AUSPERL perlite is a super light weight potting media that is clean and easy to use as well as environmentally friendly, offering many advantages allowing you to get the very best from your plants, nurturing them and helping them grow healthy and strong. The unique properties of perlite provides for excellent aeration and drainage while still ensuring good water retention.

A white volcanic rock, Perlite is sterile allowing free handling, lasts indefinitely, and has excellent insulation against temperature fluctuation (Source: Perlite Institute Inc., USA).

AUSPERL Perlite is ideal for propagation. Various grades of perlite are available that can be used solely or with peat moss, sand or other media. An outstanding advantage is that PERLITE may be used safely without further sterilization. The lightweight properties ensure that when cuttings and seedlings are ready for removal, you can lift them safely easily from the bed without large clumps clinging to, and damaging the roots. AUSPERL Perlite also makes sound economic sense, because it withstands repeated usage, you can replant in the same bed.

AUSPERL Horticultural Perlite has proven to be an excellent material to use as a soil conditioning agent because it has certain characteristics, which provide the following results:

1. Soil structure is improved due to the near ideal air-water relationship that is developed in the growing media.
2. The air holding capacity of the soil is increased and adequate drainage is assured.
3. Over watering and under watering losses are reduced due to the surface structure of the particle that retains 3 or 4 times its weight in water without penetrating the particle. Excess ater will drain off.
4. Cracking and crusting of soil surface is reduced or prevented.
5. Soil compaction is prevented.
6. A more even distribution of the root system is made possible throughout the entire growing media.
7. AUSPERL Horticultural Perlite is easy to handle, does not require sterilization and mixes may be accurately duplicated due to consistent perlite quality.
8. Uniform growing and propagating media are insured regardless of season or location.

Information in this document has been extracted from data developed by the following soil research facilities:

	Fulton Hogan Hamilton - 21/08/2003 Opus International Consultants Limited - Hamilton Laboratory Soil and Plant Laboratory in Santa Ana, CA. Texas Agricultural Experiment Station Perlite Institute Inc.

LINKS TO ARTICLES

• Perlite Gradation and Peat/Perlite Mixtures
• Horticultural Perlite Solves Compaction Problem at New Stadium
• Horticultural Perlite - The Natural Growing Media for Outdoor Gardening
• Indoor Gardening with Perlite
• Cultivation of Spruce Seedlings in Mixtures of Perlite and Sphagnum Peat in Norway
• The Role of Perlite in Hydroponic Culture
• Container Growing with 100% Perlite and Perlite /Peat Mixes
• Renovating Golf Greens with Horticultural Perlite
• Effective Watering with Horticultural Perlite
• Growing Orchids in Perlite