# Using Air Stones With Soil



## TheGaussianMan (Feb 8, 2011)

Hey, I'm a new grower, and I'm currently in the middle of my first grow. Half a week into flowering, I placed an air stone powered by a 20gal rated pump into the bottom of my girl and she responded quite nicely to it. I then went out and purchased another 6in airstone and a 100gal rated pump. I can add amounts of water to my plant that might make others cringe, but the plant seems to love the air stones. I'm curious, has anyone else tried this? If you want more pics, there are some in my grow thread.


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 10, 2011)

Bump? 
I'd really like to see if anyone else has tried this.


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## Wetdog (Feb 10, 2011)

TheGaussianMan said:


> Bump?
> I'd really like to see if anyone else has tried this.


 Mostly newbs with too much time and bong hits on their hands.

The concept is a good one, but is more easily achieved with the addition of more perlite, making your mix lighter and more aireated (?). Not to mention the savings on burned out air pumps. 

Wet


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 10, 2011)

Then why are people so into airpots?


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## TheLastWood (Feb 10, 2011)

Air stones are used in hydroponics to mix air into your water and nutrient solution. I don't understand how you are using it in soil.


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## phyzix (Feb 10, 2011)

That plant has a bit too much N


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 10, 2011)

I put the airstones into the bottom of my pot, they blow air over the roots.

How can you tell it has too much N?


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## phyzix (Feb 10, 2011)

I see the claw, or maybe you know it as canoeing leaves. Anyway, just cut down the N a bit and it will go away.

https://www.rollitup.org/marijuana-plant-problems/387754-plants-healthy-but-leaves-curling.html


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 10, 2011)

I haven't noticed any curling though, or at least not enough to really seem all that concerning, but I'll try and drop the amount of N I give the girl. Would flushing for a little bit help with the over abundance of N?


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## phyzix (Feb 10, 2011)

Just feed a bit less N, it's really not a big deal just a small amount of leaf curl


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 10, 2011)

Thanks for the advice, man. +reps


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## RawBudzski (Feb 10, 2011)

No way in hell can he diagnose that Leaf curl. it can be among many things if not a little too much water.


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 10, 2011)

I'm torn, who do I trust?


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## RawBudzski (Feb 10, 2011)

Trust the Trusty Pedo-Bear !! But really, it can be simply a little too much water. let it dry out


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## phyzix (Feb 11, 2011)

RawBudzski said:


> Trust the Trusty Pedo-Bear !! But really, it can be simply a little too much water. let it dry out


I'm pretty sure you're incorrect on this...



TheGaussianMan said:


> purchased another 6in airstone and a 100gal rated pump.


Probably not over watering with that.


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## RawBudzski (Feb 11, 2011)

1st. the Man said his plant can TAKE A CRAZY AMNT of WATER.. so why not fix that before Adding stuff. His issue doesnt seem that bad.. to be guessing and adding stuff..start with small fixes first


phyzix said:


> I'm pretty sure you're incorrect on this...
> 
> 
> 
> Probably not over watering with that.


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## Saerimmner (Feb 11, 2011)

TheGaussianMan said:


> Then why are people so into airpots?


 
air pots prune the roots of a plant when air/light contacts the roots once they have grown through the fabric, nothing to do with the airSTONES ppl are talking about in this instance


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## TheLastWood (Feb 11, 2011)

Leaf curling can be tons of things and everyone might give a different answer. But as said above if the leaf curl is dramatic and needs fixed try altering your watering schedule or lowering the humidity before messing with your nutrients. Too much N this week might not be too much nextweek. Plants adapt and that is why you build up gradually to a full strength solution. Plants can take a lot of ferts if u build up to it gradually


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 12, 2011)

Well, I guess I'll see how much my plant yields and I'll reply.


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 13, 2011)

In addition, I know what the fuck the difference between an airpot and an airstone is jack ass.


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## Saerimmner (Feb 13, 2011)

TheGaussianMan said:


> In addition, I know what the fuck the difference between an airpot and an airstone is jack ass.


hmmm like ur gna get far with that attitude around here, especially when ppl are trying to help you, hmmmm tell ya what wanker go play with the traffic an do us all a favour


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 13, 2011)

I'm not the one who wrote on someone else's thread in a condescending manner. Patronizing people is not a form of help, its a form of wasting my time.


