Vermiculite question

[stevekentuk125]

Hi was looking at buying some Vermiculite for mixing in with seed compost etc when today at work i realised our aerospace products are packed with Vermiculite inside the boxes. . So my question is will it be suitable for gardening use ? Or does the horticultural vermiculite differ in any way? I have quite a lot of it to use so hopefully it will keep me going for a good few years and save me a few quid

[veggiechicken]

I have a sack of it that was left over from an Aga cooker installation. The pieces are larger than horti vermiculite so I've been passing it through one of those hand powered graters (Mouli julienne) to make it finer. Seems to work OK.

[stevekentuk125]

Thanks veggiechicken i will give it a go :-)

[Fleurisa]

I've also used vermiculite that we got in packaging, I could have done with a grater to reduce the size too.

[Philthy]

For anyone looking to buy vermiculite (or perlite, for that matter), be aware the prices charged in garden centres can amount to extortion. In my local outlet, a 10L bag costs about £8. Assuming you have somewhere to store it, a 100L sack represents far better value - avg £25. Use it up over several years if need be - its not exactly going to go off.

[DannyRam]

What does vermiculite do?

[Bigmallly]

Vermiculite absorbs water so reduces the need to water plants, Perlite is used to aid drainage & does not absorb water.

[Tadpole123]

Wilkinsons sell it 10ltrs £3.75 if anyone should need some

[Kristen]

a 100L sack represents far better value - avg £25

You're being ripped off! I pay £13-ish pre 100L

Should be available around about that price from Hydroponics stores, but I find what they sell too coarse. Had a look in my notebook but I haven't got the grade written down if anyone needs the range (I think its 3-5mm) I'll look it up.

Best place, price-wise, that I have had it from is JFC Monro - if you happen to live in the West country, otherwise their shipping tot he rest of the UK can add to the price rather, particularly if a small order, and I find LBS cheaper then.

[darcyvuqua]

Wilkinsons sell it 10ltrs £3.75 if anyone should need some

Yep same price for both vermiculite and perlite


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[Philthy]

Kristen, yes, you're right. The Wilkinson's price, and your £13'ish, are an absolute steal. There's nowhere around here that sells at those prices. And also like you say, couriering it from further afield means a hefty P+P charge eating into any significant saving.
Hmmm...

[BertieFox]

IN France you can buy a huge sack (100 litres) of the stuff for around 11 or 12 euros at Bricomarche stores. Although it's sold for house insulation purposes, it is just the same stuff for gardening, and I use it all the time. Surely British suppliers can get the same stuff? It is called EFIPERL and is a vermiculite and perlite mix.

[roitelet]

IN France you can buy a huge sack (100 litres) of the stuff for around 11 or 12 euros at Bricomarche stores. Although it's sold for house insulation purposes, it is just the same stuff for gardening, and I use it all the time. Surely British suppliers can get the same stuff? It is called EFIPERL and is a vermiculite and perlite mix.

Guess where I'm off to later? Thanks Bertie been looking for it for years!

[Martin H]

Nice. EFIPERL doesn't seem to be available here in the UK, but a gurgle for similar products found something called Micafil, e.g. http://www.insulationexpress.co.uk/P...9s1TjLsc7w_wcB at around £20 for 100 litres, not too bad. I saw some slightly cheaper on the Bay.

[Jarz]

Our trading shed sells stuff like this loose in bins, and we charge 30p/Litre Vermiculite and 25p/Litre for Perlite. I think our Hoof and Horn is £1.25/kg. Blood fish and bone is 70/kg.

We have other stuff as well, like Lime, bone meal, and growmore. To be honest, I've only used Perlite which I put in compost for pots when sowing seeds for the greenhouse. We do tend to sell a lot of the loose stuff, as we are a large site.

I suppose I should be more adventurous but most of my stuff grows well anyway (unless it's eaten by slugs or snails!). We have compost and manure delivered on a regular basis and I just chuck it all on my raised bed (and small ground bed) and it works.