All these minerals are naturally occuring in our garden soil. From the break down of what were originally igneous rocks .
There are warnings about not breathing in the dust when you use it in a commercial setting but in domestic useage it is not likey to cause major issues .
These are the main minerals in Vermiculite . PhyllosilicatesFormula (repeating unit) (Mg,Fe+2,Fe+3)3[(Al,Si)4O10](OH)2·4H2O
Magnesium, Iron Aluminium and Silica.
This material is marginly likely to create more fertile soils than the Perlite as they come from a lava with different chemistry with more useful nutrients.
Where on earth did this scare originate? . It will do you no harm at all unless you are intending to eat or snort it.
Coming from a time Vermiculite had not been invented or even thought of as being necessary for raising plants vegetables or fruit in a garden that had fed the family for a hundred years before i was born. I often wonder what happened to that modicum of common sense we are all born with, or not as the case may be. Why use it? Drainage? we used grit washed sand shredded paper chopped straw it all worked in a garden that was essential for feedings us and the extended family. No, well why? to make pots lighter? as a ten year old I would slip a Sack barrow under a large pot and move it easily to where it needed to be, I just do not get it. As an Army Engineer and later a Chemical factory Engineer i could go into most houses in the country and make poisonous gas from what you use to clean the house with, make a bomb from ingredients you store in the pantry, all things you use daily and think nothing of yet very dangerous. The point being we live on chemicals of one sort or another from salt and sugar in foods to medication, our gardens are one large chemical plant changing the soils and feeding nutrients in chemical form to all life growing there. If you do not like the make up of something then do not use it. Vermiculite as with all the other chemical additives we eat or use daily will only kill you if you eat it twice a day with custard.
The only link between vermiculite and cancer causing asbestos was caused by a mining company near Libby, Montana, as another commenter mentioned, that contaminated vermiculite with asbestos which was mined nearby. This one company, per the EPA.gov website, "was the source of over 70 percent of all vermiculite sold in the United States from 1919 to 1990." So asbestos contaminated vermiculite ended up in vermiculite based housing insulation during that period giving innocent vermiculite a bad rap that just keeps giving.
More info from www.vermiculite.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Vermiculite-is-not-asbestos.pdf
Sometimes I wonder about the future of humanity... For anyone who bothers to read this far.... Use Vermiculite and or Perlite based on its size and not necessarily the purpose they sell it for IE: what it says on the packet. ITS INERT. as in... "its safe to use for the purposes of gardening". Its NOT a "chemical" if you use the word like that and has no "chemicals" in it... It is used where you might use grit or sand. it lightens the soil / compost mix and lets roots grow faster. That's it! I use "Builders" vermiculite intended as insulation in chimneys. It is perfect and loads cheaper than the size graded and over priced bags from the garden centre. Everything everywhere around you is "Chemical" STOP using it like a swearword to needlessly worry people! I regularly put dihydrogen monoxide all over my garden. I can't help getting it all over myself and the kids. Maybe I should take them to the hospital?
Posts
==Typical analysis of perlite==[2]
70–75% silicon dioxide: SiO212–15% aluminium oxide: Al2O33–4% sodium oxide: Na2O3–5% potassium oxide: K2O0.5-2% iron oxide: Fe2O30.2–0.7% magnesium oxide: MgO0.5–1.5% calcium oxide: CaO3–5% loss on ignition (chemical / combined water)
All these minerals are naturally occuring in our garden soil. From the break down of what were originally igneous rocks .
There are warnings about not breathing in the dust when you use it in a commercial setting but in domestic useage it is not likey to cause major issues .
Our soil needs all these minerals.
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'
These are the main minerals in Vermiculite .
Phyllosilicates Formula
(repeating unit) (Mg,Fe+2,Fe+3)3[(Al,Si)4O10](OH)2·4H2O
Magnesium, Iron Aluminium and Silica.
This material is marginly likely to create more fertile soils than the Perlite as they come from a lava with different chemistry with more useful nutrients.
Where on earth did this scare originate? . It will do you no harm at all unless you are intending to eat or snort it.
'You must have some bread with it me duck!'
What the H*** is a 'TedTalk' ?
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Coming from a time Vermiculite had not been invented or even thought of as being necessary for raising plants vegetables or fruit in a garden that had fed the family for a hundred years before i was born. I often wonder what happened to that modicum of common sense we are all born with, or not as the case may be. Why use it? Drainage? we used grit washed sand shredded paper chopped straw it all worked in a garden that was essential for feedings us and the extended family. No, well why? to make pots lighter? as a ten year old I would slip a Sack barrow under a large pot and move it easily to where it needed to be, I just do not get it. As an Army Engineer and later a Chemical factory Engineer i could go into most houses in the country and make poisonous gas from what you use to clean the house with, make a bomb from ingredients you store in the pantry, all things you use daily and think nothing of yet very dangerous. The point being we live on chemicals of one sort or another from salt and sugar in foods to medication, our gardens are one large chemical plant changing the soils and feeding nutrients in chemical form to all life growing there. If you do not like the make up of something then do not use it. Vermiculite as with all the other chemical additives we eat or use daily will only kill you if you eat it twice a day with custard.
Frank.
The only link between vermiculite and cancer causing asbestos was caused by a mining company near Libby, Montana, as another commenter mentioned, that contaminated vermiculite with asbestos which was mined nearby. This one company, per the EPA.gov website, "was the source of over 70 percent of all vermiculite sold in the United States from 1919 to 1990." So asbestos contaminated vermiculite ended up in vermiculite based housing insulation during that period giving innocent vermiculite a bad rap that just keeps giving.
More info from www.vermiculite.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Vermiculite-is-not-asbestos.pdf
Sometimes I wonder about the future of humanity... For anyone who bothers to read this far.... Use Vermiculite and or Perlite based on its size and not necessarily the purpose they sell it for IE: what it says on the packet. ITS INERT. as in... "its safe to use for the purposes of gardening". Its NOT a "chemical" if you use the word like that and has no "chemicals" in it... It is used where you might use grit or sand. it lightens the soil / compost mix and lets roots grow faster. That's it! I use "Builders" vermiculite intended as insulation in chimneys. It is perfect and loads cheaper than the size graded and over priced bags from the garden centre. Everything everywhere around you is "Chemical" STOP using it like a swearword to needlessly worry people! I regularly put dihydrogen monoxide all over my garden. I can't help getting it all over myself and the kids. Maybe I should take them to the hospital?
otherwise known as H2O = Water ;-)
Yes, I recognised the chemical.
I mostly ignore old threads revitalised.
There's never anything much when I look, as is the case this time.
But at least it's not an advert
In the sticks near Peterborough
Much more useful info Philippa
In the sticks near Peterborough