VERMICULITE – SUBSTITUTE PERLITE OR EXPANDED SHALE?
Some people substitute perlite for vermiculite. Vermiculite is mica rock that has been ground up, then heated until it expands, almost like popcorn. Perlite is volcanic rock that is ground up. Both hold water, however vermiculite holds a little more. Mel prefers vermiculite over perlite. Mel doesn’t like it, however many people do use it. Here’s the scoop on perlite. It is rather coarse and gritty to the touch and don’t like the feel of it in the soil mix. Mel has been told it doesn’t hold as much moisture as vermiculite does. In addition, it floats to the top of the soil mix as you water your garden and it looks rather unsightly. And the last reason Mel doesn’t like it is that it is dusty and makes him sneeze Of course, many people do use perlite instead of vermiculite and, in fact, most of the commercial mixes are made with perlite and I’m quite sure the reason is that it’s less expensive than vermiculite. They probably don’t care what it looks or feels like, but we do in our gardens
