Horticultural Vermiculite
Gardening with vermiculite
9 reasons why you want horticultural
vermiculite for gardening
1. Wouldn’t you love to water less often?horticultural vermiculite retains moisture for longer periods than other planting mediums, so that you save time spent on watering.
2. Improve your plant growth, by preventing nutrients from being washed out.
3. Horticultural vermiculite Extends the growing season by protecting plants against soil temperature variations.
4. You will be more successful growing your young plants and those in small containers since they will endure higher temperatures.
5. If you start seeds and cuttings in vermiculite, they will grow more quickly than ones started in plain soil or water.
6. Ensure your success rate with the propagation of cuttings/seeds. Horticultural vermiculite is ideal for propagation, because its aeration properties, combined with its water holding capacity, limit root fungal activity.
7. Get bigger impact from your plants. By using vermiculite, plants in a container can grow bigger thanks to the fact that they get more air to the roots - just like using bigger pots. That is great for hanging baskets, flowers, vegetables, and trees in containers.
8. Free from disease, weeds and insects.
9. Excess nutrients absorbed, preventing them from being washed out,
then released gradually to the plants, helping plant growth.
What does Vermiculite for gardening do?
· Vermiculite is commonly used in nurseries and by amateurs on its own, as a planting medium for propagation of seeds and cuttings to get the best results.
''I have used
vermiculite for seeds raising and as a part of mixture for containers
and find it as a wonderful material for that use,The results were just great for germinating seeds on its own or as part of a mixture added
for you an easy guide and a table to get the best results when gardening.''
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Your way for successful gardening- tips and hints
Potting Mixes 
- A 50/50 mix of vermiculite and perlite is widely used for greenhouse pot plants and hanging baskets while a 25/75 mix is generally suitable for bedding plants and house plants.
- To improve existing compost add 20-25% of vermiculite and mix thoroughly. As the nutrient content in the original compost has been diluted by the vermiculite, feeding may be required.
Rapid Seed Raising
- vermiculite is ideal for the germination of seeds and pre-chitting seeds for commercial growers.
- Large and small seeds can be raised in pure vermiculite.
- Slower germination seeds may be
raised with a 50/50 mix of vermiculite and coco compost or perlite.
- vermiculite can be used as a soil improver. When applied to an outdoor seed bed it will give improved emergence and less risk of capping.
Sowing Composts
-
vermiculite in sowing composts encourages
quicker germination, improved seed growth. Sow on a well-watered and drained mixture of equal parts of
vermiculite and coco compost or perlite. Alternately, add one part vermiculite
to two parts of rea
dy mixed seed compost, posting or all-purpose compost.The
proportion of vermiculite may be increased to 75% for large slower-germinating
seeds.
- Sow thinly, evenly and not too deep. Cover lightly with free flowing moist vermiculite. Avoid over firming. Put the container in a warm place until the seeds germinate, then move to a light position. Keep moist with a fine drenching mist as necessary.
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Seedlings are easily removed from vermiculite compost without damage to the
fine roots and they transplant with a minimum of disturbance.
RECOMMENDED APPLICATION:
COCO COMPOST OR PERLITE VERMICULITE
Seed raising quick germination 0% 100%
Seed raising slow germination 50% 50%
Softwood cuttings 50% 50%
Bedding plants 75% 25%
Vegetable plants 60% 40%
Hanging baskets 50% 50%
Containers raised beds and pots 80% 20%
Facts about horticultural vermiculite
Vermiculite is a natural product, which is mined commercially in various countries around the world.
It expands into worm-like pieces when heated (Latin vermiculare – to breed worms)
This is a sterile, light-weight mica product. When mica is heated to approximately 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, it expands its plate-like structure. Vermiculite will hold large quantities of air, water and nutrients needed for plant growth. Its pH is usually in the 6.5 to 7.2 range. Vermiculite is available in 4 particle sizes. For horticultural mixes, sizes 2 or 3 are generally used. If at all possible, the larger-sized particles should be used since they give much better soil aeration. Vermiculite is available under a variety of trade names.