Growing Media

Growing Media

There are lots of different types of growing media as well as substrates that Hyjo offers, everyone having its own benefits. The selection of substrate you pick will have a lot to do with the grow setup that you have, growers who use hydroponic systems like the dripper system but would never use soil and almost always use coconut media.

Rockwool media in the form of cubes are widely used for the propagation of seeds and cuttings as well for certain hydroponic systems like NFTs and DWCs. It’s important to soak all cubes in water with a pH of 5.5 for twelve hours before using them.  After the twelve hour soak your cubes should have a pH of around 5.8 which is perfect for hydroponic growing media.  As long as you do this, you are able to control & plant your crop so the roots expand utilising the rockwool properly.  With hydro it's easy to grow for maximum flavour as well as quality, try using a flush solution for four days and then follow with a ten to twelve day water flush to achieve the best possible result. 

Everyone always says if you want quality then for a growing media go with soil.  Most growers say plants grown in an organic soil are the best you will ever taste and smell when compared to other growing mediums.  However, soil has its problems as well because it’s easy to over water for inexperienced growers and if you have poor drainage then this can lead to all kinds of problems including stem and flower rot.  This rot is due to an imbalance in the air to water ratio.

Typically, growers who grow in soil either hand feed or use AutoPot systems. Another bonus of soil is you don’t need any expensive pH and EC metres as the soil does all of the work. A lot of people say that you have sacrifices with soil but I think this is down to the grower to experiment with via techniques.  With time and patience, you should be able to hit the same numbers as in hydroponic growing.

Coconut coir is probably the most used substrate in this sector of the horticultural industry and for good reason, its brilliant hydroponic media. Made from the husks of coconuts, coco can be used on its own as a growing medium but I think it works best when it is mixed with another product like clay pebbles and pellets for a more airy mix at a ratio of 60/40.

Coco is very good at water retention but has a lighter texture than soil which means it can hold onto more oxygen which helps promote fast root development.