Real news to amateur and professional growers has 
been the development of a new plant aid. Research 
has proven that this material produces healthier plants, 
eliminates damping off, requires less watering because 
of moisture holding properties, lightens heavy soil and 
is ideal for storing bulbs. This amazing new product, 
Terra-Lite Brand Vermiculite Plant Aid, answers the 
needs of the window-box gardener equally as well as 
it does the requirements of the commercial grower. 
Terra-Lite is a brand of vermiculite specially refined 
for horticultural uses. It is manufactured by exploding 
a rare form of mica under intense heat. This mica-like 
ore is composed of thousands of separate layers per 
inch with a small amount of water between each layer. 
When the ore is subjected to a temperature of 2000 
degrees, the water vaporizes into steam and separates 
each layer by many tiny air cells. This is the secret 
of Terra-Lite’s ability to hold so much air and water, 
and to give off water to plants as needed. 
_ Terra-Lite is manufactured according to the speci- 
fications of the Vermiculite Institute. 
Because of Terra-Lite’s light, fluffy nature, it is ideal 
for use in seed flats. It both lightens the weight of a 
single flat and requires less frequent watering during 

Plants can be easily pulled from seed 
flat when Terra-Lite is used as medium.* 

the germination period. For starting seedlings, best 
results have been obtained when flats of straight 
Terra-Lite were subirrigated. It is possible, however, 
to produce seedlings without subirrigation; but more 
care must be taken when watering because the Terra- 
Lite is light.in weight and easily displaced. 
Terra-Lite is not a fertilizer so does not contain plant 
food to sustain growth. When the first true leaves 

Seed flat of Terra-Lite showing actual size of granule. 
appear on seedlings, the flats must be treated with 
chemical fertilizers according to manufacturer's speci- 
fications. 
Seeds planted in Terra-Lite germinate more prompt- 
ly and in better percentage than when planted in other 
mediums. This is particularly true of small seeds and 
those especially susceptible to pre-emergence damp- 
ing-off. 
The mass of hair-roots produced by seedlings grown 
in Terra-Lite is much more dense than that produced 
by any other medium. In transplanting, this mass of 
roots usually comes loose with a ball of Terra-Lite 
attached. This ball should be planted intact without 
trying to wash it off. It is because of this mass of roots, 
usually left behind in transplanting seedlings, that 
Terra-Lite-grown seedlings are so superior. Don't lose 
this advantage by breaking off the roots. 
Terra-Lite is chemically inert, and it does not con- 
tain any bacteria or fungus. Therefore, no sterilization 
is needed for the first use, but after several usages, if 
rot appears the Terra-Lite should be sterilized. 
