What soil-improving effects does vermiculite have on gardening soil?

Flowers & Gardening Jan 1, 1970 0 views

Vermiculite is an expanded product formed from mica rock under high temperatures; compared with the raw ore, it is like the difference between popcorn and rice in everyday life. Because vermiculite has relatively large internal voids, its own density is very low. In industry it is often used to make insulation materials, while in gardening applications, when added to soil it is an improving additive that loosens the soil, increases permeability, and combines both water drainage and water retention. It is clear that vermiculite's soil-improving effect is very obvious.

Vermiculite: the effects of vermiculite - a complete guide to gardening soil

At the same time, vermiculite's water saturation is very high; per unit weight, vermiculite can absorb an amount of water equal to 4 times its own weight, showing that its water absorption and water-locking effects are very good. But at the same time, its ability to drain and conduct water is also very strong. That is to say, if an appropriate amount of vermiculite is mixed into potting soil and then watered thoroughly, the difference in moisture between the upper soil layer and the lower soil layer is not great. In this way, for container gardeners, it is easier to judge the wet-dry condition of the potting soil, thereby reducing the difficulty of water management when growing plants.

Vermiculite for raising seedlings

Vermiculite is also an inorganic mineral; even so, it itself has a strong ion exchange capacity, and therefore very good activity. Using highly active vermiculite to cultivate plants will, to a large extent, stimulate plant growth and accelerate the sprouting and growth of roots, and it is especially suitable for cultivating plants with clustered roots. It is clear that it has a powerful effect in promoting plant growth.

But here, the editor needs to explain that in the cutting and root-promotion of ordinary flowering plants, many people try using vermiculite as a growing medium. Because in everyone's eyes, vermiculite is considered clean and contains no nutrients itself. Although it has no nutrients essential for promoting plant growth, in fact it has a powerful ion exchange capacity and can well balance the nutrients in the potting soil, thereby promoting plant growth.

Vermiculite for cuttings

Vermiculite has many advantages and its effects are also very prominent, but when used in soil mixing it also has certain disadvantages. Its biggest characteristic is that it is fragile; after long-term plant growing, vermiculite particles will gradually become smaller and eventually turn into a large amount of powder. After becoming powder, if water and fertilizer are often applied, it tends to settle and become sticky with one another, ultimately causing the potting soil to become compacted, which to a certain extent also inhibits the intake of water and fertilizer and at the same time inhibits root respiration.

Therefore, we usually use vermiculite only during sowing and seedling raising to promote plant sprouting and strengthening, or as a substrate for cutting propagation to promote rooting. Vermiculite is suitable as a temporary medium for short-term plant cultivation, but is not suitable for long-term plant growing, especially for large container flowering plants.

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What soil-improving effects does vermiculite have on gardening soil?

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