Hello Friends, Todays Video is on the Benefits of Perlite and Vermiculite in Garden soil,
then, the differences between Perlite and Vermiculite and lastly the disadvantages or
drawbacks of using them.
Coming up..
Imagine this scenario, You are standing in the garden and trying to decide which one
to mix in your potting soil - whether perlite or vermiculite.
The differences between perlite vs vermiculite are important to know for the prosperity of
your garden.
Perlite and vermiculite are two different substances used for a common purpose, that
is for moisture retention and aeration in soil.
That means to hold water within soil for plants and also to improve air circulation or aeration
of potting mix.
Perlite and vermiculite are quite different in composition and also performance wise.
Determining which is better for use in your garden depends on your plant type and its
requirements.
Vermiculite is an aluminum-iron-magnesium silicate that resembles mica in appearance.
It is heated to expand the particles and form flakes.
It has a neutral ph of 7.0.
Vermiculite can soak up 3 to 4 times its volume in water and absorbs and retains moisture.
It also attracts and retains plant nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, calcium and
phosphorus.
Vermiculite is a spongy material that is dark brown to golden brown in color.
It is shaped like flakes when dry.
Perlite is an amorphous volcanic rock that is rich in silicon.
To use as a potting medium, perlite is crushed and also heated to expand the particles.
Perlite has a PH of 6.6 to 7.5.
Perlite looks like porous white balls of varying grades that looks like white granules often
resembles foam balls or thermocol balls.
It can be easily crushed with your fingers or on pressure.
But still even the smallest particle of perlite serves its purpose of moisture retention and
hold air within.
There are microscopic bubbles in perlite which serve this function.
In Comparison, Perlite and vermiculite are both good at retaining water, but vermiculite
acts more like a sponge, holding much more water than perlite and offering less aeration
for the plant roots.
Perlite retains less water, but because it is porous it allows excess water to drain
more readily than vermiculite and improves soil aeration.
Perlite cannot be used in only garden soil, because its readily crushable and will not
serve the purpose fully due to compression by heavy garden soil particles.
Best use of perlite is in potting mix with various compositions like coco peat, peat
moss, sand and other material.
Please watch my separate video on Various Potting Mix Formula.
Well, To summarise or list out the uses of both vermiculite and perlite:
1.
They prevent soil compaction, improve aeration and retain moisture.
2.
They are also used in propagation of plants from cuttings that is cloning.
3.
They are also used as seed starting mix for seed germinations.
4.
They are also used to grow indoor plants and succulents.
Well, Now the Take home message is that, Vermiculite is ideal for plants that prefer lots of water
and Perlite would dry out too rapidly for water-loving plants.
However, Perlite is favourable for plants such as cacti, which need a well-drained soil.
One bad effect of overuse specially of Vermiculite is - The excess moisture retained by vermiculite
would lead to root rots or plant death.
So in any General Potting Mix, use no more than 10% of these substances specially Vermiculite.
So there we have it folks, that was our informative episode on The uses and differences between
Perlite and Vermiculite in garden.
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Happy Gardening!