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## racerboy71 (Feb 13, 2011)

i for one think its a cool idea and have thought about it in the past but have never tried it cuz of posts like what your getting here.. i've always heard that the added air would dry out the soil too fast, which was the biggest downfall that people could come up with.. 
do you find that your watering them more often than you would be without the airstones m8??
and just remember, people laughed at the first guy who suggested that he could grow simply using only water and no soil.. but alas, years later, and look how big hydro has become.. don't let the nay sayers turn you off bro.. i would love to see the results of this.. a side by side test using one plant with the airstones and one without would be the only real way to tell the benefits really..


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## Serapis (Feb 13, 2011)

What in hell are you talking about? The plant looks beautiful. There is no evidence of burned tips or claw leaves. Why do you go around and hand out this type of information, especially when he said his plant can take 'crazy amounts of water'.? Wouldn't that lead one to possibly conclude that he was making a noob mistake and overwatering?

2 + 2 = 4 != 5





phyzix said:


> That plant has a bit too much N


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## racerboy71 (Feb 13, 2011)

Serapis said:


> What in hell are you talking about? The plant looks beautiful. There is no evidence of burned tips or claw leaves. Why do you go around and hand out this type of information, especially when he said his plant can take 'crazy amounts of water'.? Wouldn't that lead one to possibly conclude that he was making a noob mistake and overwatering?
> 
> 2 + 2 = 4 != 5


 lol.. i didn't even look at the plant at first till you just posted that .. and it sure does look nice and healthy to me as well.. i surely don't see much if any claw going on..


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## Serapis (Feb 13, 2011)

Gaus dude, your plant look mighty fine. Just be aware that the balancing act between dried out roots and over-watering is going to be a tough one, or at least i would think it would be. You may be in danger of setting up the roots for root rot. Your air stone is only going to dry out soil around it. Soil on the other side may remain wet, and never get a chance to dry out because of frequent watering to keep the roots from dying on the air side. That is the drawback I can imagine. 

As of right now, your plant looks spot on A+


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 13, 2011)

Wow, thanks everyone. I find that the plant does not dry out any faster, its not like I have a fan going below it, and it really doesn't force much air through unless there's a lot of pressure from water. I find that I can water much more often with little to no adverse effects while at the same time the plant seems to love the large amounts of available nutrients and water. Check out my grow if you like, the plant is really goin.


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## single speed weed (Feb 13, 2011)

I've done this. It actually does have some sound ideas behind it. As a new grower it will help prevent over watering, the number one mistake. Also plants do need oxygen to metabolize foods. Plants absorb oxygen primarily in their roots, soil is hard to get air into. Keep doing it just make sure not to let it get dusty dry


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## Snow Crash (Feb 13, 2011)

The curl that phyzix is referring to:


Given that the plant is a few weeks into 12/12, flowers are forming, and the overall look of the plant is an extremely dark green... I would have to agree with the Hummingbird on this one.

Despite having a Nitrogen imbalance or not, this is naturally the time to begin reducing N levels and increasing PK levels. So even if the diagnosis is wrong the advice is still sound.

Personally, after having seen nitrogen excess myself, I am going to agree with the diagnosis. Nothing severe yet, but if the ratios are not altered there will be problems with flower development as you continue into budding.


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## Serapis (Feb 13, 2011)

What a joke..... imo


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 13, 2011)

That pic is about a week or so old now. The plant is looking really really healthy now, except for a few burn marks when it grew too much and hit the lamps.


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## racerboy71 (Feb 13, 2011)

TheGaussianMan said:


> That pic is about a week or so old now. The plant is looking really really healthy now, except for a few burn marks when it grew too much and hit the lamps.


 i hate when that happens.. i just did the same thing with my current grow.. i am using a 4oo watter over the 250 i had been using, and wasn't familiar with how close i could get my plants to it without burning them.. i found out the hard way, lol..


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 13, 2011)

CFLs are really good at getting really close to plants, the unfortunate thing is when they're in stretching for flowering mode, I had to move the chains a few times a day. If I wasn't around enough, they would get to big and burn.


