Vermiculite is an incredible substance that not only helps provide essential moisture to your plants it also helps negate root rot.
Capable of replacing soil in hydroponics and is often used to germinate seeds, vermiculite is a growing media that can be mixed with soil or in place of soil depending on your specific needs and requirements.
Vermiculite also comes in many different sizes and gradients and each particular size and gradient has its own set of benefits and its own set of uses.
It is important therefore to fully research vermiculite and its various types so you can pick the perfect vermiculite for you and your growing environment.
Many growers find that once they have tried vermiculite they just cannot do without it and it’s easy to see why.
Vermiculite has a fantastic ability to take in and retain water and this helps germination as the water retention means that seeds can therefore absorb and grow steadily, slowly, and efficiently.
Additionally, vermiculite prevents compaction of the soil which in turn means that the environment is better aerated and plants are neither suffocated from lack of oxygen or from too much weight.
If you decide to completely replace soil with vermiculite this can have further beneficial effects as vermiculite contains many nutrients that are difficult to find in most soils, such as calcium and ammonium which can accelerate growth.
Alternatively, if you wish to mix vermiculite with your favorite soil, this can help prevent one of the main fears for all growers; root rot.
In addition to this, whilst preventing rotting roots, due to vermiculites’ water retention abilities, it also simultaneously stops the plant from drying out.
Vermiculite is a must for the serious grower who wants to improve their growing environment with minimal fuss.
Plant!T Vermiculite
For growers desiring high-quality vermiculite that improves both propagation and water retention, then PLANT!T Vermiculite has become a recent but firm favorite among growers looking to boost growing conditions.
Made from a natural and sterile, soft mica mineral that displays excellent insulation properties and additionally helps rid the soil of harmful microbes and toxins.
Providing aeration and putting a stop to soil compaction, this pH-neutral vermiculite creates an optimal and balanced oxygenated and hydrated environment perfect for growing plants.
Perfect for growing potting plants as well as non-contained plants, PLANT!T Vermiculite is also ideal for the sustainable growth of seedlings due to its amazing water retention abilities.
Additionally, PLANT!T Vermiculite is also able to absorb essential nutrients during the water absorption process and due to its high cation exchange capacity, slowly feed back these nutrients to the plant in a timely, consistent manner.
Easy to use, odorless and safe to handle, PLANT!T Vermiculite is available in both 10L and 100L bags so it is perfect for your specific growing needs.
One of the best-reviewed vermiculites on the market and exceptionally well priced, PLANT!T Vermiculite is an excellent addition to any growers arsenal and is a brilliant growing media to help optimize almost any growing environment imaginable.
Pros
- Available in 10L and 100L bags
- Ideal for sustainable growth of seeds
- Easy to use
Cons
- Pricey
xGarden Horticultural Grade Premium Vermiculite
The xGarden Horticultural Grade Premium Vermiculite is an exceptional and versatile vermiculite that has recently been garnering rave reviews.
Coming in an 8-quart bag, weighing just over one kilogram contains 32 cupfuls of high quality, premium-grade vermiculite perfect for helping growers create an optimal growing environment.
This particular gradient of vermiculite from xGarden is extra chunky, which means that it can retain more water than other finer, smaller grades of vermiculite.
Non-toxic, pH neutral, and sterile, vermiculite is incredibly easy to use and acts as an excellent pH buffer which helps soil maintain a consistent and constant pH level.
Vermiculite also adds two extra benefits; the first is that it helps get rid of the toxins within the soil or growing media that may occur and the second is that vermiculite also adds potassium, magnesium, and silica to soil mixes, thereby making the growing environment more nutrient-dense.
Pros
- Non-toxic and sterile
- PH Neutral
- Safe to use
Cons
- May not be as chunky as advertized
Perfect Plants Organic Vermiculite
Perfect Plants Organic Vermiculite is made from excavated mineral rock that has been conditioned for use as a growing media.
Vermiculite has the ability to provide an excellent growing environment for your plants as not only does it help maintain the essential nutrient levels necessary for optimal plant growth, but it also helps drain excess water and protect from harmful bacteria.
