Does anyone find that perlite keeps their soil wet?
My #SeaSandwort hasnβt been growing since I got her, and I repotted her a fair while ago with a perlite/potting soil mix. Iβve given her one water since then, and the soil is still wet. It doesnβt seem to be causing any issues atm, but Iβm concerned that it might. Iβve also just had to repot my #ChineseMoneyPlant which had a perlite mix because the soil had stayed so wet for so long that it had gone mouldy. Granted, itβs been very humid here in the uk, but I was having these issues even before the humidity shot up.
Itβs just weird that my #Echeveria is perfectly happy in her terracotta pot with a perlite/potting soil mix (the exact same I used for my money plant), and they were on the same windowsill, but one went mouldy and the other didnβt. Granted, the pits that have the issues with wet soil are plastic, but all have drainage and a lot of perlite.
I soaked the perlite in a teensy bit of water before mixing into the soil as the bag recommended, and Iβm worried that contributed to the issues.
So yeah. Any thoughts?
#PlantAddict soilMix">#soilMix perlite">#perlite #SucculentLove #PlantTherapy #PlantsMakePeopleHappy
Itβs just weird that my #Echeveria is perfectly happy in her terracotta pot with a perlite/potting soil mix (the exact same I used for my money plant), and they were on the same windowsill, but one went mouldy and the other didnβt. Granted, the pits that have the issues with wet soil are plastic, but all have drainage and a lot of perlite.
I soaked the perlite in a teensy bit of water before mixing into the soil as the bag recommended, and Iβm worried that contributed to the issues.
So yeah. Any thoughts?
#PlantAddict soilMix">#soilMix perlite">#perlite #SucculentLove #PlantTherapy #PlantsMakePeopleHappy
14
@PiousWaterfern Hi Lizzie, Generally, horticultural grades of perlite retain between 20β50% water by volume depending on size and gradation.
So perlite is used to assist in drainage, water retention and aeration of the soil. But this can depend on the size of the particles and other considerations. It can also depend on the ratio of perlite that is used. The terracotta pot could have an influence as terracotta is known to absorb water and allow excess moisture to be released from the soil more quickly.
What might be the issue is the amount of water you are using for your plants and how often your are watering them. An option is to check the top inches of soil with your finger or a skewer and water only when this area is no longer holding water.
perlite/" target="_blank">https://www.perlite.org/the-water-holding-capacity-of-perlite/
perlite-potting-soil.htm" target="_blank">https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/perlite-potting-soil.htm
So perlite is used to assist in drainage, water retention and aeration of the soil. But this can depend on the size of the particles and other considerations. It can also depend on the ratio of perlite that is used. The terracotta pot could have an influence as terracotta is known to absorb water and allow excess moisture to be released from the soil more quickly.
What might be the issue is the amount of water you are using for your plants and how often your are watering them. An option is to check the top inches of soil with your finger or a skewer and water only when this area is no longer holding water.
perlite/" target="_blank">https://www.perlite.org/the-water-holding-capacity-of-perlite/
perlite-potting-soil.htm" target="_blank">https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/perlite-potting-soil.htm
My daughter got really into reptiles. She is 11 and already breeding her snakes (I know, just hang with me) we use horticultural perlite while incubating snake eggs because it does such a good job keeping the eggs moist and the humidity in the container. We just get it wet, place the eggs in it and incubate. We rarely have to add water. So all Iβm going to say is I know a lot of people recommend it but after using it for snake eggs Iβm iffy about relying on it completely for my plants soil.
@Herbologybadger ahhh I see. Yeah that definitely makes me think that wetting the perlite first is a big mistake (even though the bag recommends it π). Looks like Iβm just going to have to turn on my fan/heater to try and get some dry air circulating my plants!
@PiousWaterfern Lizzie, packing down the soil is not something I do as I like to keep my soil aerated so yes that would certainly have an effect as it would firstly mean there is likely to be more perlite and also less air in the soil to encourage drainage. But it could also be in part due to the potting mix. But there are other factors at play such as air flow and humidity/air temperature which could mean the water is not moving through as much by eg transpiration. Even how you water (eg bottom versus top) can have an effect on things.
Soaking perlite or at least getting it wet can be a good idea before potting as it has highly fine fibres which can be inhaled whilst potting so I don't necessarily thing that's a bad idea or issue. But keep in mind perlite is only a part of the mix and perhaps even the potting soil and what it is made of can have an influence.
