Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracydr
Could DE be used as a portion of a potting soil mix? If so, which porting and what percentage? Not for earth boxes.
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Absolutely, I know some folks here on TV have used it to amend their container mixes as have I. I'm even trying it as an amendment to my garden beds this spring.
It can be used alone or in combination with perlite. It's very light in weight, but not quite as light as Perlite. Both are composed of mostly silica, Perlite is manufactured by expanding hydrated volcanic obsidian glass, DE is a natural deposit, the fossilized silica skeletons of prehistoric diatoms. Both are made of mostly stable and inert amorphous silica, but DE contains a small amount of soluble silica which can be utilized by plants.
How much to use? I don't know exactly, that would take some experimentation itself.
There is a commercially made high end potting mix that is made locally here in Western NY called
Just Right Xtra All Organic Potting Mix which doesn't use any Perlite at all in the mix, but they use a very coarse horticultural grade DE that is also the same type that is used as a medium in hydroponics.