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## TheLastWood (Feb 13, 2011)

Yeah just keep using ur airstones with your soil and your cfls for flowering

But don't ask questions if your don't want to hear the answers. Nobody was rude to you until you were a total dick. You asked a question, got an answer you didn't like, lashed out, asked another question and surprisingly got another answer you didn't like. There's a slight chance your a genius on the edge of a horticultural breakthrough, but a much greater chance your a dumbass. 

I'm here to learn more about growing and help who I can. Why are you here? You obviously know everything.

No point in flaming me back, I won't be checking in on this thread anymore.


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## phyzix (Feb 13, 2011)

Serapis said:


> There is no evidence of...claw leaves.









That's a _bit_ too much N. Which means that he should feed it _slightly_ less N, and potentially boost P and K _a small amount_ considering the stretch is almost over for her.

*It's definitely not life threatening or severe*, but it's legitimate and accurate advice nonetheless.

Take it or leave it, but no purpose in questioning the validity.


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## Serapis (Feb 13, 2011)

You can call that claw leaf if you want, but if it was, it wouldn't be localized. I see perfectly healthy leaves in that circle except for the lowest fan leaf which is beginning to lose the war with gravity. Think about it, if it had a nitrogen toxicity issue, the ENTIRE plant would be affected, not a couple of leaves. I've seen N claw several times, that ain't it. The dude is watering the hell out of the plant to prevent the roots from drying due to an air stone. 

It's possible that it's getting too much Nitrogen, but your diagnosing that out of the blue based on that photo is rather a crap shoot.....

View attachment 1440247

The one below is an extreme example.

View attachment 1440262



phyzix said:


> That's a _bit_ too much N. Which means that he should feed it _slightly_ less N, and potentially boost P and K _a small amount_ considering the stretch is almost over for her.
> 
> *It's definitely not life threatening or severe*, but it's legitimate and accurate advice nonetheless.
> 
> Take it or leave it, but no purpose in questioning the validity.


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## Snow Crash (Feb 13, 2011)

Serapis said:


> You can call that claw leaf if you want, but if it was, it wouldn't be localized. I see perfectly healthy leaves in that circle except for the lowest fan leaf which is beginning to lose the war with gravity. Think about it, if it had a nitrogen toxicity issue, the ENTIRE plant would be affected, not a couple of leaves. I've seen N claw several times, that ain't it. The dude is watering the hell out of the plant to prevent the roots from drying due to an air stone.
> 
> It's possible that it's getting too much Nitrogen, but your diagnosing that out of the blue based on that photo is rather a crap shoot.....
> 
> ...


Toxicity has to start somewhere. The whole plant doesn't suddenly claw. It takes time for the entire plant to show symptoms. It always starts with just one leaf. If at a week later no more leaves resemble those circled in the picture then it may have been a temporary issue which has come and gone.

I agree that full blown, hard core, nitrogen toxicity is generally located at the top of the plant with the eagle clawing of those leaves.

Despite your argument against toxicity it really doesn't matter. At the end of the stretch period, and the beginning of flower swelling, it is a good time to reduce the nitrogen levels and increase PK.

So, problem or not, the advice is still sound. Cutting back on the nitrogen at this point is a good idea no matter how you want to carve it. Nothing crazy. We're not talking about flushing the media and cutting out N completely. Just a little less N, little more PK.


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## TheGaussianMan (Feb 13, 2011)

Yo guys, stop hi jacking the thread. A: The picture is old, and the plant is perfectly healthy without any noticeable curling or hanging. B: This thread is about trying to see if anyone else has tried this technique or if anyone else is willing to do an experiment with it.


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## jimbaker (Jan 13, 2013)

Serapis said:


> Gaus dude, your plant look mighty fine. Just be aware that the balancing act between dried out roots and over-watering is going to be a tough one, or at least i would think it would be. You may be in danger of setting up the roots for root rot. Your air stone is only going to dry out soil around it. Soil on the other side may remain wet, and never get a chance to dry out because of frequent watering to keep the roots from dying on the air side. That is the drawback I can imagine.
> 
> As of right now, your plant looks spot on A+



