Applications and Uses of Perlite in Agriculture (Horticulture) – Insulation World Kenya Limited

Applications and Uses of Perlite in Horticulture

For Commercial Growers, Landscapers, and Home Gardeners

Expanded perlite is widely used for horticultural and agricultural endeavors Perlite is widely used in horticultural applications because of its lightweight water~holding capacity, neutral pH, and pathogen-free nature. Perlite is found in the engineered lightweight soils of roof gardens and planters as well as commercial and bagged potting soils. Perlite is used a soilless grow media forhydroponics, seed starting and plant rooting. Perlite also makes an excellent conditioner for native garden, turf, and landscape soils, enhancing both the water-holding capacity and anti-compaction properties

Horticultural perlite is a lightweight, non-organic, soil substrate that provides a number of important benefits to commercial growers, landscapers, and home gardeners.

Perlite’s Horticultural Benefits

Some of the benefits of perlite use in horticulture are:

Breaks up Compacted Soil

Perlite can be used to break up compacted soil for better water drainage.

Aerates Soil

The high displacement and lightweight volume capacity of expanded perlite provide room for air and water, preventing over-watering and allowing proper drainage.

Inorganic

Because it is inorganic, perlite is stable and doesn’t decompose or break down.

Neutral pH

Perlite’s pH range is 6.5 to 7.5—the ideal zone for most plants to absorb nutrients.

Light Weight

Perlite is lighter than grit or sharp sand, pumice, or other aggregates—which can also be used to improve drainage in a garden bed. Adding Perlite to your growing media makes for lighter, easier to handle products for manufacturers, and makes it easier for home gardeners to work with.

Sustainable

Perlite is one of nature’s most versatile and efficient minerals. It is formed by molten (magmatic) rock, also known as volcanic glass. It acts as a lightweight, non-organic, soil conditioner for commercial growers, landscapers, and home gardeners alike, providing numerous benefits. See for yourself how perlite is one of the most sustainable soil substrates on the commercial market.

Common Horticultural Perlite Uses

There are a variety of applications, including:

• Propagating
• Potting Soils
• Stadium turf
• Golf course turf
• Lawns
• Hydroponic crops (tomatoes, bell peppers, chillies, and more)
• Trees and shrubs
• Bulb and tuber storage
• Garden beds

Perlite and Hydroponic Gardens

According to research, growing plants hydroponically with perlite produces a heavier crop for the space used and a better quality product. Tomatoes, for instance, are less prone to splitting when grown hydroponically than if they are grown in soil.

In hydroponic systems, roots are grown in troughs of perlite which are supplied with a fertilizer/nutrient solution. This allows the right amount of water and oxygen to get to the roots.

And unlike soil, this growing medium does not attract pests or diseases, and it can easily be replaced.