The Ultimate Guide to Perlite: Everything You Need to Know

Due to perlite’s unique chemical and physical properties, it is widely used for gardening. For many reasons, you should add perlite to the garden or potting soil and prepare potting mix. Perlite is very useful in making dense soil lighter and less compact. It is lightweight, odorless, clean, and very easy to use.

What is perlite?

Perlite is a natural inorganic, non-toxic material derived from a volcano, chemically a type of volcanic glass containing a high percentage of water. Since perlite is a naturally occurring mineral, perlite is a non-renewable resource.

Is Perlite Organic From the point of view of chemistry, organic compounds contain carbon. Since perlite does not contain carbon, it is considered an inorganic material.

But from a horticultural perspective, “organic” refers to something produced naturally without synthetic processes or significant chemical changes.

How is perlite made? Obtained directly from the ground, Perlite is a dense, amorphous volcanic glass with very high water content. In its natural state, Perlite is brown or black in color, as it is usually formed during the cooling process of lava.

How To Use Perlite In The Garden Perlite is a valuable soil amendment for gardeners and can improve soil structure, aeration, and drainage. Here are some tips on how to use perlite in the garden:

Perlite In Soil Mixes You can prepare high-quality soil at home by mixing equal amounts of perlite, loam, and peat moss. You can grow plants by filling this prepared soil in a pot and garden.

On the soil surface Perlite can also be scattered on the soil surface of the plant pot, in addition to covering the top surface of the potting mix to provide the necessary environment for seed germination.

For seed germination You can prepare a mixture of perlite, vermiculite, and peat moss (or cocopeat) in equal parts and plant the seeds to develop healthy seedlings and reduce disease.

For root cuttings Perlite helps encourage root growth in new cuttings. You can grow cuttings of plants with Perlite. It holds the moisture needed to keep the cutting alive and creates a favorable medium for new roots to develop.

Using Perlite Benefits For Gardening