Perlite
Expanded volcanic glass. Great for drainage, aeration, and reducing soil compaction.
Chose perlite if you have dense, poorly draining soil, or your plants thrive in dryer climates.
Vermiculite
Expanded mica. Great for retaining moisture and adding minerals to soil.
Chose vermiculite if you need to fix a dry patch, or your plants are more thirsty.
Perlite & Vermiculite
Both improve water retention, aeration, drainage while lightening your soil. Although one will usually do each a bit better than the other. Some things they also have in common:
- Expanded naturally occurring minerals
- Refractory materials, used in high temperature insulation
- Soil improvers
- Porous
- non-toxic
- low density