[benie]

bought it from menards...shultz perlite ..i heard its good to mix with my gravel.for my plants??do i have the right product??cuz this stuff is floating...am i gonna have to put it on the bottom layer..and trap with down with my gravel? or is it the wrong stuff?

 

[Gumby]

Heh... perlite will always float, as far as I know. Perlite is used in potting soil to hold moisture in the soil and to keep soil from caking. I'm not sure what perlite is made from, but I could see it causing silicate related alage problems.

I'd just save the perlite for making your own potting soil or growing mushrooms

Just out of curiosity, why'd you buy perlite?

 

[benie]

just been searching old post on sites..and came up with fluorite,..laterite, and..this stuff i got..and some others..i was a menards and saw this stuff..so i thought i buy it and try it out..

 

[Gumby]

Ah... flourite and laterite are quite different. They're derrived from hardened clay deposits that are rich in minerals. Perlite is a type of volcanic mineral that is used because it is super porus and can hold water and keep potting soil from becoming compacted. Given that it's of volcanic origin (molten rock), I don't see any way to make it sink as volcanic rocks tend to have lots of airpockets trapped in them.