Horticultural perlitehas remarkable properties for horticulture. It is chemically neutral, perfectly aerates the substrate and also stores water. Thanks to this, it is widely used in the cultivation of plants.The price of perlitefor horticulture is also not high, which even more speaks for its popularity. Find outwhat proportions of perliteshould be used if you want to mix it with the soil to create a good substrate for plants.
Garden perlite
Horticultural perliteis a popular material used as a substrate for greenhouse cultivation of many plants or as an admixture to the soil, e.g.to high peat. It can naturally adapt to the plant's root system, it is also completely chemically neutral. Perlite is also a sterile material that significantly improves the air conditions in the substrate.
What does perlite look like
Perliteis a quartz mineral of volcanic origin, it is obtained from volcanic aluminosilicates, which are ground and sintered at a temperature of around 1000 ° C. Due to such a high temperature, all water and gases evaporate from the material. Thanks to these treatments, perlite gains a porous sponge structure. Usually the size of individual perlite granules is approx. 6 mm.
Perlite application
Horticultural perliteas an admixture to substrates, it is especially appreciated for its ability to store and give off water. This causes the substrate mixed with perlite to dry more slowly, and the plants have much easier access to water.
Applicationhorticultural perliteis also a material that loosens and aerates the substrate.This is very important because thanks to this material, the roots receive more oxygen, which significantly improves the quality of the plants.
Horticultural perliteis also used very widely as a substrate for vegetative propagation, mainly due to for its sterility and structure. Perlite is also used for the soilless cultivation of vegetables and plants in the greenhouse. Then the so-called natural perlite mats.
What proportions should I use for perlite?
If we want tomix the perlite with the substratecorrectly, it should be done so that the amount of perlite is about 10-30% of the volume of the entire substrate. If, for example, we want perlite to make up 25% of the volume of the substrate, we use 1 liter of perlite for 3 liters of soil. You should stick to the appropriate proportions for perlite because exceeding them may cause a worse quality of the substrate, and thus deteriorate the quality of the entire breeding of our plants.
Note! Over time (over a year), perlite begins to absorb much more water. Therefore, when preparing the substrate for slow-growing plants, which will be transplanted not more often than every few years, it is better to put a different loosening material into the ground.
Perlite price
Horticultural perliteis eagerly bought not only because of its phenomenal properties but also because of its low price. For a 20 liter bag of perlite, we will pay about PLN 20-30. If we really need a lot of perlite, I have also seen bags containing 125 liters of perlite, the price of which was just over PLN 50. So herethe price of perliteper 1 kg is much lower. Of course, there are also smaller packages available, useful when you only have a few potted flowers. We will buy a small 3-liter bag of perlite for about 2.50 to 3 PLN.
