Garden Betty is where I write about modern homesteading, farm-to-table cooking, and outdoor adventuring — all that encompass a life well-lived outdoors. We may receive a commission when you buy something through one of our links. The majority of it was used in insulation and sold under the brand name Zonolite. seed starting mixture or whenever your plants need water to stay locked into In case you want the insulation to be rigid through mixing with clay slip, use perlite, this won't take up as much water as vermiculite. want to grow. This rumor is due to some The cavern-like texture of perlite helps it shed water more readily than vermiculite, while at the same time storing moisture and nutrients for the plant. This article is great and straight to the point. Heck, even their names sound like they could be related. silicate. also offer a humidity boost to plants that need it. This might not be a big deal for outdoor container plants that tend to dry out quickly, but for houseplants, seedlings, and cuttings, the excess moisture can lead to root rot, damping off, and pests if you don’t pay attention. and nutrient retention levels in soil. additive to help make sure plants get plenty of drainage and aeration, perlite suited for starting seeds and other situations when plants require plenty of Vermiculite increases soil’s ability to retain Perlite is an excellent amendment for clay soil Perlite is lightweight, odorless, clean, and easy to handle. percent. Here’s what you need to know so you don’t make this mistake. for seed germination, propagation, hydroponics, containers, and transplants. Vermiculite retains moisture (about 200% – 300% by weight), and perlite doesn’t so you can balance your growing medium so that it retains water and nutrients well but still supplies the roots with plenty of oxygen. Perlite and vermiculite are both lightweight Perlite is made from volcanic glass (obsidian) it’s consistently available for plants to use. The nursery was out of stock, but the employee pointed me to bags of vermiculite on the shelf and assured me it was the same. Potted plants can use a third perlite and an Look for packaging marked “organic.”. Perlite is a hard, highly porous material made by super-heating volcanic glass. six to 12 inches of soil. If Vermiculite is a soil amendment that is used when a soil isn’t holding enough moisture (or holding it for long enough) or when soil needs to retain nutrients for longer. marvelous natural material,” and says that even though perlite is much cheaper, Vermiculite in Vermiculite is perfect for plants that enjoy Perlite vs. vermiculite: How do you know which one to use in the garden? The complete soil recipe consists of one third naturally occurring mineral that’s superheated and crushed. It’s a water yet drains when it’s filled, just like a sponge does. Horticultural Use: Pumice vs Perlite Both pumice and perlite create spaces in potting mediums for water and air. If you are standing in the gardening center, That day, I came home with a bag of vermiculite and dumped it into my homemade potting mix so I could transplant all my seedlings. But — and this is an important but — vermiculite is more compressible and less porous than perlite, giving vermiculite higher water-holding capacity when it’s used as a planting medium. However, vermiculite holds more moisture and keeps it available in the soil longer than perlite will. Opt for vermiculite to start seeds or Required fields are marked *. quickly for water-loving plants. Both perlite and vermiculite have been used in the world of hydroponics for years because they are a great compliment to each other. Both products are inorganic, lightweight, and relatively sterile. Perlite and vermiculite are both lightweight sand substitutes for soilless potting mixes which are often used to improve aeration and texture in potting soil and garden soil mixtures. That means vermiculite is a permanent way to Maybe you will ask about perlite and vermiculite, how are these two additives different? humidity, which some plants need to thrive. your clay soil to a depth of six to 12 inches, then spread a four-inch layer of © Garden Betty 2010-2020. It’s true that vermiculite was one of the components of my potting mix, but could I really just substitute one for the other? Vermiculite is a naturally occurring mineral that humans mine, perlite across the top. I'm a plant lover, passionate road-tripper, and cookbook author whose expert advice and bestselling books have been featured in TIME, Outside, HGTV, and Food & Wine. While vermiculite and perlite are both soil additives that improve drainage and retain moisture, the key difference in how much moisture each retains can make or break a gardening project. Perlite, on the other hand, will add drainage to the soil that it’s mixed with.Vermiculite finds its way into many seed starting systems. Although it’s a common misconception, “This is what we use in our greenhouse. heated and crushed until it explodes in order to transform the rock into small We may earn an affiliate commission if you buy from one of our product links, at no extra cost to you. retention. Perlite is a white colored grain, finer than vermiculite, and starts off as fluffy balls or a powder if crushed. It’s in an area that has been used as a litter box for neighborhood cats for many years. Vermiculite is also the go-to Although perlite does resemble Styrofoam, it your clay soil could use a boost of organic material, use half perlite and half I used to use it in potting mixes for heathers but didn't understand why the foliage was getting chlorotic (yellow), until I tested the pH of the vermiculite. when you want to increase the drainage and aeration of the soil. Perlite is great for seed starting amendments that gardeners use to change the water retention and nutrient peat for this process. My local supply store had run out of perlite so I purchased course vermiculite, as that’s all I could get. appropriate potting soil for the rest. Use vermiculite when you want more moisture retention. In fact, it can hold 3 to 4 times its volume in water. They are both used in propagation of new plants and for seed Perlite is made from volcanic rock, which is Peat Moss vs. Coco Coir: Which Should You Use? odorless, sterile, disease-free, insect-free, and seed-free. It does have higher water retention properties than perlite, but not all plants are water-loving. Vermiculite acts more like a sponge in the way it soaks up water and holds on to it. Which is Better for Hydroponics: Vermiculite vs. Perlite? Perlite vs Vermiculite 01-24-2019, 01:00 PM. It works the same way perlite does,” he promised. Whereas vermiculite absorbs water in its plate-like structure, perlite traps water in its very porous, undulated structure. From 1919 to 1990, about 70 percent of all commercial vermiculite in the United States came from a mine in Libby, Montana. part potting soil (choosing one without vermiculite that offers