To what only tricks are not resorted to by lovers of indoor plants, to get a loose soil, to be able to control the moisture of the soil and avoid its drying out or overflow. To solve such many-sided problems, agroperlite or vermiculite has been used for several decades, although these substances have been widely spread relatively recently.
Vermiculite in horticulture
Vermiculite is an excellent baking powder. This is especially true in areas with clay, heavy and stony ground. Thanks to the use of vermiculite for plants, favorable conditions are created for the access of nutrients and air to the root system, which is simply necessary for the growth and fructification of all cultures without exception.
An important property of vermiculite - to retain moisture 5 times its weight - helps to significantly reduce the multiplicity of irrigation, and this saves time for such work and reduces the consumption of water. This same property allows the roots to gradually get moisture, not allowing overflow.
Vermiculite is also very important in marshy, excessively humid areas, because it manages to reduce the amount of moisture in the soil and make it suitable for plants. But it is worth noting that for such a dehydration of the soil will require a significant amount of this substrate, which is quite expensive. It can be replaced by a cheaper analogue - perlite, which has similar properties.
Vermiculite for indoor plants
The use of vermiculite in indoor floriculture is very common today. Excellent performance has made it an indispensable component for growing flowers and seedlings .
Rooting of cuttings is best obtained in vermiculite, unlike the usual method - in a container of water. Due to its properties, this substance is not affected by mold and fungus, and the flower has the ability to build up a healthy root system.
To do this, the container with vermiculite is dampened with sufficient water and a fresh cut cutlet is placed there. You can even do without a greenhouse (although in it the roots will appear a little earlier), and then, after shaking off the excess vermiculite, the plant is planted in a permanent place. To ensure that the soil with indoor plants is not affected by mold fungi, it is breathable and nutritious at the same time, up to 40% of vermiculite is added to the prepared soil. If this is the land for germination of seeds for seedlings, then select the smallest fraction. The disadvantage of such vermiculite is dustiness. To avoid the ingress of dust into the eyes and respiratory organs, it is advisable to work in a respirator, or slightly moisten vermiculite from the nebulizer at the beginning of the work.
Greater fraction corresponds to larger plants, unless they have supersensitive roots that can be injured by vermiculite plates. So that the top layer of the soil is not taken up by the crust, after watering it is completely covered with a layer of fine vermiculite. Now you do not have to loosen it by hand, and also you will not see white salt deposits and green mold on the surface:
A big plus when using vermiculite for indoor plants is that the soil does not require frequent watering and at the same time it does not dry out. This is achieved due to the property of the plates of vermiculite to retain more moisture. Fertilizers are not washed out of the soil, but, adsorbed in these plates, are then released gradually, evenly providing the plant with everything necessary.
Perhaps the only significant disadvantage of vermiculite is that when watering with increased rigidity, the land can acquire high acidity, and this will negatively affect the plant.