soil question

Quick soil question.

My mix is 45% top soil, 45% potting mix (no ferts), 5% Perlite, 5% Vermiculite.

I ordered 25lbs of warm castings which unfortunately have not arrived yet and I had to repot - so here is the question:

I repotted into 4 gallon pots and left about 4 inchs room at the top - when the castings arrived would it be good to do a top soil/warm casting mix is for the top two inches of the container??? If yes what percentages would you suggest?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

worm castings are an excellent source of nitrogen, should be mixed into the soil, not left on top ... it may 'wash down' into the soil as you water, but pretty expensive stuff to not be using it correctly ... choice is up to you ... also, go with more perlite, about 20%, if you can ... no biggie on that, it does help drainage and aeration to the roots, though ... I don't like vermiculite, holds too much moisture, and like perlite, floats around when watered ... good luck :thumbsup:

thanks reaper - the info on the vermiculite helps as i was having problems with the soil retaining water at the bottom in the first phase of the grow - could'nt figure it out that was probably it - yeah the warm castings were expensive - which is why I figure if I put them at the top at least there may be some benefit.

My understanding of it, is that vermiculite & perlite are vertually identical (in that they are generally composed of inert volcanic rock), apart from that perlite is an organic product, whereas vermiculite isn't ? Is that correct?

To refer to your Q, I use about 20/80 perlite/soil, I find it holds a bit more water so i'm not watering every other day..

Keep us posted!

Perlite is some kind of volcanic rock, it's fairly solid ... vermiculite is also some sort of mineral derivative (I 'think' it derives from 'mica', but not sure) ... either way, perlite works by moisture adhering to it's surface, while the vermiculite actually absorbs the moisture, like a sponge ... I used vermiculite for years, but I like the perlite better ... :smokin:

Yea I.R. .... perlite rocks lol

Sorry. LOL