I’m getting around to repotting a few plants here and there and thought I would share a quick little tip on keeping the dust down when working with perlite (or any dusty media material for that matter). In my potting mix, I use a rough one part peat to one part perlite mix. Sometimes I use more peat in the mix, or even pure peat as my potting medium… but yeah, the Sarrs don’t seem picky.
I hope that those of you out there that work with perlite don’t be a puff-puffin’ on the stuff in hopes of getting your garden fix. You’ll have better luck with other white powdery stuff. Uhhhh ok. So anyway… when you work with perlite, please take precaution! DO NOT to breath that dust in. It can irritate your respiratory system, and the stuff may contain crystalline silica. Inhaling that can lead to some nasty respiratory issues. You may want to wear something like the last photo in this public service announcement safety post.
How do I deal with it? A quick and simple trick is once you open up the bag, run water through it to keep the dust down. That’s it! Nice and simple. Gardening is awesome, but little things like this will help ensure a healthier garden experience. Remember, practice safe gardening.
Practice safe gardening. Moisten your perlite.
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