Any reason clay balls never get suggested

2cent

Well-Known Member
Seems years ago was all the talk all over
Now I do organic it’s like pumice perlite rice husks bloody styrafoam but not clay pebbles lol

I remember ph trouble with them but only if ya didn’t rinsethem
 

crimsonecho

Well-Known Member
never would use styrofoam. i also have pumice, lava rocks, perlite, zeolite, activated carbon and some finely ground basalt in my mix. i dont know the more the merrier yes? no? :)
 

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
This is a very good question it may be the way that they are made? I am not really sure.. the love of rice hulls is that they are by product of some other process so they are being recycled or reused, the perlite will float to the top of the soil supposedly and also it is not a very sustainable or environmentally friendly process to make hence why the pumice is used. You used to hear a lot more about Hydyroton for sure but I believe that was more for hydro applications. I do agree that pumice is not cheap at all for sure.
 
Pumice doesn’t float and has places for microbes to hide and water and air gets trapped

perlite floats….not good

Clay balls can be used but they are not porous

I have clay balls in myoutdoor “whateva” soil it’s just recycled soil I use for out door plants it has pumice too and perlite and reuse it for whateva lol
 

Reap911

Well-Known Member
So from what I have come across, clay pebbles at the right ratio (no more than 10% of your soil mixture) is extremely beneficial to your soil. Off the top of my head, its slightly bigger size and pourousness, its a great home for soil microbes. Its a game of cat and dog in the soil food web, protozoa and nematodes always on the hunt for food so this gives bacteria a place to live and hide.

It can create complications if the ratio is off, that is all I can recall. Too much in your soil is bad.

As for Perlite, just be careful. Watering creates clusters that can result in hydrophobic areas of your soil forming and that it going to create issues. I know Pumice is pricey but so is losing a crop.
 
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