Course or Fine Perlite for soil..

murihikukid · December 26, 2016

Hi..I am in a dilemma over Perlite....I can get 100 litre of course quality for $75 or 200 litre of fine for $60...Thats a substantial saving for me if I buy Fine...would fine be as equaly good as course...

Thankyou Ron

Worth1 · December 26, 2016

I think fine is too fine.

greenthumbomaha · December 26, 2016

I agree with Worth, if the fine is as pictured.

What is the soil you are using and for what purpose is the perlite addition. Perhaps there are other options.

- Lisa

JRinPA · December 26, 2016

My brother and I bought 2 yards of coarse perlite last spring for new raised beds. Worked great for that and also worked great for 25% makeup of soil blocks. It was sold as "screened luna rock" and looks like that pic of coarse above. The place sold a more uniform grade as well, but was sold by the 4 ft bags and cost a bit more that way. My first experience with perlite was was last year, so I am no expert.

I picked it up at the facility. The 2 yards came in a 300+lb bean bag that the forklift guy expertly loaded under the high rise cap on my pickup. It cost about $115 that way, and took some doing to unload and divide it up. The next day I returned an unopened 4 cu ft bag of perlite back to Agway and got my $24 back. It took more work, but I liked paying $2 per foot a lot more than $6 per foot. The screened luna rock was also a much nicer, "fresh" product with very low dust compared to the "horticultural perlite" I previously bought from Agway. I don't know what your options are for purchase over there, but here the local flower shops and big box stores were expensive compared to Agway, and Agway turned out to be expensive compared to direct from distributor.

December 26, 2016	#1
murihikukid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Invercargill New Zealand Posts: 1,022	Course or Fine Perlite for soil.. Hi..I am in a dilemma over Perlite....I can get 100 litre of course quality for $75 or 200 litre of fine for $60...Thats a substantial saving for me if I buy Fine...would fine be as equaly good as course... Thankyou Ron

December 26, 2016	#2
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	I think fine is too fine.

December 26, 2016	#3
greenthumbomaha Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Omaha Zone 5 Posts: 2,514	I agree with Worth, if the fine is as pictured. What is the soil you are using and for what purpose is the perlite addition. Perhaps there are other options. - Lisa

December 26, 2016	#4
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	My brother and I bought 2 yards of coarse perlite last spring for new raised beds. Worked great for that and also worked great for 25% makeup of soil blocks. It was sold as "screened luna rock" and looks like that pic of coarse above. The place sold a more uniform grade as well, but was sold by the 4 ft bags and cost a bit more that way. My first experience with perlite was was last year, so I am no expert. I picked it up at the facility. The 2 yards came in a 300+lb bean bag that the forklift guy expertly loaded under the high rise cap on my pickup. It cost about $115 that way, and took some doing to unload and divide it up. The next day I returned an unopened 4 cu ft bag of perlite back to Agway and got my $24 back. It took more work, but I liked paying $2 per foot a lot more than $6 per foot. The screened luna rock was also a much nicer, "fresh" product with very low dust compared to the "horticultural perlite" I previously bought from Agway. I don't know what your options are for purchase over there, but here the local flower shops and big box stores were expensive compared to Agway, and Agway turned out to be expensive compared to direct from distributor.