PERLITE: WHAT IT IS, USING THE PROPERTIES OF THE MINERAL FOR PLANTS

A very frequent problem of gardeners is too dense soil, which practically does not allow air and moisture, preventing plants from developing. Agroperlite will be a real salvation for such a case, the properties and application of which we will discuss below.

What is perlite and its characteristics

Perlite is widespread in horticulture and gardening, so everyone should know what it is. In fact, perlite is one of the volcanic rocks, which in its structure and appearance has similarities with glass.

Each piece of perlite contains from 2 to 6% of bound water, which is why during the heating the perlite is able to increase in its size by 4 or even 20 times. Perlite, or agroperlite, as it is also called, can also explode. However, this is only possible when heated to 870 ° C.

The chemical composition of perlite is multicomponent:

65-75% is silicon dioxide;
10-16% - alumina;
up to 5% - potassium oxide:
up to 4% - sodium oxide;
up to 3% - iron oxide;
up to 1% - calcium oxide;
2-6% - water.

Perlite may differ in its color. Often white or transparent perlite is used in agriculture, however, black, reddish brown, green and brown are found. From the color of perlite does not change its properties and application.

Important! Keep in mind that by adding white or transparent perlite to the soil mixture for plants you complicate the process of diagnosing the soil for the presence of various pests. In particular, the particles of perlite can be easily confused with root and mealy worms, as well as with the larvae of the mushroom mosquito. Mark the presence of pests will be possible only as a plant.

Perlite Types

There are several types of perlite, which are used in different areas, but the most popular ones are expanded and lamellar.

Expanded perlite is used only in agriculture, whereas in the construction industry, the oil industry, metallurgy, medicine and the food industry it is the most common lamellar perlite. Let us consider them separately, which will make it possible to understand why each of the types of perlite is needed for plants and construction.

Expanded perlite

Expanded perlite - it is natural perlite, which is burned under high temperatures in special furnaces. Due to the impact on the rock temperature from 850 to 1250 ° C, it swells and unfolds as popcorn. Depending on the size of the expanded perlite, it can be grainy or resemble rubble.

Another name for expanded perlite is agroperlite, because it is used by farmers.

Expanded perlite has the following characteristics:

Durability.
Fire resistance (up to 900 ° С).
Thermal insulation.
Soundproofing.
The good absorbing ability (absorbs up to 400% of the weight).
Biological resistance (the expanded perlite has no tendency to rotting, microorganisms, insects, rodents do not live in it).
Ecological purity and sterility.

Very often, expanded perlite is used for seedlings, which require a lot of moisture and are very sensitive to temperature fluctuations. Nevertheless, floriculture remains the most sought-after area of use, since perlite for flowers is both a drainage system and a system for preventing the drying of topsoil in a pot. Perhaps similar due to the fact that perlite has the ability to accumulate moisture, and then give it to the soil.

Plate Perlite

Plate Perlite has a wider scope of use, and the question of why it is needed, first of all leads us to the construction industry. By adding perlite to the composition of building materials, it is possible to significantly increase their resistance to fire.

In addition, thanks to perlite building structures are becoming more durable, lightweight and less voluminous. Apply perlite in such industrial branches:

Mining of oil and gas. Since perlite is a good adsorbent, it is used to absorb fuel oil and gasoline, which are then simply burned out of it.
Housing and communal services. Perlite is used for water purification in the city water supply.
Food industry. Perlite is used as a filter for cleaning sugar syrups and vegetable oils.
Ecology. Thanks to perlite, active cleaning of reservoirs and lands that have suffered from industrial pollution is carried out. For this purpose, expanded perlite can also be used.
Metallurgy. By adding perlite to the alloys, it turns out to achieve the pearlite structure of the steel.
The medicine. Perlite is used as a filter for medical preparations.

Did you know? Perlite is used even in hookahs. For this purpose, it is impregnated with propylene glycol and various flavors, and then laid in a hookah instead of tobacco.

