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OfflineDingo_lmaos
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Registered: 01/14/21
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Vermiculite question
    #27766804 - 05/07/22 01:24 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

Is vermiculite even worth purchasing when just using coir? used it on my first grow but on my recent never did and everything went fine. doesn't really add any benefit besides moisture-holding correct?

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OfflineVibetyme
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: Dingo_lmaos]
    #27766828 - 05/07/22 02:12 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

That's the only benefit I know of.  Moisture retention.  If you fuck up and make your coir too wet it comes in handy to dry things up without having to squeeze every handful.

You will be fine without it but I always throw it in for good measure.


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OfflineShroomoisseur
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: Vibetyme]
    #27766831 - 05/07/22 02:17 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

Adds more volume and also aerates the coir which, in my experience, helps lead to slightly faster colonization. Also very useful when rehydrating for subsequent flushes

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OfflineDingo_lmaos
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: Vibetyme]
    #27766857 - 05/07/22 03:21 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

Thanks for the reply do you know of any place for bulk on it? most places around me only sell 8qt is it cheaper if I buy it buy the lb? if so can you recommended any links usa shipping,

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OfflineBrian Jones
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: Vibetyme]
    #27766876 - 05/07/22 04:15 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

Quote:

Vibetyme said:
That's the only benefit I know of.  Moisture retention.  If you fuck up and make your coir too wet it comes in handy to dry things up without having to squeeze every handful.

You will be fine without it but I always throw it in for good measure.




That's what I do too. I gave up on squeezing water out if the coir is too wet, but it's very convenient to have some verm around to just throw in to get the right moisture content. Quicker and easier than adding more coir from bricks.


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"The Rolling Stones will break up over Brian Jones' dead body"    John Lennon

I don't want no commies in my car. No Christians either.

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OfflineHindsight
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: Brian Jones]
    #27766881 - 05/07/22 04:25 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

Nurseries tend to sell it by the 25lb bag. But tough to find in that quantity at big box stores. You may also find it at “hydroponic” stores.

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OfflineBrian Jones
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: Hindsight]
    #27766889 - 05/07/22 04:39 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

25 lbs. must be huge. I just looked at my bag and it's 5.9 lbs. and it's a big bag. It's lasting forever now that I don't use it routinely. But yeah, buying in bulk usually gets you a great discount per unit. I think everything is overpriced at hydro stores.


--------------------
"The Rolling Stones will break up over Brian Jones' dead body"    John Lennon

I don't want no commies in my car. No Christians either.

Simulacrum
The truth which conceals that there is none

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Invisiblephytophilia
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Registered: 01/08/22
Posts: 53
Re: Vermiculite question [Re: Dingo_lmaos]
    #27766925 - 05/07/22 06:10 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

Quote:

Dingo_lmaos said:
Is vermiculite even worth purchasing when just using coir? used it on my first grow but on my recent never did and everything went fine. doesn't really add any benefit besides moisture-holding correct?




When I started out I purchased a big bag of vermiculite, used it once, then realized I could just grow in 100% coir and haven’t looked back. Now I have a bag of verm that hasn’t been used in ages, as it’s really not a necessary ingredient IMO. I wouldn’t buy it again. As a side note, I don’t think vermiculite is that sustainable for our environment, so not buying it is probably a plus in that regard as well.

That said, what others have said is true: you can use it to conveniently soak up over-hydrated coir (though personally I’d just add a little more coir, which is easy since I use Eat’s “unbucket tek” and don’t have to worry about re-boiling water every time I add coir).

Another good use for verm is to make mini PF-tek style pucks in Petri dishes (or your no-pour  container of choice) that can be useful for cleaning up really contaminated cultures (since contamination tends to have a harder time “following” mycelium in this medium than on agar, it is handy for isolation).

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Offlinesmalltalk_canceled
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: phytophilia]
    #27767011 - 05/07/22 08:21 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

You'll run into plenty of posters here at the shroomery who will say verm makes the substrate more fluffy/porous and thus 'better' than coir only. Its not a question of nutrition, but of water retention, volume, air contact, evaporation. Verm in theory when dispersed correctly should give a bigger access of airflow into the substrate.

But, it probably needs to be done correctly, and the extra airflow relevant for the species/strain in question. For instance if your coir is super wet and chunky, verm will make a lesser impact on airforlow than when the coir itself is also perfectly prepped, porous and just below field capacity (close to perfect).

Then theres the "minerals" theory for verm, where people say they use som of verm content nutritionally, although not for energy.

Then theres the discussion of whether or not verm + coir at the surface of the sub is better evaporation and conditions-wise than coir alone.


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OfflineWeavieWonder
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: smalltalk_canceled] * 2
    #27767088 - 05/07/22 09:22 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

I used CVG for the longest time. Now I just use coir only and haven't noticed a reduction in performance. Colonization is fast (7-9 days) and flushes are bountiful.

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InvisibleMysticMycologist
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Registered: 10/14/21
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: WeavieWonder]
    #27767150 - 05/07/22 10:05 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

I like verm if I over hydrate my coir. Some bricks/batches of coir absorb a slightly different amount of water it seems, and dry vermiculite is great at getting it to were it needs to be.

I also feel like verm absorbs water a little easier than dry coir on the surface of the substrate, which seems to make rehydration for the second flush by misting easier. I have not tested this yet, so it is purely anecdotal. It just seems like dried, colonized coir behaves almost like dry peat, in that it seems to repel water at first. The verm breaking up the surface seems to drink up the water faster.


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OfflineRotnpins
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: Dingo_lmaos]
    #27767161 - 05/07/22 10:11 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

I only use coir in my pf tek jars and to roll cakes. For shoeboxes I've only used coir, but after reading about the possibility of better aeration I may do a few side by side tests to see if it makes a noticeable difference.

I'm not sure about bulk, but if you're able to find some in stock at Walmart the price is a lot better than Amazon or hydro stores. I think my last 8qt bag was $4 or $5

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InvisibleSwabMarley
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Re: Vermiculite question [Re: Rotnpins]
    #27767177 - 05/07/22 10:23 AM (2 years, 8 months ago)

Yeah I think Verm is a must personally for reasons already stated. Sure you can get away with straight coir but CV is much better in my book. I picked up 100L for the equivalent of about $35. Will probably last a year or 2.

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