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Dry Additives and Elements<br />
<strong>The</strong> notable dry additives and elements in a living TLO soil mix are many, but I want <strong>to</strong> run through<br />
several of them here <strong>to</strong> give you a better idea of why you are using specific things. Understanding this,<br />
or even starting <strong>to</strong>, will allow you <strong>to</strong> successfully substitute for other amendments when necessary—<br />
with “successfully” being the key word here. Also, understanding many of these things will really<br />
open your eyes as <strong>to</strong> how things work in the natural world. It sure opened mine and continues <strong>to</strong><br />
amaze me at every new turn.<br />
<strong>The</strong> differences between a granular and a powdered form of elements is important <strong>to</strong> note, and<br />
usually is directly relative <strong>to</strong> strength of release and length of release. <strong>The</strong>re are several issues when<br />
growing TLO-style where this will matter a great deal and I will strive <strong>to</strong> point all those out <strong>to</strong> you as<br />
we cover them.<br />
Perlite<br />
Perlite is, simply put, a volcanic glass that is all natural and quite solid in nature. When heated, this<br />
glass expands big time, resulting in the highly porous and light material called perlite. This material<br />
does not decompose or otherwise break down easily, which makes it perfect for aerating a living<br />
TLO soil mix. I would be lost trying <strong>to</strong> use a living soil mix in containers without perlite. I<br />
recommend using small nugget sized perlite due <strong>to</strong> the increased surface area, making it a much more<br />
effective aerating amendment.<br />
Here you can see both large and small nugget sized perlite
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