Keep in mind that echeveria prefer a soak and dry approach to watering and this may differ to what your Chinese money plant likes
https://www.leafenvy.co.uk/blogs/plant-a-z/chinese-money-plant#:~:text=Water,free%20to%20only%20water%20fortnightly.
Soaking perlite or at least getting it wet can be a good idea before potting as it has highly fine fibres which can be inhaled whilst potting so I don't necessarily thing that's a bad idea or issue. But keep in mind perlite is only a part of the mix and perhaps even the potting soil and what it is made of can have an influence.
Keep in mind that echeveria prefer a soak and dry approach to watering and this may differ to what your Chinese money plant likes
https://www.leafenvy.co.uk/blogs/plant-a-z/chinese-money-plant#:~:text=Water,free%20to%20only%20water%20fortnightly.
@Seymour my grandad gave me the money plant and he has his own compost set up so it was likely in that originally, but I always bottom watered her and she was a-ok, until I had the same issue of her soil not drying out by the time I should water her next. I think it is likely environmental as well because weβve been having lots of rain and not much heat to evaporate and disperse the water unfortunately. Iβll definitely refrain from packing down the soil though, thanks!
@PiousWaterfern perlite has small holes that help with drainage. Those holes can also store water. When perlite is used in forms for like propagation or snake eggs, itβ in a sealed environment for a precipitation cycle to occur. If your perlite sits in a peat based soil, itβs gonna be wet, whether you have drainage or not. peat is ground up sphagnum. I prefer coco coir as it is light and yes designed to retain moisture for humidity purposes, but also it creates air pockets. Terracotta is porous, so there is air exchange therefore you will see a big difference between plastic and porous pots.
@TheOddAsity Iβm ngl, i donβt actually know what peat and sphagnum are. All I know is that essentially every bag of soil I see locally explicitly says βpeat freeβ
@PiousWaterfern sphagnum moss is used for orchids and propagation of various cuttings because it stays damp and slowly dries. What determines one from the other is the time in its life cycle it is harvested.
Personally, I use almost a 1 to 15-20 ratio on my substrate. One part coco coir, 7-10 parts chunky perlite, 7-10 parts coco chips, 1 part charcoal. So yeah, to me almost all potting soils are something that stay βwetβ.
Personally, I use almost a 1 to 15-20 ratio on my substrate. One part coco coir, 7-10 parts chunky perlite, 7-10 parts coco chips, 1 part charcoal. So yeah, to me almost all potting soils are something that stay βwetβ.
@PiousWaterfern I have my Chinese Money Plant. Itβs in a clear pot with coco coir and perlite only. I donβt have any issues with it staying too wet. My humidity is also very high. Mine is pretty heavy on perlite. I had it planted with soil and perlite before and it didnβt do well. Maybe try coco coir. I only use it for my Calatheas and this plant . I also use perlite in all of my plants and terracotta pots some.οΏΌοΏΌ
Terracotta will help soil dry out faster. The amount of water being taken up by the plant also affects how quickly the soil dries.
If you want the soil to dry faster, you need to reduce the water retention of your soil. Trade some of the organic part of the soil with rocks like coarse sand (1-5mm), aquarium rocks (already sifted to a good size), or lava rocks. The idea is to replace material that retains water with a material that doesn't retain much water and still drains well.
Although perlite retains a fair amount of water, it loses the water at a faster rate than soil, so using more perlite will also help some, although not as much as adding rocks.
If you want the soil to dry faster, you need to reduce the water retention of your soil. Trade some of the organic part of the soil with rocks like coarse sand (1-5mm), aquarium rocks (already sifted to a good size), or lava rocks. The idea is to replace material that retains water with a material that doesn't retain much water and still drains well.
Although perlite retains a fair amount of water, it loses the water at a faster rate than soil, so using more perlite will also help some, although not as much as adding rocks.
@SimpleSucc
https://youtu.be/Mt_a7g6C2Ls?si=Pm_RddB0aT-G7jQj
That is a water retention test, not a drainage test. But, you can get an idea of how well they drain. Keep in mind that particle size affects drainage a lot. The smaller the particles, the worse the drainage. You want to avoid rocks smaller than 1mm, Roughly 4mm rocks give pretty good drainage.
Pumice has extra weight, helping with support.
https://youtu.be/Mt_a7g6C2Ls?si=Pm_RddB0aT-G7jQj
That is a water retention test, not a drainage test. But, you can get an idea of how well they drain. Keep in mind that particle size affects drainage a lot. The smaller the particles, the worse the drainage. You want to avoid rocks smaller than 1mm, Roughly 4mm rocks give pretty good drainage.
Pumice has extra weight, helping with support.
