Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Dry Additives and Elements
ThenotabledryadditivesandelementsinalivingTLOsoilmixaremany,butIwanttorunthroughseveral
of them here to give you a better idea of why you are using specific things. Understanding this, or even
starting to, will allow you to successfully substitute for other amendments when necessary—with “suc-
cessfully” beingthekeywordhere.Also,understandingmanyofthesethingswillreallyopenyoureyesas
tohowthingsworkinthenaturalworld.Itsureopenedmineandcontinuestoamazemeateverynewturn.
The differences between a granular and a powdered form of elements is important to note, and usually
isdirectlyrelativetostrengthofreleaseandlengthofrelease.ThereareseveralissueswhengrowingTLO-
style where this will matter a great deal and I will strive to point all those out to you as we cover them.
Perlite
Perlite is, simply put, a volcanic glass that is all natural and quite solid in nature. When heated, this glass
expands big time, resulting in the highly porous and light material called perlite. This material does not
decompose or otherwise break down easily, which makes it perfect for aerating a living TLO soil mix. I
would be lost trying to use a living soil mix in containers without perlite. I recommend using small nugget
sized perlite due to the increased surface area, making it a much more effective aerating amendment.
Here you can see both large and small nugget sized perlite
I like to use perlite in any soil mix I am using in containers. My standard application rate for already
bagged soil mixes is around 1 part perlite to 2 parts soil mix. When using living mixes in container grow-
ing, you always need to be highly concerned with making sure there is enough air for all the microlife to
breathe AND enough for the plant roots as well. Please always use a respirator when mixing perlite; the
dust can cause a really bad cough if inhaled. I always open the bag and spray a bit of water inside, just to
cut down on the dust as much as possible.