i actually put a plant in a sealed container with an airstone with the idea that it would be almost like hydro with the need to dry it out just a little longer so there is less chance of root rot. my plant is growing 3 times faster than the other plants. i would love to see it in an unsealed container with maybe a slightly better earorator, i think the plant would grow even faster. yes, there would be a need for more water, but you plant will start to look limp before the roots die out from dryness. soil doesnt dry out as fast as perlite so the plant wont die overnight. im at a point where im about to plant two plants the same way next to two plants in deep water culture to see the difference. so far, the one in soil with the air stone is growing faster than the plant in the dwc but i did plant the one in the soil with the air stone two weeks earlier so its too soon to tell for now. but i wanted to try this a very long time ago just have not due to nay sayers. adding more perlite is great too, but there is nothing wrong with trying out a technique that is almost hydro but with soil properties. so instead of making claims of how retarded an individual is for trying out new ideas, how about giving perspective that might make the system work better. there is enough negativity already out there, some good solid information and help is all that people on here are doing when asking questions.


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## hotrodharley (Jan 13, 2013)

jimbaker said:


> i actually put a plant in a sealed container with an airstone with the idea that it would be almost like hydro with the need to dry it out just a little longer so there is less chance of root rot. my plant is growing 3 times faster than the other plants. i would love to see it in an unsealed container with maybe a slightly better earorator, i think the plant would grow even faster. yes, there would be a need for more water, but you plant will start to look limp before the roots die out from dryness. soil doesnt dry out as fast as perlite so the plant wont die overnight. im at a point where im about to plant two plants the same way next to two plants in deep water culture to see the difference. so far, the one in soil with the air stone is growing faster than the plant in the dwc but i did plant the one in the soil with the air stone two weeks earlier so its too soon to tell for now. but i wanted to try this a very long time ago just have not due to nay sayers. adding more perlite is great too, but there is nothing wrong with trying out a technique that is almost hydro but with soil properties. so instead of making claims of how retarded an individual is for trying out new ideas, how about giving perspective that might make the system work better. there is enough negativity already out there, some good solid information and help is all that people on here are doing when asking questions.


Dude - you're replying to a post that's almost 2 years old.


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## elkukupanda (Jan 13, 2013)

Hey brother, are you still around? how did it go? This sounds like a great idea to deal with fungus gnats for soil growers... Keep up the good work!


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## cordlesskettle (Jan 14, 2013)

have not considerer a air dome wich are made for soil ???
[video=youtube;9v34PDauF9Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v34PDauF9Q[/video]


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## jimbaker (Jan 19, 2013)

cordlesskettle said:


> have not considerer a air dome wich are made for soil ???
> [video=youtube;9v34PDauF9Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v34PDauF9Q[/video]
> View attachment 2480330



saw the video and totally agree. 130% faster growth rate. all you need is an airstone at the bottome of the pot. no reason to buy it unless you dont already have all the material to make one. i saw great results with the one plant i tried it on and keep getting worried about root rot since the roots are always moist and never flushed. but i see nothing yet, besides a really fast growing plant. i would love to hear more from people using something like this and their results as my plant is not even in flowering yet.


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## cordlesskettle (Jan 19, 2013)

jimbaker said:


> saw the video and totally agree. 130% faster growth rate. all you need is an airstone at the bottome of the pot. no reason to buy it unless you dont already have all the material to make one. i saw great results with the one plant i tried it on and keep getting worried about root rot since the roots are always moist and never flushed. but i see nothing yet, besides a really fast growing plant. i would love to hear more from people using something like this and their results as my plant is not even in flowering yet.


been asking people on here for a while if they have used one of these and still aint found anyone yet would like to hear of some results myself and see pics


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## EvlMunkee (Jan 19, 2013)

I've been using the airdomes for a couple years in autopots. They work well with a light fluffy mix like coco and perlite. The yield is a little better by about 15%. Before the airdomes I used airstones in a net pot. They work too but the airdomes are easier to reuse. They are made for a bottom feeding system. I don't know if it would be worth the effort if you water from the top.


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## B166ER420 (Jan 19, 2013)

I have an og kush/Ny diesel 4weeks veg in a 5 gallon self watering bucket w/airstone.There is about a gallon of water in the bottom at all times with the airstone going......this is the first time trying the airstone.......so far so good..................pic l8r


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## dbdweller (Jan 19, 2013)

Snow Crash said:


> The curl that phyzix is referring to:
> View attachment 1439901
> 
> Given that the plant is a few weeks into 12/12, flowers are forming, and the overall look of the plant is an extremely dark green... I would have to agree with the Hummingbird on this one.
> ...


