Zeolite in container mix

Milan HP · January 21, 2022

I've just learnt of the existence of zeolite, the porous mineral that is supposed to absorb nutrients and prevent them from leaking out of the containers.

I am sure there are lots of people here who have had some experience of using it. My questions are: How much zeolite per gallon? What size of the particles is the most suitable? And finally: How useful is it? Does it really help?

Thank you.
Milan HP

RayR · January 23, 2022

Zeolites are a mineral deposit that formed from volcanic ash and an alkaline water source creating a inert hard glass-like mineral with a honeycomb-like structure that absorbs water and has a high cation exchange capacity (CEC) which makes it attract positively charged nutrient ions like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and ammonium
If your soils have a low CEC like sandy soils where water and nutrients easily leach out , then amending it with zeolite can help retain both water and nutrients and slowly release them back into the soil for plant roots to take up.
There are no general rules for how much to use since the situations vary, especially in container mixes.which generally don't have a low CEC. You'd have to experiment with it.
You would usually buy it in granules the size of sand grains ot coarse sand.
I have some and have played around a little with it. I wouldn't go crazy using a lot of it in a container mix because too much can give you the opposite result that you are looking for.
Zeolites are commonly used in horse stalls because as an adsorbent with a high CEC it has a high affinity for trapping ammonium nitrogen which reduces ammonia odors in the stalls.
Using too much of it in.a container mix can have a similar effect but locking up too much ammonium nitrogen would not be beneficial to the plants

hl2601 · January 24, 2022

Gosh Ray! Excellent information. Thank you!

Milan HP · January 24, 2022

Thank you a million, Ray.
That's all I need. Actually, I have bought some and the size of the particles is about 3 - 5 mm. My mix is home-made, a mixture of clay soil from my garden and two different commercial seed mixes that don't hold water very well. I'll probably put some thirty to forty grains in each pot and see what happens. And I am not really heavy on ammonium nitrogen.
Milan HP

biscuitridge · January 24, 2022

Deleted

RayR · January 26, 2022

Quote:

Originally Posted by Milan HP

Thank you a million, Ray.
That's all I need. Actually, I have bought some and the size of the particles is about 3 - 5 mm. My mix is home-made, a mixture of clay soil from my garden and two different commercial seed mixes that don't hold water very well. I'll probably put some thirty to forty grains in each pot and see what happens. And I am not really heavy on ammonium nitrogen.
Milan HP

It'll probably work well to improve water retention in your commercial mixes.
I would guess your home-made mix with the clay doesn't have a problem with water retention and clays naturally have a higher CEC for holding on to nutrient cations which minimizes leaching..

These N. American zeolite mining companies has some good information on uses and benefits as a soil amendment.

https://www.absorbentproductsltd.com/soil-conditioner/

https://www.kmizeolite.com/soil-amendment/#tab-id-1

January 21, 2022	#1
Milan HP Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Ústí nad Labem in the north of the Czech Republic Posts: 332	Zeolite in container mix I've just learnt of the existence of zeolite, the porous mineral that is supposed to absorb nutrients and prevent them from leaking out of the containers. I am sure there are lots of people here who have had some experience of using it. My questions are: How much zeolite per gallon? What size of the particles is the most suitable? And finally: How useful is it? Does it really help? Thank you. Milan HP

January 24, 2022	#5
biscuitridge Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: washington Posts: 498	Deleted Last edited by biscuitridge; January 25, 2022 at 11:43 AM.

January 23, 2022	#2
RayR Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Cheektowaga, NY Posts: 2,466	Zeolites are a mineral deposit that formed from volcanic ash and an alkaline water source creating a inert hard glass-like mineral with a honeycomb-like structure that absorbs water and has a high cation exchange capacity (CEC) which makes it attract positively charged nutrient ions like calcium, magnesium, potassium, and ammonium If your soils have a low CEC like sandy soils where water and nutrients easily leach out , then amending it with zeolite can help retain both water and nutrients and slowly release them back into the soil for plant roots to take up. There are no general rules for how much to use since the situations vary, especially in container mixes.which generally don't have a low CEC. You'd have to experiment with it. You would usually buy it in granules the size of sand grains ot coarse sand. I have some and have played around a little with it. I wouldn't go crazy using a lot of it in a container mix because too much can give you the opposite result that you are looking for. Zeolites are commonly used in horse stalls because as an adsorbent with a high CEC it has a high affinity for trapping ammonium nitrogen which reduces ammonia odors in the stalls. Using too much of it in.a container mix can have a similar effect but locking up too much ammonium nitrogen would not be beneficial to the plants

January 24, 2022	#3
hl2601 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2017 Location: Metro Denver Posts: 767	Gosh Ray! Excellent information. Thank you!