Keep the soil healthy, and the bad seed won’t grow.
D. Agus
Have you ever looked into a bag of Roots Organics soil, and wondered what the little white puffy bits are? It’s a common question, and the answer relates directly to soil health.
Healthy soil is quite simply, soil that effectively does what soil is supposed to do – sustains plants, animals, and humans, as part of the ecosystem.
Healthy soil is a combination of good soil structure and soil content, however water filtration and retention are also a main contributor. That is, whether water drains freely through the soil and how often the soil needs to be watered.
Poor draining soil will suffer from water-logging and water-stagnation complications – the most common of which is root-rot disease. Prolonged exposure to overwatered conditions can cause roots to die, due to a lack of oxygen. A healthy soil needs plenty of air spaces to be able to filter water freely, while still retaining nutrients.
This is where those little white puffy bits you asked about earlier, come into play.
Those little white puffy bits are called Perlite and have been added to all Roots Organics soils specifically to improve soil aeration and drainage. The more Perlite present in soil, the more freely water can filter.
100% of the Perlite used in Roots Organic soils is created in-house by Aurora Innovations.
Perlite begins life as obsidian ore, which is a naturally occurring glass created when water and lava collide. These little pieces of obsidian will have pockets of water trapped inside. When fed into a Perlite furnace, the ore is exposed to temperatures in excess of 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. This pops the ore like popcorn, into those “white puffy bits”, also known as Perlite.
All Roots Organics soils are packaged pre-mixed with the perfect ratios of Perlite, to allow for absolute draining consistency.
So all Roots Organics soils have excellent drainage, but they do vary when it comes to water retention, or how often each soil should be watered. Some plants thrive in more moist conditions; there is a soil choice for every occasion:
LUSH Soil, contains the most Perlite, and needs to be watered at least daily
The Original Soil and 707 Soil, retain more water, and need to be watered every other day
Greenfields Soil, retains even more water, and needs to be watered every three days
Microgreens Soil, contains the least Perlite, and needs to be watered every four days
When you consider how much water your plant needs, creating an environment for your plant to thrive becomes easy. (There are other advantages to consider when selecting a soil, that we’ll begin to explore over the next few volumes)
Roots Organics offers the convenience of fully organic soils, without any fear of root-rot disease. The perfect addition of Perlite to every bag, allows water to drain freely, every time.
And now you know what those “puffy white bits” are, and their importance to a healthy soil!