GrowStones

[Jerry Delaney]

I just wondered if anyone has tried "GrowStones" as an S/H medium? If so, I would sure like to hear about your experiences with it. Also, just in case someone is tempted to try it, it's coated with calcium carbonate and the initial pH is between 9 & 10.

[Ray]

More than a year ago, when they first went public with the product, I contacted them and received a large box of sample material.

It's a foamed glass product, and is a lot like perlite. The particular sample I got was extremely variable in size, so I screened it to to have the 1/2"+ pieces only for testing.

It worked, but is SO lightweight, that anything other than a phalaenopsis is likely to be too top-heavy to stand up.

I would absolutely NOT use stuff that would drive the root zone pH that high. You will likely not find a single plant that will thrive in that range.

[Jerry Delaney]

It worked, but is SO lightweight, that anything other than a phalaenopsis is likely to be too top-heavy to stand up.

I would absolutely NOT use stuff that would drive the root zone pH that high. You will likely not find a single plant that will thrive in that range.

I agree with both of these observations Ray. However both are relatively easily fixed. I tend to put a lot of my pots into carrying type trays since I seem to have an unique ability these days to either drop, spill or knock over most anything I touch! I'm afraid that they may have been talking about me when they coined the phrase "bull in a china shop"!

I also became quite upset with the pH problem. But, I simply added enough pH down to take the pH to ~2.5 and let it sit overnight then really rinsed it well. The pH was now ~6.4 and it seems to remain stable for now.

You said it 'worked'. Did your plants bloom OK? What was your impression of it's wicking ability?

[Ray]

The two negatives - however easily they might be corrected - prevented me from using it for more than a couple of months.

The wicking is good, but the irregular shape of the stuff I had packed too densely for my liking.

[Jerry Delaney]

Thanks, Ray.