So would it be ok to mix in some perlite now?
yes you need perlite to break up the soil. but if you already planted the CLONE leave it alone. if you hold the soil in your fist and let go, it should break apart. Perlite helps to make soil more loose, and this encourages healthy root development
PLANTING MIXES
The most important considerations of planting mixes are their texture, air and water holding capacity. The mixture should drain well so that oxygen, required by the roots, can fill the empty spaces.
Mixes with fine particles are good can- didates for small size containers, perhaps up to 6-inch diameter. However they may become soggy and waterlogged in larger
containers, creating anaerobic conditions, deadly to the roots.
A moist potting mix with a good texture should form a clump if is squeezed into a fist; then with a slight poke the clod should break apart. If it sticks together it should be amended with ingredients that loosen it up.
These include:
• coir
• perlite
• vermiculite • compost
High quality commercial potting mixes almost always have good texture and to provide plants with high amounts of water andair.
TIPS FOR OUTDOOR CONTAINERS
• Light beating down on a container can raise the temperature of the soil and roots causing tissue damage to the plant. Black containers are the worst because they absorb all the light. Con- tainers wrapped in light colored ma- terial such as cloth, paper or plastic, painted white or pastel or placed in a basket won’t get hot.
• Covering containers with white plastic helps slow evaporation.
• If the containers are stationary let the roots migrate from the container to the ground. The new roots will supply the plant with more water and nutrients.
