If you’re looking to help with growing cannabis in growing rooms or gardens, perlite is something that can help with the soil.  You may have seen this before, and these little dots within this are actually particles of glass, and they are used in gardens and grow rooms. A lot of horticulturalists do appreciate it, and while it may not seem like much, it can improve the structure of the soil. 

What is It? 

Basically, perlite is what obsidian starts off as. That’s the glass that’s volcanic that occurs when lava cools down rapidly. When the obsidian that’s there starts to become hydrated, it’s then perlite.  This of course is a bit different from what is seen on shelves. When you process the perlite, it releases the water that’s trapped in there causing the glass to grow up to 20 times the size. It looks kind of like popcorn in how it grows. 

Why Perlite for Soil 

Perlite is something that can help with cannabis growing, especially in the soil. You definitely can get a lot of benefits out of this. For cannabis plants, perlite is great for drainage of the soil, since it offers proper soil drainage to help with reducing pathogens and also reducing the suffocation. The pooling water that’s there is great for bacteria that’s anerobic, and it can also help with different fungal conditions. It helps with drainage, recues the root rot, and also reduces stagnation as well. 

The roots get a lot within the soil, and the nutrients within this can also cause it to struggle to breathe. It’s definitely something that offers air pockets, improving the oxygen, and also improving the respiration of this as well. 

It is also pH neutral, so it won’t affect how acidic or alkaline the soil is, which is important if you want to reduce the nutrient lockout. Finally, it also reduces the compaction of the soil. This also helps with inhibiting the aeration and drainage, since it has a really good structure, tiny holes, and it can resist the compacting of soil, great for adding to soils that are already compacted. 

The downside 

If you’re curious about the downsides, there are a couple of things.  Perlite is something that does break up into dust particles that are tiny, and if you inhale this, it can irritate your throat, and it can also irritate the eyes. you should wear googles and a respirator to protect the throat, lungs, and eyes when working with this. 

A big part of this as well is that it does have a toll on the environment. While a lot of gardeners do love this, it’s not that good for cannabis growers that are trying to be more environmentally friendly. 

How to Use This 

Perlite is something that is best when used with amending the soil. Look at how much is needed, the amount desired, and then mix it together. If you’re curious about the amount to use, if it’s up to 20%, it can improve the quality especially to aerate, improve the drainage of the soil, without needing to continuously give the plants a bunch of nutrients. 

If you want to use higher amounts up to 50%, you’ll want to make sure that more nutrients get added when it’s growing, since this can sometimes cause drainage to increase. But the plus side of this, is that the plants will grow quick and fast, and you can use this to also make feeding consistent. 

It’s great too because it can work with a lot of other growing mediums to make it easier.