These properties enable perlite to simplify two vital processes in hydroponics/soil, which are critical for the growth of plant. Perlite is insanely porous and has pockets of space inside for air.It can also hold a certain amount of water while letting the rest drain away.It doesn't have any toxic chemicals and is created from naturally occurring compositions found in soil.It is physically stable and holds its shape even when hard-pressed into the soil.They primarily stem from its unique chemical and physical properties, which include: Perlite is such a valuable additive to gardens and hydroponic setups, and there are good reasons for that. That said, let's now look at the various advantages of perlite in your garden: Benefits of Perlite in a Garden It is usually used for industrial purposes such as construction as well as in the manufacturing of ceiling tiles, plasters, and masonry, as we mentioned earlier.īut we're mostly interested in the use of perlite in hydroponics and gardening.Īnd because of that, the hard mineral glass must be processed into the lightweight, white-colored, plasticky object that looks like Styrofoam, confusing lots of veteran gardeners about its primary purpose and origin! The United States, Japan, Greece, and Turkey are the primary producers of perlite.įurthermore, it's a somewhat affordable mineral. Since perlite is an inherently occurring mined mineral, it's a nonrenewable resource. Perlite is typically made of the following ingredients: Perlite is incredibly heavy and dense in its natural form, just like every other volcanic rock. It can easily maintain its shape in the soil without disintegrating. Learn also Will Mushroom Compost Burn Plants? (Well Explained)Īdditionally, the foamy balls have a ton of porous openings inside of them and are generally stable, sterile, and clean. The mineral pieces usually expand between 7–16 times their actual size and volume to create those lightweight Styrofoam-like balls. The process results in the expansion of the crushed pieces of perlite.

Heat softens the mineral structure, enabling the water trapped inside to expand into steam while trying to escape. Therefore, the processed perlite balls are made by grinding natural perlite glass and baking them in industrial ovens.Ĭrushed perlite must be quickly heated to 900☌ (about 1650☏) in order to finish the transformation process. Perlite glass is rich in water, and as a result, it pops just like popcorn when heated to high temperatures. Perlite is also used on cement and gypsum plasters, masonry construction, as well as loose-fill insulation.Īside from that, it's also used in municipal swimming pool water filtration, pharmaceuticals, and an abrasive in polishes, soaps, and cleansers.

Perlite is equally fantastic for rooting cuttings and promotes much stronger root formation than the ones grown in only water. Perlite is used in soil mixtures to improve ventilation and alter the soil substructure to keep it loose, resist compaction, and well-drained.Ī one-part mixture of peat moss, loam, and perlite is ideal for container growing, allowing the pot to retain enough oxygen and water.

Perlite has many applications, as a gardener, it's an essential element in your garden. Read Also: Best Garden Mulch of All Time What are the Uses of Perlite Let's discuss the uses of perlite further below: It's generally mixed into ceiling tiles, lightweight plasters, or masonry as an insulator. Perlite is often used in the garden and industrial settings. It's clean, disease-free, non-toxic, lightweight, and insanely easy to work with. It's sometimes referred to as 'swollen pyrite' and is nicknamed 'volcanic popcorn.' If you use a microscope to look at a piece of gardening perlite, you would see that it's relatively porous.Īdditionally, the cavities in horticultural perlite help to store nutrients and some moisture that plants might need but drain excess water away. Perlite is a form of shapeless volcanic glass that is heated up to 1,600☏, at which point it pops just like popcorn and swells up to 13x its former size, leading to a very lightweight material.

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