Silica in Vermiculite?

Sharpy 3/2/2010, 11:26 pm

I located the big bags of vermiculite at Menards, it is manufactured by Sun Horticulture but it is sold as insulation. It states that it contains only vermiculite with up to 1% silca?

Is this the right stuff? Is it ok to have silica in my Mel's Mix?

**WardinWake** 3/3/2010, 12:24 am

Sharpy:

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica (from the Latin silex), is an oxide of silicon with a chemical formula of SiO2 and has been known for its hardness since antiquity. Silica is most commonly found in nature as sand or quartz, as well as in the cell walls of diatoms. Silica is the most abundant mineral in the Earth's crust.[1][2]

Yep, silica is OK in the SFG.

God Bless, Ward.

Kabaju42 3/3/2010, 9:35 am

Sand is mainly made of of silica, so your bag is basically vermiculite with a touch of sand. I doubt that would hurt the plants at all.

happyfrog 3/5/2010, 8:50 am

learned something new! didn't know that there might be some silica/sand in my vermiculite and if it is, it's ok. . .will go peruse the bag i bought now to see what it says. bounce

titans01 3/10/2010, 5:15 pm

I found this at my local Menards as well. Just to be sure I emailed Sun Horticulture to make sure it would work in my garden. Here was their reply:

Hello Tony
Thank you for contacting Sun Gro. If the vermiculite you purchased from Menards is labeled either Sun Gro or Stronglite or Sunshine, the product is safe to use in your garden. It is identical to other vermiculite other than the size may be larger than what is often sold for gardens.
Happy Gardening
--Kathryn

So it sounds like it might be a little more coarse than most but should be fine. Good deal because $10.99 for a 3 cubic foot bag sounds like a much better deal than the only other place in town that had it for $26.99 for a 4 cubic foot bag.

Daynannan 3/10/2010, 5:35 pm

Glad it's ok b/c I'm using the same stuff.

**camprn** 3/14/2010, 1:51 pm

This is a great tip!! Very Happy

chocolatepop 3/14/2010, 3:42 pm

how much and what sized bags did you guys find at Menards?

**mckr3441** 3/14/2010, 4:58 pm

Thank you Ward and Titans! This will be very helpful to a whole lot of people. Silica in Vermiculite? Icon_cheers

titans01 3/14/2010, 6:39 pm

chocolatepop wrote:how much and what sized bags did you guys find at Menards?

$10.99 for 3 cubic feet.

happyfrog 4/14/2010, 7:13 am

learned something new! didn't know that there might be some silica/sand in my vermiculite and if it is, it's ok. . .will go peruse the bag i bought now to see what it says. bounce

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