't use perlite anymore in favor of composted rice hulls. Much cheaper and just as effective I've found.

[@lelew2308]

C3 Voyage Thank you! I think I will start them outside skipping the hardening off stage. I'm really excited! Do you think 2 in nets will work for greens? I do have 3.75 in. I was thinking the foliage grows on the top so the size of the pot isn't that important. They are used more so as a funnel for the rooting system.

[@C3Voyage]

LeLe W Yes, I think it'll work assuming your putting the 2" net cups in either a Kratky setup or a tray where the Perlite can wick up the water. Without water available 24/7, they will dry out very quickly and likely not work.

[@lelew2308]

Thanks! Yes I'm doing the Kratky method. Will be building the stands in a few weeks will send you the pics.

[@C3Voyage]

LeLe W Look forward to it.

[@solnoctis8681]

I am trying out Grow Stones. They hold more water/air than perlite but is more expensive. They're reusable, however.

[@C3Voyage]

Very nice! Brent

[@jacobtrauth9661]

Awesome

[@C3Voyage]

Thanks!

[@CheapskateGardener]

great video

[@C3Voyage]

Thanks!

[@jctactic]

Hi there, I recently bought a Goliath Tomato Plant and I want to know if I can I plant it in a container with perlite and potting mix? Can I mix them together? Or will that completely kill the plant?

[@C3Voyage]

Sorry it took so long to reply. Was in MS on family emergency. I tried answering by phone, but it wouldn't let me comment. So, yeah, you can mix perlite with soil. Most potting soil contains perlite anyway. Just remember that perlite doesn't bring nutrient to the situation so the more of it you use, the more nutrient you'll have to give your plant. It holds moisture well and is a sterile medium which makes it perfect for hydroponic systems. My container soils are lighter and more aerated than garden soil. Perlite helps there. A good container mix will contain, for example, 3 parts potting mix, 2 parts pine bark fines, and 1 part perlite. There are lots of container soil recipe's on the internet. I like "Ray Neweste" as a good example. Keep in mind that "soils" have some nutrient, but you'll still have to add nutrient such as Miracle grow regularly. Check out my container peas video. I've got an update coming very soon. Best of luck and ask anything you'd like.

[@jctactic]

C3 Voyage That's okay - I hope everything is all right. Thank you very much for answering. I'll update you on my tomato plant and I started some peppers as well.

[@C3Voyage]

I'd love to hear how things are going with garden. Best of luck and good gardening.

[@davidsonnier1690]

did you mention how long it took at various stages? i might've missed it

[@C3Voyage]

I don't remember putting that in the video David, but I remember it being about the same as other methods of starting seeds. Does that answer your question?

[@anotherdamnyankee3805]

What about using Vermeculite

[@C3Voyage]

I've seen where it works wonders on other channels. For me, I want to keep my expenses down and use what I will be using everywhere else. Being frugal and buying only what I need is what I try to do. Since this video, I've cut out growing in Perlite hydroponically so that translates into cutting out seed-starting in Perlite. Now, I plant and start seeds in composted rice hulls. Does wonderfully well. I've got a couple vids lately on this year's seedlings.

[@ruyvieira104]

You have a lot of algae growing on the perlite, how well is it working 2 years later?

[@C3Voyage]

+Ruy Vieira Not well at all. I got away from Perlite due to cost mostly. Take a look at some of what I'm doing today in some newer vids! All the best. Brent

[@ruyvieira104]

Were you replacing it constantly? Did you try washing it with boiling water?

[@C3Voyage]

+Ruy Vieira This is how I came about getting away from Perlite: I had 50+ buckets and one big bag only filled about 4 buckets @ $18 a bag. Expensive! I had done some research into other mediums. Composted/aged rice hulls were $20 a truckload and I could do all of the buckets. I had used rice hulls before in soiless mixtures and in my garden. I knew how it behaved so I trialed Perlite vs Rice Hulls in my grows. There's videos on it. I found that rice hulls grew just as well as Perlite in Hydroponics. The way I grow hydroponically, it's not an issue with organic debris. At cleanup, all I have to do with the Rice Hulls is dump the buckets in the garden or landscaping. With Perlite, you have to rinse off roots (pain in the butt), gather it together in a pile, and somehow disinfect before you can re-use. I tried it and knew that was a one-time thing...for me! So, believing in KISS as I do, it was a no-brainer. This year, I have 200+ buckets! No more Perlite for me! :O) If I couldn't find aged rice hulls, I would have found something else like peat, pine bark fines, or river pebbles even. Brent

[@robertkat]

All the hundreds of huge greenhouses in BC are hydroponic, tomato plants 18 feet tall, 10s of thouands of pepper plants. Oganic produce sold in some stores come from Mexico at 2 times the price. Organic??

[@C3Voyage]

When we import from such a far away place, it presents potential issues in my eyes. There is a movement to grow and buy local. Since I have zero issue with hydroponics, I would buy from the local greenhouses. In fact, they have local CSAs (community supported agriculture) all over the Canada and the US. If I'm not growing, that's where I'd go for assurances. I'm kind of leery about the term "organic" because of the way business is taking advantage of the word for sales and the lack of real regulation. How about you?

[@trollhunter8148]

from where can we get perlite.......?

[@C3Voyage]

Most gardening places and many feed stores. Give the ones in your area a call and price it out. Best wishes. Brent

[@robertkat]

Is hydroponic growing organic or not?

[@C3Voyage]

Very complicated answer with all the definitions floating around. I think most would so no. But, then again, most major farmers are not organic either. Hydroponic usually means water-soluble solution to meet plants needs. If farmers use the basic fertilizer, like 20-20-20, that's just another chemical fertilizer. If you could get more specific, maybe I could answer better?? I can tell you that hydroponic growing can definitely produce quality foods for our bodies.

[@365aero6]

Try the miracle blend formula. Search youtube and see the comparison. 20-20-20 was horrible for any hydroponics and Miracle Grow trailed way behind the miracle blend. Germination . should use only ph balanced water. The seed has all it needs until you get to the 2-4 leaf stage. The best place I have found so far to get it is Morgan County Seeds.

[@surgeon20000]

i like it :)

[@C3Voyage]

:O)

[@trishafisha918]

hi I am just a old lady bored into house I appreciate everybody's ideas I would like to try all in small set up not to grow no to eat just to watch it grow thank you all have a great day enjoy life I will it looks like a project for me stress free yippy 🤔😏 I wonder if I can step it up a notch by add something that will accommodate a crawfish or beta fish or I think guppy I don't know I will research before I do anything i won't do anything with my eyes close just to add for me I candy or beta fish then I will graduate 1 single 10 gallon fish tank hum it might work it might not the animal will get the best of care sorry I'm old and I babble 🍃💦🎥🤔🧐🤓😃🧤👀👂 🧠👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻great ideas thank y'all 🌞 👵🐟♎🕊🌹😁😷

[@C3Voyage]

A lot to consider for sure.

[@scooterlovya]

Y