Vermiculite or perlite

Probably a really silly question, but what's the difference?

Are they both used to encourage drainage? They're both about the same price from what I can see, so is there any advantage to one or the other, or do you use both for slightly different purposes?

 

They are both used for the same reason Rachel, water retention and aeration. The only difference is perlite is man made, polystyrene beads. Vermiculite is natural, Silica based.

 

I think it's up to yourself Rachel. They both do the same job.
I prefer Vermiculite just on aesthetic reasons - I don't like those little white blobs.
If you're worried about the environmantal issues then vermiculite is a natural product but might not be all that environmenatally friendly at the end of the day. I'll leave you to google that.
I use it and reckon the little I use will make no difference on the world scale of things.
We all have to decide for ourselves.

 

Both are derived from natural minerals and there isn't a great deal of difference in how they perform from a horticultural point of view. I've used both according what's available in our local nursery.
There may be a difference in environmental costs of production, but I've no idea. Might be worth a bit of sustained Googling if you are really keen to find out.

 

We had a thread before on this, and I think the general opinion was that vermiculite held more water than perlite, and so was better as a layer on top of seeds. Some people thought that it held rather too much water to be mixed in with the compost, and that perlite was better for that.

 

I agree with what PeterS said

 

I ditto what Peter said , I mix perlite with my seed compost and then sprinkle the seed with a thin layer of vermiculite. I have used this combination for this season only - and I think it has shown an improvement on germination rate and growth. Next year , being an avid experimenter , I will change this succesful combination and have a complete disaster !

 

I had wondered over this too and also what is best to use in patio pots, either of these or something else?

 

I use 50/50 multi purpose and vermiculite on most of my cuttings and have very good success rates ,My fuchsias and chrysanth cuttings love it .I think having that 50% multi purpose gives the newly rooted cuttings that little bit of nutrient, particularly when so much happening in the spring and they get left a while before potting on ..
Dave

 

thanks everyone. That's really interesting.

I am quite interested in the environmental side of things, so I'll try to do a bit of research into the pros and cons of each. but I imagine it won't be conclusive, these things never seem to be!

I have some perlite at the moment, so I'll use that up, then try some vermiculite and see which I prefer.

 

Can anyone tell me where you can get perlite at a reasonable price. I know you can get it in tiny bags in garden centres - but you pay a huge price for what you get. If you can buy 3 60 litre bags of compost for £10 - where can you get 3 60 litre bags of perlite for £10 ?

 

I have bought form JFC Munro - £10 / 100L - but dunno what their carriage costs are, you may have to add some other things to the order to make it ecconomical?

Horticultural Trade Supplies Cornwall Devon Somerset & Dorset - JFC Monro, UK - horticulture, agrochemicals, fertilizer, pesticide

and from 3C Hydroponics (grow lights and the like) £6.24 for 30 litres

3C Hydroponics Shop - Perlite

"I am quite interested in the environmental side of things, so I'll try to do a bit of research into the pros and cons of each."

They are both bad, its a finite resource being used up. But I think previous worries of miners being killed because the mines also included asbestos are a thing of the past now.

 

Urgh. Don't like that very much.

My perlite says that it's popped volcanic rock. So if the volcanos keep on exploding, we'll be OK?

Are there any other alternatives?

 

Ah ... had never thought of it like that, we may be OK after all!

Perlite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sharp Sand will give you drainage, and leafmould will do a good job of moisture retention and providing symbiotic bugs to stimulate root growth, but unsterilised it is probably a bit of a liability for seedlings?

 

Thanks Kristen - thats a good price for perlite from JFC Munro - but delivery is the problem.