Perlite - Coarse or Fine Grade
Hydroponic Culture -The fastest growing application for Perlite in the horticultural field is hydroponics or otherwise known as Protected Cropping. Perlite exhibits a unique capillary action in that nutrient rich water can be drawn up from a reservoir through a fine Perlite growing media at the rate that is required by a plant. As a result, plants grown in hydroponic supplies, i.e. Perlite do not suffer from over watering or under watering.
What Is Perlite?
Perlite is an extremely versatile inorganic mineral that once expanded is used extensively world wide for many different applications. Perlite is a natural occurring mineral in the form of siliceous rock, Perlite ore is found world wide with the best mines located in North America, Greece, Turkey, China and Northern Australia. When the perlite ore is heated at approximately 850⁰-900⁰C it expands up to 20 times its original volume, unlike many other volcanic glasses, making it perfect for use as perlite insulation.
This expansion is caused by water that has been trapped within the ore (approximately 4% water content is trapped within the perlite ore) and the water is boiled off when evaporation occurs causing the ore to expand to its particular size. This process is much likened to the making of popcorn in your microwave (yet at a much higher temperature). In the expansion phase, the perlite ore changes from dark shades of black and grey to fluorescent, pearly white shades.
Exfoliators currently source perlite from an Australian based mine in Northern Australia. The perlite from this mine is of supreme quality after comparison with world wide samples, its expansion abilities along with other benefits significantly out weigh many other global supplies. Exfoliators Premium Perlite brand is completely sterile and pH neutral, rendering it harmless to your plants and animals and great for perlite insulation purposes.
Exfoliators Premium Perlite is extremely lightweight with a low bulk density of 50kg/m₃-75kg/m₃, which when compared to its original weight of 1100kg/m₃ then makes it a fantastic product to be used in many diverse applications. The water holding capacity of Exfoliators Premium Perlite will vary from grade to grade (in relation to the specific density of each grade), this is beneficial as some applications of Exfoliators Premium Perlite will require a high water-holding capacity as their major feature, some will require aeration benefits over a comparatively low water holding capacity and some applications will require no liquid retention at all.