Additionally Perfect Plants Organic Vermiculite helps aerate the soil, which means that soil is less compacted and damaging to roots and also helps provide balanced oxygen and pH supply.
Able to be used in containers to assist with the growing of potted plants as well as plants outside, this versatile and effective growing media, is perfect for growers looking to optimize their growing environment.
Perfect Plants Organic Vermiculite is sold in an 8 quart (32 cups), 13×15” heavy-duty, resealable bag which means that your vermiculite stays in perfect condition for longer and provides you with more value for money.
Pros
- Versatile
- Provides excellent aeration
- Protects from harmful bacteria
Cons
- Some growers have reported receiving soil mix rather than vermiculite, choose your supplier carefully
- Price could be better for the quantity
Black Gold Vermiculite
Black Gold Vermiculite is one of the most talked-about and premium grade vermiculites on the market today.
Able to be used singularly as a soil-less media or in conjunction with other media as a soil amendment, Black Gold’s Vermiculite helps improve moisture and nutrient retention.
When blended with a standard garden or potting soil, vermiculite can help with keeping your growing media well aerated and not overly saturated.
This 8-quart bag, weighing in at just over 2 kilograms, can be used to improve growing conditions for all sorts of plant life, everything from seedling germination, vegetive cuttings, flower tubers, and store bulbs.
A premium grade growing media, that is as versatile as it is exceptional, Black Gold’s Vermiculite is easy and safe to use and represents very good value for money.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Versatile
- High quality
Cons
- Pricey for the amount
PVP Industries Vermiculite
For growers looking for an excellent soilless growing media that not only improves aeration but also helps to retain water, then PVP Industries Vermiculite is an invaluable product.
Coming in a heavy-duty four cubic foot bag, this vermiculite can either be used as a growing media in its own right or as an amazing soil amendment and also has other valuable horticultural uses.
One of the best things about vermiculite is its innate cation exchange properties, meaning that vermiculite has the ability to hold and retain such essential minerals and nutrients as ammonium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
When growers mix PVP Industries Vermiculite with other growing media like peat, organic compost, or natural soils, the combination ensures quick anchorage to roots and helps promote faster root growth.
This means that growers who use vermiculite are more likely to have optimal growing conditions such as the correct air and water ratios as well as perfect nutrient balance.
Easy and safe to use, PVP Industries Vermiculite is one of the best vermiculites available on the market today.
Pros
- Versatile
- Safe to use
- OMRI listed
Cons
- Reports of being overly fine, so may not be suited to individual growers needs
Vermiculite Buyers Guide
One of the most impressive things about vermiculite is that when it is mixed with your soil it will interact and optimize the potassium, calcium, and magnesium contained within, and even though vermiculite is pH neutral, it can in some cases actually beneficially raise the pH level in your soil.
Vermiculite is created from dry flakes of silicate which is both spongy and absorbent.
Most standard vermiculite is a golden brown but other varieties can be darker and can therefore sometimes be indistinguishable from potting soil.
Vermiculite really comes into its own though when water is added to it and it expands into worm-like shapes, that almost act like sponges.
If you require your soil to not dry out and stay consult damp but not waterlogged, then vermiculite sounds perfect for your situation.
Vermiculite is capable of expanding up to 4 times its size when water is added, so fair warning, this can make plant pots that contain it slightly heavy.
In contrast to perlite, as vermiculite is able to absorb far more water, vermiculite although capable of providing some aeration is obviously heavier, (especially when wet), and doesn’t aerate the soil as well as perlite does.
It is important therefore to understand your plants’ specific needs before using vermiculite as plants that don’t need consistently damp soil, may suffer from a lack of oxygen and actually end up suffering from root rot.
Recap
Providing you are aware of what your plants and your growing environment need in terms of water retention and aeration, vermiculite if used correctly can be an invaluable tool.
Where plants do need to maintain a constant hydration and nutrient level, vermiculite will be invaluable, because as many experienced growers will tell you; water-loving plants love nothing more than vermiculite.
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