Course vs. Medium Vermiculite

gardengoddess 3/23/2011, 2:38 pm

Okay, I've let my fingers do the walking all morning... garden centers, insulation suppliers, hardware stores... and the only vermiculite I can find here is So. OR is medium grade.

If I'm forced to use the medium, would I use it in the same proportions as the course or would I use less and add more compost?

I'm aching to plant my spring veggies and if I don't get the broccoli and cauliflower in this week it won't be done before I'm ready to plant my summer crops. If this really won't work, I will wait and order it online.

Thanks

boffer 3/23/2011, 2:47 pm

Welcome to the forum!

Medium will work, BUT, it's not as nice as coarse, in my opinion. I bought some when my regular supplier was out of coarse. The MM is not as friable and fluffy with medium compared to coarse. It feels heavy and dense. You could get a bag to get started, and then get the coarse later.

Last month I ended up with some extra coarse and didn't like that either; it was way too big. So I mixed the med and extra coarse half and half. Stay tuned.

**Furbalsmom** 3/24/2011, 10:51 pm

GardenGoddess Course vs. Medium Vermiculite 654548

gardengoddess wrote:Okay, I've let my fingers do the walking all morning... garden centers, insulation suppliers, hardware stores... and the only vermiculite I can find here is So. OR is medium grade.

If I'm forced to use the medium, would I use it in the same proportions as the course or would I use less and add more compost?

I'm aching to plant my spring veggies and if I don't get the broccoli and cauliflower in this week it won't be done before I'm ready to plant my summer crops. If this really won't work, I will wait and order it online.

Thanks

How nice to welcome another Oregonian to the forum. Most vermiculite that I find is medium and seems to work just fine. I use the same proportions for the medium that I would use for coarse.

I will be putting my spring veggies out this week-end (finally) My broccoli, cauliflower and broccflower will not wait any longer.
We have had so much rain, it has been close to impossible (unless you want to go out in your raincoat, boots and winter gloves to dig in wet MM which is not my idea of a good time) Use the medium, it will work fine.

I checked our vermiculite data base and was unable to locate anything close to Southern Oregon(I assume you are in south central or south eastern OR as opposed to the southern coast)
Did you get a chance to check out

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Course vs. Medium Vermiculite

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