Clay pebbles for drainage and organic fertilizer

I'm not a fan of the clay balls in soil or coco or at the bottom of the pot. Just suspend the pot on a wire rack so it's not sat in its own piss. Clay balls are good in dwc baskets to support the plant, they have a stupidly high PH and need soaking in a lowish ph before using I find. Just mix perlite in and don't bother with a layer of balls at the bottom and suspend the pot off the floor. That's my personal opinion, others will have there own take on it. But I'm never wrong. 😅

the better drainage will reduce mold risk. it will not impact which fertilizers you can use. Can use perlite for that, too. Clay pebbles are expensive, eh? They are so bulky they get in the way of roots -- though for use at the bottom of a pot, that particular drawback is irrelevant. I think clay pebbles are popular because they "look cool" in hydro context, lol. just as you don't want large chunks of wood, you don't want large, solid objects in your substrate. if your pots are on 'pot elevators' or otherwise held up and away from whatever drains out of them, that's really all you need to do. Don't let them set in their piss and all is well. Stop worrying about the marketing term "organic." It mean nothing to reality.

So I've heard both: Yes, it rots and no, it doesn't rot. I initially wanted to use clay pebbles for drainage, but after thorough research, I decided against it because the risk of root rot was just too high for me. That doesn't mean that clay pebbles cause it, but rather that I just haven't found a clear answer that definitely rules it out. Instead, I don't use any real drainage, but rather sensible substrate and these "Air-Pot Superoot" pots to eliminate waterlogging. I hope I could at least help you a little bit. Good luck with the grow👍 Cheers💪

Yes

I see people saying its caused phproblems.I can't comment on that but Iv never had them,I was talking about 1 single layer along the bottom and some mixed into the coco.Lots of people grow in straight clay pepples all the time with no ph issues so Im very surprised.They sell the 50/50 mix as well so maybe their issue was down to something else.Opinions opinions,like ass holes,everyones got one,lol.Its a joke people,Im English,sarcasm,banter is all me.

No worries, nothing is moldy.

Do not do it. I tried, accumulates salts , changes ph of bottom part of pot. Was buying expensive, buffed clay pebbles and still was getting issues. My 2 pence. I thought same, will create better drainage, but now i use garden trolleys , gravity does the rest.

No problem with mold as the good microbes and fungi will eat it.I always use clay pebbles at the bottom even though tests show it does improve yield but its going to improve the roots due to more oxygen.You can't beat Advanced Nutrients full stop and that includes their Iguana Juice,Liquid organic base food.Its not cheap but you get what you pay for and its not too bad when buying 5,no its now 4 ltrs.You only have to look at the ingrediants compared to others and you see why the expense.Depending on the medium coco or soil,I use coco you may want to have the pebbles mixed in as well.I do.