Hello, hello, hello. Today on the Epic Gardening Podcast, we're talking about

perlite versus fermiculite. What is the difference? So if you're like me,

you've probably been in this position at

the gardening center at least when you started out. Standing in the gardening

center you're sitting there you're trying to decide between purlite and

vermiculite all you can can really remembers that one of them looks

like styrofoam balls. What do you do? Well, that's what we're going to answer in today's episode.

The difference between purlite and vermiculite is

actually really important to know for the prosperity of your garden. They seem

similar but they differ in a few crucial ways. So let's get into the details. First, what is purlight?

Perlight is lightweight. It's easy to handle. It's clean. It has no odor and it has a pH range of anywhere from 6.6 to 7.5.

But what is it?

Well, the life of a bag of purlite begins as volcanic glass, but not any type of volcanic glass. It's formed when

obsidian contacts water which creates a unique type of volcanic glass with a

high water content. When manufacturers apply heat to this,

it puffs up into little white balls.

Oftentimes, they'll mix these balls

into potting soils to aid with soil aeration and water retention.

It does retain some water, but also air on the surface of the balls and all of the little

hidden nooks and crannies.

Okay, that is perlite, but what is vermiculite? Vermiculite interacts with potassium, calcium, and magnesium in your soil.

It helps raise the pH slightly,

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