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vermiculite vs perlite

Balduvian

Balduvian

Was just wondering on everyone's preference on these two, at my local nursery they are the same price. I've heard of people saying go with perlite its cheaper but is that the only reason to use it?

Is one better than the other?

If they are the same price what one would you use?
 
i use perlite because it breaks down alot slower, hence you can reuse your peat lite/ coco lite for longer.

however they are not exactly 1:1. you cant really get "super fine" perlite like you can with verm... so if you are trying to make a seedling/seed starting mix you should go with the fine grades of verm, because even fine perlite is too chunky.

i like perlite, tho ive never worked with verm. i will say that perlite just CANT be any good for your lungs... ever pop open a 4cubic food bag of perlite?
there is like a cloud of silicosis that comes out of those things. i just open them up and take like 10 steps back and wait 30 seconds lol. im told its fairly safe, but still.
 
ok, ya i was not 100% positive a lot of people told me vermiculite was better but cost more, I have a few friends that are farmers in Pennsylvania and said to go with vermiculite.

So I think I will use vermiculite for the first few transplants then move to perlite when I plant them into their final containers.

thanks guys :dance: :surprised:
 
FWIW perlite has a lower bulk density... meaning it is more airy. more airy= more oxygen in the soil mix.
if they are the same price ill go with perlite any time. if the verm is even a little bit less, it becomes a toss up, because verm is still very good.
 
perlite does hold water. its porous as all hell. it may not hold as much as verm, idk. neither are good at holding water, but neither are meant for that.
if you are looking for something that holds water id suggest peat or coir.
 
Vermiculite also has a high cation exchange capacity (CEC), where as perlite has almost none. This essentially means it can take up nutrients more readily.
 
I usually go with vermiculite, too, since it is a nice aerator, and also, retains water. It also has a nice property to release the water slowly, without becoming waterlogged and risking root-rot, which peat moss can do. Another great reason to go with vermiculite is that it is a renewable resource, and perlite is not.
 
im pretty sure both are mined minerals... so idk how either is technically renewable. they are so cheep because they are basically pulled out of the ground and heated up such that they expand greatly. they are actually pretty similar in that respect.

i dont see how you can compare peat to verm when they are so different. peats not an aerator at all like verm. at best id say its just a soil conditioner. people use it for crap sandy clay soil.
 
Perlite and Vermiculite are great amendments that do different things... using both of them in combination is by far better than using either exclusively, as they are not really comparable except for basic properties of water retantion and the fact that they take up space in a soil mix. A much better topic for comparison would be peat moss vs coconut coir, as they actually occupy the same niche in a soil mix.
 
[background=rgb(255, 244, 228)]perlite does hold water. its porous as all hell. it may not hold as much as verm, idk.[/background]
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Maybe it's the other ingredients in mixes I have used, but soils with vermiculite seem to be like sponges, and soils with perlite seem to dry out much faster. ?? :think:
 
I never use Vermiculite past seedling stage.
In soil mixes I think it turns to mush/packs down , where perlite doesn't.

I've used Vermiculite for Hydro and it sucked past a certain amount of time.
I use perlite sized Pomice now in hydroponics.

The hydro stuff I used it with is the recirculating type systems that work like the old fashion goldfish bowl filters used.A bubble of air pushes water around the top of the grow media.

http://s403.photobucket.com/user/smoemaster_2007/media/2012%20pics/PICT2188-1.jpg.html?sort=3&o=53
 
Perlite FTW! Vermiculite is way too fragile for my liking. Don't know if I'm too rough when it comes to mixing potting mix or what but vermiculite has always ended up breaking into useless flecks and flakes on me. :mad:

And yes, I always add my aerators last... still no bueno. ;)
 
Noah Yates said:
Perlite and Vermiculite are great amendments that do different things... using both of them in combination is by far better than using either exclusively, as they are not really comparable except for basic properties of water retantion and the fact that they take up space in a soil mix. A much better topic for comparison would be peat moss vs coconut coir, as they actually occupy the same niche in a soil mix.
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what different things do they do? they are both aerators. one is far more suitable for seedlings than the other. neither hold an appreciable amount of water, so neither are suited for such a task imo.

i think you will find that you are alone in your assertion that they differ vastly and accomplish very different things within any soil mix. like i said, a good chunky verm will not hold much water whem compared to an equal volume of say coir or peat or the like. super fine verm probably holds more, as the same is true with fine perlite.

if you are adding verm to a mix to add water retention... imo you are doing it wrong. add a small volume of peat/coir or compost to your liking , then fluff it out with either aerator to your liking.

also i dont see how using them both accomplishes anything either or could not.
 
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While they both have similar porosity perlite generally has higher permeability so water and air flows easier in and out of it hence why most gardeners generally prefer perlite for an aeration material and vermiculite is preferred as a propagation material because it holds water for longer
 
i used vermiculite up till 1 gallon pots, i think when i put them into the 5 gallon or 10 gallon w/e i use ill do 3/4 perlite and 1/4 vermiculite for that part of my mixture
 
Trippa said:
While they both have similar porosity perlite generally has higher permeability so water and air flows easier in and out of it hence why most gardeners generally prefer perlite for an aeration material and vermiculite is preferred as a propagation material because it holds water for longer
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agreed, fine verm while being... fine also will hold water to some extent. verm can actually be used by itself with nothing else for cloning and germing.

but i think its incorrect to state that verm should be added so as to hold more water in the mix. i also think its wrong to say they are vastly different, and accomplish different things. idk if i made that clear in my above post.

off topic... but IMO soil mixes that hold TOO LITTLE water? who actually has that problem? lol every soil condition seems to require aeration far more than additional retention in my meager experiances. i wonder if the opposite is the case in areas like the south west.. .like arizona nevada and utah south california etc?
seems like their soil would be far sandier and without the organic top soil you get from midwest type plains grassland/prarie that makes up most of the midwest .

here in houston our soil is just awful. clay and sand, nothing good at all. ive dug in my backyard alot... there are stratified layers of clay just about 8" under the top soil that is literally all but impermeable to water.
 
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