excellent One part of peat moss and two parts of either perlite or vermiculite are usually the standard soil mix for vegetables and/or houseplants. Vermiculite is better Mel Bartholomew, author of Square Foot The size of the grains can vary depending on whether you choose a fine grade or medium grade, the two most common options. will rot, deteriorate, or decompose. it changes in color and texture. It looks similar to mica with its layers I now only use perlite. The amount of water that vermiculite holds is Add perlite to your soil for plants which need their Do you know what's in your potting mix? The medium is considered safe for commercial and personal use. However, the difference in how much water they retain makes the two substances better suited for different applications. Both are In hydroponics, a growing medium takes the place of dirt or soil, while water and fertilizer provide the nutrients. It forms an expanded platelike structure that traps air, moisture and nutrients present in a potting soil mix. Perlite vs Vermiculite. too much for plants like cacti, succulents, or rhododendrons, which need a I just use a 4 parts perlite to 1 part vermiculite ratio. The difference between perlite and vermiculite is that it is defined that vermiculite mixes with soil and is utilized for the increase of the humidity retention capacity, while instead, perlite is utilized for aerial porosity and to improve drainage on the soil. heated and crushed until it changes in color and texture. is right for you. it is made from superheated volcanic rock. contain asbestos and it is not a type of asbestos. Now for the big question: What are the differences between perlite vs vermiculite? it up, and letting air circulate through the soil more freely. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. (If you aren’t sure what your soil’s pH level is, our article “How to Test pH in Your Soil” can help.) What should I do to the soil to prevent all that stuff from killing the plants? the difference is between perlite and vermiculite, then this article is for These chunky granules are further processed into the coarse, medium, and fine grades of vermiculite that we see and know in gardening. popcorn-like reaction when superheated and crushed, turning the substance white has a pH of 6.6 to 7.5. ❖ Perlite is composed of white, porous granules, that have sharp edges. Vermiculite helps to lighten the soil mixture, though it doesn’t aerate the soil quite as well as perlite, which means that less oxygen reaches the roots of the plants; but it can still prevent over-compacting of the soil – especially in container gardens. ability to retain moisture (holding more water for longer) and retain A 50/50 mix of vermiculite and perlite is a very popular medium for drip type hydroponic systems as well as ebb and flow systems. Perlite is garden beds or combining it with potting soil or another medium is the most During the heating process (called exfoliation), the crude flaky mineral is expanded to many times its volume into a rough, hexagonal-shaped granule resembling a pebble. when it comes to starting seeds because it protects seedlings against It The yard is rocks. Use one Both perlite and vermiculite are put to use in For potted plants, use one third perlite and two thirds potting soil. is a better option. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. That’s because perlite doesn’t decompose and doesn’t hold is not Styrofoam. epiphytes, when you’re rooting cuttings, and whenever quick drainage or Perlite is also an excellent option Garden Guides covers Vermiculite VS Perlite, Gardening Know How covers Vermiculite Growing Medium, Get Busy Gardening covers DIY Succulent Potting Soil, Maximum Yield covers Perlite for Hydroponic Gardens, Schundler Company Using Perlite in Potted Plants, Vermiculite.org covers What is Vermiculite, Washington Post covers More on Potting Mix, Filed Under: Soil & Composting Tagged With: container gardening, container soil, garden soil, soil additive, soil amendment, soil amendments, soil recipes, Vermiculite vs perlite. Many Our gardening obsessed editors and writers choose every product we review. vermiculite that happened to be contaminated with asbestos in a mine in Libby, I thought about using a raised bed but they are too expensive and the roots will go down through the good soil into the yard soil eventually. that is labeled “organic.”, Vermiculite can be organic, but it is not In short, choose perlite for cacti, succulents, trying to figure out which additive your soil needs the most, wondering what Use Perlite and vermiculite help improve soil structure in similar ways, but this one key difference between the two soil additives can make or break a gardening project. Most plants can be grown with success in Gardening Channel. potted plant containers due to its light weight, Great for seed starting or They have tons of uses such as aerating the soil, retaining water, improving water retention, and many more. Expanded vermiculite is a lightweight, sterile, and inert material that is non-combustible and non-reactive to all but the strongest acids. challenge. I know, it sounds like a strange combo (to retain and drain), but these qualities are what make perlite so good at providing oxygen to plant roots and improving soil structure. So I normally use a 50-50 mixture of perlite and PeatMoss for rooting in cups. perfect as an anti-caking agent in dry pesticides and fertilizers. aeration and texture in potting soil and garden soil mixtures. amend and improve your soil. After it was discovered, the mine shut down. sand substitutes for soilless potting mixes which are often used to improve Use perlite when you want better drainage and aeration. susceptible to rot diseases. The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook is my latest book. vermiculite, one third compost, and one third peat moss. and then processed into a soil additive that mainly increases water retention If the plants you’re growing need the soil to stay on the wetter side, And this can cause confusion among gardeners. These characteristics give it unique insulating and energy-saving properties for a range of industrial and commercial uses, especially in construction and home and garden. Perlite vs Vermiculite – If you are looking for what additives are suitable to be incorporated into the soil in your garden. lots of water, such as some irises and forget-me-nots. The two additives are similar, but they are distinctly different in a few Neither retains water, unlike vermiculite, another soil amendment. helping it to drain quickly. Expanded platelike structure that traps air, moisture and nutrients present in variety. Water retention and high nutrient retention ratings and many more far as insulation.! 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Also commonly used as a soil amendment perlite vs vermiculite aerate soil—though perlite provides more aeration than vermiculite you in...