I have to agree that you need to tone down the N now anyways.
They take a lot of water you said. 
How much of that is evaporation you are adding? Seems to me that; That system requires more then most. I think you might have been right on the edge.. thats why it was darker green( to me, maybe ) 
This was taken fromhttps://www.rollitup.org/marijuana-plant-problems/488004-guide-nutrient-deficiency-toxicity.html
Nitrogen: This element is everywhere, your breathing it in right now! For your




plants, its key in the vegetative growth. It stimulates and powers the formation of leaves, strengthens the stems, and helps the chlorophyll production.
An *abundance* of this is rare during vegetative, but it happens with new growers that think more ferts = more plant (and your right, but to a limit!). To tell if you have an abundance of nitrogen, simply look at the plant. You want green leaves, but not a dark green -> black color.

She still looks great and i believe ....you will have a big smileon your face when you taste her


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## jimbaker (Jan 23, 2013)

B166ER420 said:


> I have an og kush/Ny diesel 4weeks veg in a 5 gallon self watering bucket w/airstone.There is about a gallon of water in the bottom at all times with the airstone going......this is the first time trying the airstone.......so far so good..................pic l8r



im about to use a 5 gallon bucket for a plant to try it out. have you considered getting it a little more dry, almost to the point where the plant starts to limp? since there is soil in it, takes much longer to dry out. i do it with mine and it seems to be at its peek growth right before re-saturating it. another thing i noticed, is that you can grow a MUCH bigger plant in the same size container. i got a two foot tall bush in 1/2 gallon of soil. with a 5 gallon bucket, i imagine you might be able to grow a 6-8 ft plant. and like someone mentioned a few posts after, you dont need as much nutrients. so the main benefits i found is; smaller containers for bigger plants, 100+% growth, less nutrients, less water (since its in a container that doesnt allow runoff.), no cleaning like there is with hydro but same rapid growth, very hard to over water the plant (if even possible), no pumps needed for watering (just add a few cups of water every 4 days or so)

this is truly a technique i am experimenting with MUCH more.


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## Rollverine (May 5, 2019)

TheGaussianMan said:


> Well, I guess I'll see how much my plant yields and I'll reply.


Hey this is crazy but I bet it helps right?? My soil drainage was poor an air atone during flower really helped. Thanks for the idea.


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## MrX2017 (May 7, 2019)

Rollverine said:


> Hey this is crazy but I bet it helps right?? My soil drainage was poor an air atone during flower really helped. Thanks for the idea.



6 year old thread but a good one!
I first heard about this 10 years ago, using an air stone, in a closed pot, your favorite soil mix, and then always keep the water level in the pot to sufficiently allow the air stones to produce enough bubbles/pressure to push thru the soil to aerate the roots with fresh oxygen. 

Maybe this is a thing today idk. I’ve been out of the industry for like 6 years, and man have things flipped!


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## Apical Bud (May 24, 2019)

TheGaussianMan said:


> Hey, I'm a new grower, and I'm currently in the middle of my first grow. Half a week into flowering, I placed an air stone powered by a 20gal rated pump into the bottom of my girl and she responded quite nicely to it. I then went out and purchased another 6in airstone and a 100gal rated pump. I can add amounts of water to my plant that might make others cringe, but the plant seems to love the air stones. I'm curious, has anyone else tried this? If you want more pics, there are some in my grow thread.
> View attachment 1430997


Yes I have tried this and it worked very well.

I used a ring that had air stone nozzles embedded and connected air stones to it. I put that in the bottom of a big red vines jug (clear plastic, about 2 gallons?). I used a sterilized mixture of coco, home depot compost, and worm castings, which I then inoculated with compost starter, and seasoned with a sprinkling of dolomite lime to taste. It was a weird half hydro half soil thing because I didn't drill holes in the pot, so whatever I watered just stayed in the pot for a few days until I watered again. The plant actually grew like a beast, getting to 12 inches in 3-4 weeks with great bushing. It just all around grew very healthily.

However, because I was using organic nutes I ran into fungus gnats. So I got some mosquito bits and threw a few into the soup every few days. It was really fun to do, but the problem I ran into was eventually a slime built up on the air stones and they stopped producing bubbles, and in order to get them out and clean them I had to disrupt and damage the roots. _If I had been using chemical nutes that might not have been a problem._


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