A long time ago I decided to try to overwinter my dahlia
roots. I tried various ideas described on the Dahlia forum, but none worked. No
matter how I did it, they did not survive the winter. I think my basement just
does not get cold enough, no matter how they are wrapped. I have decided to just
start over by buying new roots each spring.

One of these ideas was to bag them up in Perlite. This is the
expanded rock stuff, not the Styrofoam material. Now I have 2 big bags of
perlite, and no idea what to do with it.

Before I throw this stuff out to make room, does it have
other gardening uses? Is it a useful additive to my outdoor potted plants? I normally
have a lot of deck and porch pots I make up each year. I usually buy a quality soilless
mix for these from a local garden center. Is it useful to add the perlite to a
more generic potting soil? If it retains water that could be useful. My front patio
can really broil, and I have to water the pots daily.

Thanks!