Please excuse a perhaps naive question (I'm new to this business), but I'd heard that here in the (mostly) damp Pacific Northwest, that perlite gets algae/green stuff on it. Have those of you in the PNW had this problem? Sarah in Seattle Z8 On 10/21/2015 11:22 AM, Leo Martin wrote: > Due to transportation costs, pumice tends to be mined closest to where > it is sold. It is unavailable in many parts of the US without special > ordering, and I doubt sedimentary Europe has many sources. Different > colors and particle sizes have been available. The mine in Arizona > closed, and I have heard the same about the one on the slopes of Mount > Shasta in California. > > Succulent growers in places where pumice is unavailable use the horse > stall material, but wash it well with water and a screen to remove the > fines. I use my pumice fines in some of my clay-like mixes. > > A lot of people make sure their pumice and perlite is wet before > working with it to try and avoid breathing the dust. > > I use large-particle perlite for my succulents when I cannot get > large-particle pumice. I will cover the mixture with a thick layer of > sand or desert clay soil to prevent pumice from surfacing. I don't > have the problem of pots staying wet too long in my climate. > > Leo Martin > Zone 9? > Phoenix Arizona USA > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php > http://pacificbulbsociety.org/pbswiki/ >