Thread: Rice Hulls
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Old 05-10-2010, 02:15 AM
GpsFrontier GpsFrontier is offline
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Location: Lake Havasu AZ.
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Hi GPS, looks like you totally missed the point I was making and this is. After a week of no watering the bottom 20% of the 8" deep Rice hulls were still full of moisture.
Sorry, moisture is not the problem. Lack of air/oxygen to the root system is. Plants need moisture all the time, and with a root system in the containers they will suck up moisture all the time. If a container is sealed off enough (not enough air circulation) the water will never evaporate regardless of how long it has been there, weeks months or even years. Water will naturally drain (south/down) unless it cant. That would be a lack of good drainage, then it pools or puddles up, and it may take years to evaporate without air circulation. That would be a compact soil (or growing medium) not allowing proper air circulation in order for it to evaporate and drain.

I have not used rice hulls for a growing medium, and I don't know what you mean by only compacted as normal. Even soil can become too compacted and not allowing good drainage (air circulation to the root system). Even when not compacting it at all. Over time it will expand and settle down, this takes away the air passages that provide the air circulation/evaporation. Humidity or not, if there was adequate air circulation to the bottom of the containers they would not be soaked (unless it has rained).
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