AGROPERLITE

In horticultural applications, perlite is used throughout the world as a component of soilless growing mixes where it provides aeration and optimum moisture retention for superior plant growth. For rooting cuttings, 100% perlite is used. Studies have shown that outstanding yields are achieved with perlite hydroponic systems. Other benefits of HORTICULTURAL PERLITE are its neutral pH and the fact that it is sterile and weed-free. In addition, its light weight makes it ideal for use in container growing. Other horticultural applications for perlite are as a carrier for fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides and for pelletizing seed. Horticultural perlite is as useful to the home gardener as it is to the commercial grower. It is used with equal success in greenhouse growing, landscaping applications and in the home in house plants.

Due to its damp and air retain features agroperlite is used in hothouse farms for artificial environment creation, for fruit and flower plants’ engraftment rootage and also their rapid growth.

As it’s known the essential for plant is air, water, suitable stable temperature regime and feeding minerals’ existing. The longer and intensively is soil used, the less it has feeding substance, worse is its structure and this has negative effect on plants’ growth. In the whole its necessary loose, air-penetrating, water absorbing soil for plants’ normal development.

For soil structure improvement and for all these negative influences eradication, which dwarf and normal germination there are adding expanded perlite sand (1:3/ soil: perlite). Such soil is loose and easy air intake. During the irrigation, perlite particles are intensively absorbing and collecting 400-700% of water, which in future is slowly issuing and due to this is lowering irrigation frequency.

Good movement of damp in the soil, and it follows from that heat transfer is averaging out the temperature in rooting layer. The soil heat conductivity straightly depends on its density. Loose-perlite soil is cooling and getting warm more slowly, that provides root protection from freeze and overheating.

The feature of expanded perlite as the best natural sorbent, to absorb, for a long time keep and slowly issue ions of feeding elements to the environment, can be used for putting it with mineral and organic manure to soil. In such condition manure lifetime is 5-3 years that 25-30% increases effectiveness of manure use, and manure outlay is decreasing to 30-40%.

Because of expanded perlite is expending under high temperature (1100-1150 °C), it doesn’t have any weed seed and harmful maggot, which can damage plantings. If after repeatedly use there will appear need of herbicide entering, it can be added during digging together with perlite.

Expanded dry perlite sand can be used for depository of bulb. Perlite having unusual heat insulating features and not having bacteria and insects, reliably protects planting material from insects, damp, cold, from damage by rodent. For this in planting material is added perlite, in the way so that there won’t be separate bulb and fruit touch with each other.

Perlite makes a great hydroponic planting medium due to its light weight, porosity, and inert nature. Due to its low density and relatively low price, this substance is used in lightweight plasters and mortars, insulation, and ceiling tiles. The small nodules hold water well, yet also provide excellent drainage in horticulture.

This medium keeps plants more open to air, while still having good water-retention properties, and therefore it makes a good medium for hydroponics. It is often used as a filler and mixed with heavier media to help improve drainage. However, you can actually grow hydroponic plants in a bucket system using nothing but perlite!

The advantage of perlite is that it’s reusable, inexpensive lightweight filler. Perlite is mainly composed of minerals that are subjected to very high heat, which then expand it like popcorn so it becomes very light weight, porous and absorbent.

Perlite has a neutral pH, excellent wicking action, and is very porous. Perlite can be used by itself, or mixed with other types of growing media’s.

However because perlite is so light that it floats, depending on how you designed your hydroponic system, perlite by itself may not be the best choice of growing media for flood and drain systems.

Perlite is widely used in potting soils, and any nursery should carry bags of it. However perlite is sometimes also used as an additive added to cement. You may find it for a better price with the building supply’s, and/or at places that sell concrete mixes and mixing supply’s.

When working with perlite be careful not to get any of the dust in your eyes. Rince it off to wash out the dust, and wet it down before working with it to keep the dust from going airborn.