How useful perlite for plants

The described characteristics give a hint for what they use perlite in agriculture. Due to its structure and ability to preserve its shape, it does not flatten and not be compacted, it is widely used to loosen the soil and enhance its qualities such as air and water permeability.

Perlite is also suitable for indoor plants, and how to apply it in this case is not difficult to guess - it is perlite that is poured to the bottom of the pots to perform the drainage function. When perlite is used in floriculture, there is a marked improvement in the growth rate of plants, as well as their flowering.

Agroperlite is added to the soil even before grass sowing on football fields, as well as when preparing golf courses. How to use agroperlite correctly, we will describe below.

Perlite application rules for plants: how to properly use perlite

Even if you understand what perlite is, you can use it for gardening and indoor floriculture in different ways:

Like drainage. In this case, a layer of 3-5 cm of pure agroperlite is simply poured on the bottom of the pot.
For rooting. Many gardeners are interested in the question of how to use perlite for rooting plants that show poor growth in ordinary soil. In this case, it is necessary to use pure perlite, watering it abundantly beforehand. Due to the absence of any microorganisms in the pearlite, the probability of rotting of the roots of young shoots will be excluded.
As an additive to the soil mix. A similar mixture with perlite is recommended for flowers and plants that have a weak root system. For its preparation in equal parts perlite, chernozem and peat are mixed (can be replaced with humus).
To increase the air humidity that tropical plants need. In this case, you need to place additional trays with wet perlite near the flower pots.
For sowing very small seeds. Due to the mixing of seeds with agroperlite fines, it is possible to achieve their uniform distribution throughout the area or box.
As mulch. If you close the surface of the perlite flower pot, it will prevent the topsoil from drying out and allow air to flow regularly to the flower root system.
As a basis for fertilizers. To do this, it is enough to pour perlite with mineral fertilizer diluted in water and sprinkle the soil around the plants with it. Over time, perlite will begin to give moisture along with fertilizer to the soil.

Important! Usually perlite consists of particles of different sizes, among which sand is also present. While working with it, sand can settle on the respiratory tract and the eyeball of a person, causing severe discomfort. To prevent this, it is worth working with perlite only in glasses and a respirator.

Advantages and disadvantages of using perlite

Having dealt with the fact that such a perlite for plants, it is worthwhile to dwell in more detail on the advantages of this breed and the disadvantages that it also has. Let's start with the advantages:

Perlite is a biologically pure substance that makes it possible to effectively combat diseases and pests of plants that overwinter in the soil.
Perlite is indispensable in cases where the soil in the garden is too dense and plants with a weak root system cannot grow on it.
Perlite is able to accumulate moisture and feed plants for a long time.
Perlite is not caking, which means that even after a long period of time it is not capable of reducing the water and air permeability of the soil.
Perlite provides good thermal insulation.

Did you know? Perlite can be used not only for growing plants, but also to preserve the resulting crop. If it is also treated with fungicides, it will be possible to avoid not only freezing of fruits and vegetables, but also to protect them from rotting. However, in order to achieve a similar result, it is recommended to lay a layer of perlite between at least 5 cm between the layers of fruits.

However, when using perlite, you will have to face such disadvantages:

Perlite is poorly distributed in the sale, and the cost of this breed is quite high. It is for this reason that he won love only with flower growers, while gardeners and gardeners try to resort to cheaper analogues of perlite.
Perlite has a neutral pH. Therefore, with its intensive use, the level of soil acidity may increase, which is undesirable for most garden and indoor plants.

Given all the disadvantages of perlite, you can use its analogues, which can sometimes even be free. We are talking about expanded clay, brick chips, sand and vermiculite. However, keep in mind that each of these analogues also has its drawbacks.

We hope that the question why perlite is added to the soil has become completely clear to you? and now you can fix all the flaws in the soil in your garden. However, keep in mind that the use of perlite in horticulture is not always rational and in some cases can have negative consequences.