VitaSilica – Is it in Your Mix?
Imagine the fossilized skeletons of trillions of microscopic, single-celled aquatic plants – compacted and preserved over millions of years.
It’s called diatomatic earth – ‘ VitaSilica’ But this stuff is not just of interest to geologist.
It’s also a lightweight, porous, sterile, non-toxic, and safe horticultural growth medium.
Savvy gardeners who grow in soil, coco, clay pebbles, or other ‘loose’ media are experiencing far more vigorous growth by throwing some VitaSilica into their mix.
So exactly how do they do it? VitaSilica is compromised of approximately 87-94% silicon dioxide, plus small amounts of various other oxides including iron, calcium, potassium, titanium, manganese and phosphorous.
The slow, continuous release of silica ensures increased resistance to pests and disease, bigger root systems and ultimately a higher yield.
VitaSilica is also a safe, organic treatment for eradicating crawling insects on the surface of your media.
When you look at VitaSilica under a microscope it resembles a random pile of tiny razors. These ultra-sharp edges cut through an insect’s protective covering, sucking all the moisture out of them until they die.
If an insect is stupid enough to try to eat VitaSilica this delightful process occurs from the inside out. VitaSilica is effective against fungus gnats, aphids, nematodes, slugs and snails.
Our friendly earthworm is safe from VitaSilica’s wrath, which is good news all round.
