Quick question

[dewy]

Is Schultz perlite OK to use? Does it contain any fertilizers?

 

[adnedarn]

quick answer- Read the ingredients. I think they have OKay stuff, and bad stuff...

 

[Est]

And then when in doubt: wash, wash, wash.

 

[dewy]

Quote[/b] (adnedarn @ April 22 2006,5:31)]quick answer- Read the ingredients.   I think they have OKay stuff, and bad stuff...

Label says perlite only. I just remember reading where one brand had fertilizer in it.

 

[RL7836]

Even 'pure' perlite right out of the bag can / does contribute to TDS. Someone in one of the forums explained that even tho the perlite is inert, the manufacturing process leaves a residue.

Prior to rinsing, I had TDS readings over 150 from the perlite.

Est had good advice

Quote[/b] ]And then when in doubt: wash, wash, wash.

 

[adnedarn]

And to throw some more bad news in there... I have tried a few different methods of cleaning perlite before and was never able to wash the TDS out of the perlite to a level I was happy with. And by the time i was done trying, i no longer had perlite pelets.... but perlite powder (for the most part) so it was unuseable anyway. This is yet another reason i dont' use that.

 

[dewy]

Quote[/b] (adnedarn @ April 22 2006,7:31)]And to throw some more bad news in there... I have tried a few different methods of cleaning perlite before and was never able to wash the TDS out of the perlite to a level I was happy with.  And by the time i was done trying, i no longer had perlite pelets.... but perlite powder (for the most part) so it was unuseable anyway.  This is yet another reason i dont' use that.  

I have never had problems with Sta-Green's brand of perlite. The place I usually get the Sta-Green perlite from was sold out, so I had to buy some Schultz horticultural perlite. All of my plants grow extremely well in a 50/50 peat/perlite mix. My used-to-be-single-growth point S.flava has produced 4 new growth points in the last week, with more popping up. Just wanted to see if anyone has had any bad experiences with this brand of perlite.
Thanks for all of the help everybody,
dewy

 

[herenorthere]

I use sponge rock, a larger equivalent of perlite and have never noticed a problem. I prefer the larger size because I make my CP mix with LFS and perlite just clogs pore spaces instead of helping to hold them open.

 

[bugfreak]

i, too thought about getting that brand of perlite. do you guys know if there is even a noticeable advantage in using perlite at all? i've got my plants in just peat moss right now. is that okay, too?

 

[dewy]

Quote[/b] (bugfreak @ April 23 2006,10:49)]i, too thought about getting that brand of perlite. do you guys know if there is even a noticeable advantage in using perlite at all? i've got my plants in just peat moss right now. is that okay, too?

Peat moss works pretty well, but a mix of peat and perlite works best IME. Mike King,Sarracenia North West,PFT,and several other cp growers I know use perlite. Mike King uses a 3:1 peaterlite mix and has some of the healthiest plants you will ever see. Perlite works best for me because I grow alot of indoor sundews and I need excellent drainage.
dewy

 

[dewy]

Here is why I don't use it.
Quote from Sarracenia NW

Quote[/b] ]Some growers may suggest using sand, but I say avoid using it. The cleanliness of sand is always tricky. It largely depends on the source of the sand and the actual composite of the sand. You'll also have the opposite problem of the perlite. Instead of floating, it will begin washing out the bottom and fill your trays. We used sand for one year, and promptly stopped using it when we had more problems than solutions.

 

[xscd]

I use sand and like it, although I'm always open to new ideas. The weight of sand helps anchor the very light foam pots I use for my VFTs. Perlite would be too light in this case: if the potting mix dried to just moist in a polyurethane foam pot such as I use, a strong gust of wind when the plant is outside could overturn the pot and spill out the plants.

I do agree with the following, however:

Quote[/b] ]
The cleanliness of sand is always tricky. It largely depends on the source of the sand and the actual composite of the sand.

I always examine some of the sand I plan to use or buy, with a jewelers'/rockhounds' loupe to look for sand particles that are not quartz (silica). If there are more than just a few grains of other types of rock scattered throughout the sand (such as conglomerate or metamorphic rock, which will probably be opaque and not translucent like the quartz/silica) I don't use it.

One good type of sand that I have used for a couple years is Oglebay blasting sand, #20 (medium). I do wash it first to get rid of dust and some or most of the dust-suppressant coating it has (which seems more like marketing hype than fact--I've never actually seen it on or in the sand, both dry and wet, nor noticed any adverse affects from its presence--if indeed it actually is present!).

After washing and rinsing the coarse blasting sand, I add an equal amount (by volume) of dry sphagnum peat moss to the wet sand and mix the two well before using it to pot the VFTs. They certainly seem to like the mix.

So, I don't see anything wrong with using sand, myself. One just has to be particular about the sand one uses and avoid beach, riverbed, and bagged "play" sand (which looks like river or ocean sand to me, with lots of particles other than quartz (silica)).

Silica sand is used for stripping/cleaning sandblasting in machine shops and auto body/restoration businesses, as well as sometimes on golf courses for sand traps, among other uses. It is available at some home/garden stores and hardware stores or lumberyards, and one can always ask persons in the above-mentioned businesses where they get their sand.

Just my two bits--

Steve/xscd