Darnova
Member
A word of caution for those who use perlite.
I've recently picked up a bag of Black Gold perlite from Sun Gro Horticulture (8-quart bag), and wish I hadn't. As always, I thoroughly rinse my soil additives. For perlite I use a 5-gallon paint strainer bag. Works perfectly. While rinsing the Black Gold brand I found a lot of foreign particles, specifically small pieces of wood. As any organic farmer knows, foreign wood particles may contain dangerous (to plants) molds, bacteria, fungus, insect eggs, etc.
Additionally, I found the size of the perlite itself was inconsistent. About 20% of the bag contained medium size pieces, while 80% was very small. Personally, when I use perlite I prefer that it is consistent in size (medium) and free of any foreign debris.
Admittedly, I have had good luck with Miracle-Gro perlite (8-quart bag). This brand also comes with fine dust particles from the manufacturing process. But a quick rinse washes it all out. Never had any foreign particles to deal with.
The only problem with the Miracle-Gro brand is the $14 per 8-quart bag price tag. If anyone knows of a supplier with a better offer, I'd love to know.
I've recently picked up a bag of Black Gold perlite from Sun Gro Horticulture (8-quart bag), and wish I hadn't. As always, I thoroughly rinse my soil additives. For perlite I use a 5-gallon paint strainer bag. Works perfectly. While rinsing the Black Gold brand I found a lot of foreign particles, specifically small pieces of wood. As any organic farmer knows, foreign wood particles may contain dangerous (to plants) molds, bacteria, fungus, insect eggs, etc.
Additionally, I found the size of the perlite itself was inconsistent. About 20% of the bag contained medium size pieces, while 80% was very small. Personally, when I use perlite I prefer that it is consistent in size (medium) and free of any foreign debris.
Admittedly, I have had good luck with Miracle-Gro perlite (8-quart bag). This brand also comes with fine dust particles from the manufacturing process. But a quick rinse washes it all out. Never had any foreign particles to deal with.
The only problem with the Miracle-Gro brand is the $14 per 8-quart bag price tag. If anyone knows of a supplier with a better offer, I'd love to know.
