New Grower What are those?

[chzrh]

Noob question. In alot of photos I've seen here, people have these marble sized brown balls on the top of their soil. What are those, and what are they for?

 

[mcm94]

In spanish, arlita and perlita, arlite and perlite maybe in english, are used to allow the soil to air itself easier and root penetration is made easier.
Also great for the top of the pot where the soil can catch the wind and make a mess of your terrace

 

[chzrh]

Would you break them up and mix with soil? I thought Perlite was the small white pieces mixed in with soil.

 

[Balarama]

U think this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expanded_clay_aggregate

 

[chzrh]

Thats it. So it seems it is primarily for hydroponics. Would there be any benefit to putting it on top of soil?

 

[CharlesoOo]

Thats it. So it seems it is primarily for hydroponics. Would there be any benefit to putting it on top of soil?

They are more a medium for growing in as they hold a bit of water. I doubt there would be any other growing benefits. Maybe to keep the light off the roots if they are showing at soil level? :stylez rasta smoke:

 

[chzrh]

Thanks guys. With the Perlite, will mixing this in your soil change the ph or add anything else you would need to stabilize?

 

[chzrh]

Found this in case anybody else was interested
https://www.autoflower.org/f73/perlite-information-1964.html

 

[Muddy]

Those clay balls, called Hydroton, are used in hydroponics. No real benefit to using them in soil, although some people do put them in the bottom of pots for drainage. Not really necessary if you have a well draining soil to start with. Adding perlite won't affect the pH of your soil. Basically it's lava rock that has been heated and expanded. It provides moisture retention (holds 5 times it's weight in water), and also helps keep the soil loose so oxygen can reach the roots.

Thanks guys. With the Perlite, will mixing this in your soil change the ph or add anything else you would need to stabilize?