Barrie L.

Grow Media for Different Types of Systems: How to Choose the Right Support for Healthy Roots

Diverse grow media options displayed, including soil, expanded clay pebbles, and vermiculite, showcasing the versatility for various plant cultivation systems.

Choosing grow media feels a lot like picking boots for a muddy field. If you get it wrong, everything just sinks. Roots need something to grab onto, but they also need air, and water, and sometimes a little luck.  Some media hold water so well the roots almost drown, others dry out quick but let … Read more

Grow Media Sterilization Methods: What Works Best?

Worker in protective gear inspecting sterilized grow media trays in a controlled environment with blue-tinted lighting, highlighting the importance of sanitization in grow operations.

Anyone messing with plants or fungi figures it out fast. Skip sterilizing your grow media, and you’re in trouble. Microbes just show up, the wrong kind, and they can ruin the whole thing. There are a few ways to sterilize.  You’ve got heat, chemicals, and filtration. Each method has its own thing, and honestly, not … Read more

Hydroponic Grow Media for Herbs: Why Choosing Right Boosts Growth

Various herbs, including mint, dill, and rosemary, growing in mason jars filled with hydroponic grow media on a windowsill.

Herbs are just different in hydroponics, they do not follow the same rules as lettuce or tomatoes. Their roots are thin, sometimes picky, and they want more than just a spot to grab onto. The grow media has to get it right. Not too wet, not dried out, and it has to let nutrients and … Read more

Grow Media Cleaning and Reuse for Hydro Gardens

Grow media cleaning and reuse station showcasing different substrates, including compressed coco coir blocks, perlite, and vermiculite, ready for processing and reuse.

Most people who grow plants end up with piles of used grow media. Soil, coco coir, perlite, clay pebbles. They stare at it, maybe thinking about tossing it all, maybe thinking about saving a few bucks and using it again. It’s easy to just scoop it back in.  But that’s risky. Diseases might still be … Read more