Pumice vs perlite?
Hi everyone, a few things to ask:
I recently got a bag of potting mix - ingredients listed in screenshot. It has pumice in it for good draining, does this mean I won’t need to get additional perlite or should I anyway? I’ve recently repotted a philodendron and noticed that after watering, not a whole lot of water drained out and I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing or not, or if that’s normal considering it was dry soil 😅
The leaves are also starting to wrinkle and I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing or not too hahaha. There’s sooooo much conflicting info online and so much that goes into this so I want to just make sure that I don’t kill my plants.
When I repotted the philodendron, I completely washed off the old soil as it was really old and put entirely new potting mix in. I have a feeling that was not the way to go? Especially as over here in NZ, we are getting close to winter 😭 #Philodendron repotting">#repotting #NewPlantMom
I recently got a bag of potting mix - ingredients listed in screenshot. It has pumice in it for good draining, does this mean I won’t need to get additional perlite or should I anyway? I’ve recently repotted a philodendron and noticed that after watering, not a whole lot of water drained out and I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing or not, or if that’s normal considering it was dry soil 😅
The leaves are also starting to wrinkle and I’m not sure if that’s a bad thing or not too hahaha. There’s sooooo much conflicting info online and so much that goes into this so I want to just make sure that I don’t kill my plants.
When I repotted the philodendron, I completely washed off the old soil as it was really old and put entirely new potting mix in. I have a feeling that was not the way to go? Especially as over here in NZ, we are getting close to winter 😭 #Philodendron repotting">#repotting #NewPlantMom
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@kaitlyn.carroll Hi Kaitlyn, at least we are on the same side of the world 🌎
While often perlite and pumice can be substituted for each other (as they often serve a similar purpose in a soil mix like aeration and water retention or drainage), their properties are different. For example, pumice is heavier so better as a soil dressing as it won't wash away like perlite does.
I could go on and on but theres a really good video that looks at all these substances and so i have added it below, you can just click on the perlite and pumice discussion to cut down the time spent watching.
And here are some links that also discusses the two substances and a great video from a Canadian plant scientist (she also is good)
I would probably add some perlite in your situation but also not as much as if the soil mix has no pumice in it.
Hope this helps answer your question. All the best 👍🙂
https://youtu.be/lR-KA4n_Dh8?si=F02KQwy7a4k_EPou
https://harmonyinthegarden.com/2015/12/pumice-versus-perlite-a-qa-and-a-giveawaypumice-versus-perlite/
https://www.airtasker.com/au/comparisons/perlite-vs-pumice/
https://youtu.be/sCsuKHCLVqY?si=xCYicPne8KfhARv2
While often perlite and pumice can be substituted for each other (as they often serve a similar purpose in a soil mix like aeration and water retention or drainage), their properties are different. For example, pumice is heavier so better as a soil dressing as it won't wash away like perlite does.
I could go on and on but theres a really good video that looks at all these substances and so i have added it below, you can just click on the perlite and pumice discussion to cut down the time spent watching.
And here are some links that also discusses the two substances and a great video from a Canadian plant scientist (she also is good)
I would probably add some perlite in your situation but also not as much as if the soil mix has no pumice in it.
Hope this helps answer your question. All the best 👍🙂
https://youtu.be/lR-KA4n_Dh8?si=F02KQwy7a4k_EPou
https://harmonyinthegarden.com/2015/12/pumice-versus-perlite-a-qa-and-a-giveawaypumice-versus-perlite/
https://www.airtasker.com/au/comparisons/perlite-vs-pumice/
https://youtu.be/sCsuKHCLVqY?si=xCYicPne8KfhARv2
Hey Kaitlyn! Beautiful Philo! I think you can add perlite, it won’t hurt anything. I added a screenshot of the bagged aroid mix I use. Based on the wording in your screenshot, it sounds like there are other ingredients, they just don’t want to tell their entire recipe. The leaves wrinkling may or may not be related. It could be under/overwatering, temperature, repotting shock, nutrient difficeny,or humidity. Since you just repotted, I’d give it a few days to adjust. If it doesn’t improve, I’d start with your house temp, humidity, and soil condition.
@Corinne yeah I’m thinking it could just be the fact that I’ve repotted and it was a complete re soil etc. She’s done incredibly well with me not having looked after her the best (I’ve only recently really gotten into plants) so I’m hoping that she pulls through! I never knew transplant shock was a thing until after I had repotted which sucks hahaha. Thanks so much for this!!
@kaitlyn.carroll thats very kind of you to say. Hopefully some more answers there or at least an attempt to answer your initial question. Take care don't know many kiwis here