Where to find vermiculite

For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. Vermiculite is a natural mineral with a wide variety of uses. Why is vermiculite a common gardening component, and where can you get pure vermiculite for an affordable price? And what are the basics of using it in your garden? Air Sea Containers has the answers you need. What is Vermiculite? The Basics Vermiculite is made from a combination of iron, magnesium, aluminum, and silicon.

Vermiculite is also a common packaging material for all kinds of goods. Vermiculite in Gardening So, why do gardeners use vermiculite? It turns out that the desirable properties of vermiculite are also very useful in gardening.

These include: Its absorbent qualities help your soil retain water and nutrients. Different sizes of vermiculite are used for different tasks in gardening. Small-grain vermiculite is good for germinating seedlings, while coarse-grain vermiculite is an ideal substance for aerating and structuring soil.

Nevertheless, try to persuade the dealer that you intend to build your pool one way or the other and you will need to purchase chemicals for the lifetime of the pool, and, therefore, they should help you now in the hope of gaining another good customer.

A typical vemriculite pool bottom just before the liner is installed. If that fails, a listing of distributors throughout the country can be found at The Pool and Spa News Online Directory. The distributors usually will not sell direct, but they may tell you the name of a dealer near you who may.

And if that fails, try to see if you can find some vermiculite concrete aggregate at your local lumberyard or masonry yard not one of the box stores like Home Depot or Lowes since they don't carry perlite and vermiculite aggregates.

The grades used for the horticultural industry range from a fine to an extra coarse, and for swimming pools you want the fine grade. On the west coast, you will have a lot of trouble finding vermiculite. Unfortunately, manufacturers like The Schundler Company normally sell to distributors in our distribution area. As such, we really don't know which local dealers or contractors have our materials or use them.

And other manufacturers are the same. We also aren't set up to handle retail, to ship in small lots, or to have homeowners come to our plant to purchase material.

Nevertheless, if all else fails, we suggest you contact us or locate a vermiculite manufacturer near you. Don't bother with the large box stores Home Depot, Lowes, Wal-Mart since they often stock only small bags, and may not stock any vermiculite. Flowers in Sqaure Foot Gardening Or, go to the internet and purchase from sites like: 7 Springs Farm Carlin Horticultural Supplies Morton's Horticultural Products Sometimes products like our Soilac for use in outdoor gardens and for landscaping simply are not available from horticultural distributors.

For these grades of perlite, you might want to contact local masonry supply stores and ask for perlite NOT vermiculite masonry wall, loose fill insulation.

It's usually dusty, gritty, and just what you want for your garden the fine particles keep the clay loam soils from compacting, and hold significant amounts of water. Again, if all else fails, then contact a local manufacturer.