Well it depends how much you put in, of course. I mix 20% perlite (by volume). If you poured it on top, it would be an inch or more of perlite. So a layer on the surface is not much. I will look at other options next time I make a batch of soil though.i think it [perlite] represents a lot more than 1%
I'm over here having made a breakthru because I got a postive response from you lol. WTF is going on in the world haha!lol carrying bags of perlite on the subway...funny shit! definitely easier than hauling pumice or lava rock...that shit is heavy!
when I used to use roots 707, the perlite would always float to the top by the end of the cycle....sincerely, i'm not sure how you water, but unless you are watering extremely slowly you must have some floating pumice....I am pretty lazy/violent when I water, so I often get little pools of water on the surface that slowly seep through. when the water pools, the perlite floats, and then gets deposited on the surface as the water seeps in. this is how you end up with pots that look like kushkings
btw I love how active this thread is lets keep 'er goin...
sincerely - why don't you think you can't have living worms in your 3 gallon pots? i've seen live red wigglers in my cloning solo cups before...
Only reason it should be no bueno or less as good is because it has no CEC.GrowBrooklyn. pretty cool that your overgrowin the boroughs i think it represents a lot more than 1%..
that is a good ? dont know y perlite is no bueno but the rock dusts are ok. someone else can chime in. their are plenty of options that are light weight. there is that napa product that a lot of organic terrorists use. pumice is pretty light too (relatively lol)
if its working for you in your situation carry on. all my potting mixes have it. im just looking to replace perlite going fwd for the reasons i mentioned earlier