Vermiculite might help slightly with dry spells but perlite increases air and drainage. It depends on what you are going to mix it with. You could go as much as 50/50 with milled peat moss.

I would visit the container gardening forums for alot more discussions about ratios of Perlite, Vermiculite etc .. to use.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/contain/

It also largely depends on what you are growing and where. If you are growing succulents or cactus in a container you would use more than if you were growing a cucumbers in ground.

hth
Nam

It's not clear from your question whether you are thinking of using it in a potting mix or in the ground. I wouldn't recommend the latter because I think it would have little effect. In a potting mix it is good stuff. The best root system I ever saw on an orchid plant was one which had grown in pure perlite for several years.

Jim

I am not mixing it with anything but the soil in my garden. The vermiculite I think I will just soak some and place it around the plants for moisture but don't know how much perlite to put in the beds.

It's for potting mix, not for in the ground. Well, it's not going to ruin your soil or anything, but it is too expensive to use as a soil amendment and you need about 30-50% of it in your soil to get any benefit out of it.

It's great stuff for seed starting. Do you start any of your plants indoors? I don't think the primary purpose of either product is moisture retention.

What you might try to retain moisture in garden soil is a bit of water crystal. I bought a 50 pound sack of water crystal and don't like it for my potting mix because it retains too much water and it is too loose. But I know it gets used in lawns to decrease the amount of watering needed.

It makes the lawn a bit strange to walk on, like walking on jello.

Turface MVP is used in lawns and gardens to both improve drainage and to increase the amount of moisture retained. It's used on ball fields and lawns for assorted sports.

I'd think that in a garden, mulching with good old compost would be your best option.

If you are trying to retain more moisture then use mulch or amend you beds with some milled sphagnum peat moss.

How much of these do I mix into the soil?

The correct answer is ~ >>> All of it.

You can spread and run the rototiller over the area. Just mix it into the soil. There is no right or wrong answer. It will help the garden. So add it and mix it in. The more the better.

All of it......Just mix it into the soil. There is no right or wrong answer. It will help the garden. So add it and mix it in. The more the better.

Maybe if you're trying to create a desert. I think gd is just here for a reaction. I sure hope no one follows that advice unless they have pure clay or peat moss.

If you want to disspose it, you could just send it all to me. LOL. I need to buy some for my seed starting mix, for next spring.

Both perlite and vermiculite are for potting mix and seeding mix. Perlite brings air to roots and vermiculite keeps the moisture in. As previously mentioned, you can use this in your garden, but the effect is not worth the price.

For starting seed inside, you can use any of them separately, both mixed together, or in a mix with peat moss. The mix that works for me is one part 50/50 mix of perlite and vermiculite and two parts peat moss. The point in using any of these substances is that no soil-borne pathogens or pests can be found in your seedling trays/cups, which helps to raise healthy seedlings so that by the time they are in contact with pests or pathogens, they are big and strong and have better chances in fighting off disease.

Having said that, I have found a use for perlite in the garden. If your soil is poorly draining and you don't have the time or the means to dig and improve it, you can mix some perlite into the first foot of gardening soil to help aerate it. Shoot for ten percent perlite in your soil and mix it in well.

This might be something worth reading if you haven't amended your soil yet.

Here is a link that might be useful: THE NATURAL GROWING MEDIA FOR OUTDOOR GARDENING

This thread is a bit old, but I'll add that my #1 use for vermiculite is as a sterile medium for rooting cuttings in. I wash out used milk or o.j. containers, punch lots of drainage holes, fill with 80% vermiculite and 20% sand, and then put a few stems in each one (usually native CA sages for me) and water them daily. I'm lucky that in my climate, little else is needed yo get the cuttings going.

A handful of moist perlite in a plastic baggie is also my favorite medium for stratifying seeds in the refrigerator.

That's a great idea for stratification. I've always just potted them up and put in plastic bags in the frige which takes up lots of room.

Many useful responses, come across this article with a list of all Perlite uses and usage instructions. Hope this helps.

Perlite for plants and usage