(no subject)

Barry Meyers-Rice (barry@as.arizona.edu)
Mon, 15 Nov 93 11:43:10 MST

>For those newbies out there, no, you aren't the only ones who
>are completely stumped by these arcane discussions :-).

>Robert, the bozo.
>(as opposed to Bazza, or Barzai)

Well here's a basic question that I was wondering about. Just what
the devil is perlite? I know where to buy it, and I often use it in
soil mixes, but what is it? For that matter, I'm not entirely sure what
vermiculite. For my rock-collecting youth, I seem to recall it is some
kind of rock like mica that has been expanded via heat...BUT what is
perlite? Has anyone with a bent to CP done any chemistry tests on it?
Is it acidic? I use it for my Mexican pings and Heliamphora, but not
much else.

B, BAMR, Bazza, Barzai, Barry