Vermiculite! This soil additive can be worth it’s weight in gold when used correctly. From seed germination to water retention, learn more about this interesting mineral.
Why use vermiculite?
Advantages
- Improves drainage
- Improves aeration
- Improves water/nutrient retention & spreads it around the soil evenly
- Incredibly versatile
Disadvantages
- Holds more water than its counterpart perlite, which increases risk of root-rot
What is vermiculite?
Vermiculite is an inert, inorganic mineral that is mined throughout the world, in locations like Russia, Australia, Brazil & the US. Just like perlite it is created using heating which causes the raw vermiculite to expand.
How to use vermiculite
Vermiculite as a soil additive
Vermiculite is best used as a soil additive for plants that require a constant higher hydration level, like the Alocasia.
Vermiculite as a seed germination medium
As vermiculite holds and evenly spreads water throughout the container, it is a great seed starter.
Vermiculite to store roots & bulbs
Vermiculite is a great tool to store bulbs from various plants like Caladiums & Stephania’s. The vermiculite helps keep the temperature & moisture on a stable level, and blocks any light from hitting the bulbs.
Vermiculite as a mushroom growing substrate
Vermiculite is commonly used in the mushroom growing space as a substrate.
Vermiculite v.s. perlite
While both are inorganic, inert and lightweight. There are a couple differences to the two. Simply put, vermiculite holds more water and has a slightly higher lower PH than perlite. For most plants perlite will be the best option, but for water-loving plants like the alocasia vermiculite is better. More on perlite can be read here. Vermiculite is not dusty and there is no direct danger of inhaling the particles, unlike perlite.
You can buy our vermiculite here.