Joe Dupre'
Omono
Old adage " You can't argue with success." But, some folks...........................er........... uhhhh...............................
Napa Oil Dry part no. 8822
- Thread starter sorce
- Start date
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Digging thru my Lemon which hasn't seen the ground since it was barerooted cinched and basketed.
Into 100% small sift of DE...
And how you reckon this red wiggler got in there?
And more importantly......
Do you see how Organic 100% DE can be?
#takethnotmycheapassperfectsoil
Sorce
Into 100% small sift of DE...
And how you reckon this red wiggler got in there?
And more importantly......
Do you see how Organic 100% DE can be?
#takethnotmycheapassperfectsoil
Sorce
Just wondering where you find DE that needs sifting and has chunks? I have a 50 lb bag of DE that I use to sprinkle around the yard to kill fleas and deter spiders etc around the edge of the house. It is absolutely organic (food grade) but is finer than flour? It does kill the fleas, they get almost transparent before they die.
James W.
Chumono
NAPA Auto Parts store. Floor-dry, product #8822
A similar product, Opti-sorb is available from O-Rielly's
Check the lable to make sure it is 100% DE, some stores carry other products and the salesmen don't know the difference.
jacob letoile
Mame
http://m.repotme.com/?url=https://w...edia/Diatomite-Medium.html&utm_referrer=#2825
This is the only place I have been able to find for the larger stuff.
This is the only place I have been able to find for the larger stuff.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
I use the Napa 8822.
ok so do I. your photos made it look much larger than it is.
I called my local farmers co-op and asked about diomite rock which may have larger size. It was priced like turface, maybe worse, at nearly $30 for 25 lbs. So I will continue using it as well as pumice which I do sift. I use the largest pumice in the bottom of pots.
Interesting, I can remember a few years back when I got a lot of negative comments when I said I was using the Napa; and it was not breaking down into mush, rather lasting for years. I dont bother sifting it, the dust washes thru
leatherback
The Treedeemer
GGB
Masterpiece
This years mix - conifers 2 parts lava 1 part 8822
- Deciduous 1 part lava to 1 part 8822
- Deciduous 1 part lava to 1 part 8822
CWTurner
Omono
I wish I could get 8822 in the same size as my lava (3/16"- 1/4"). I don't like mixing different sizes like that (but I do).
CW
CW
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Our boy @milehigh_7 is working on a bigger particle size...
What was last years?
Just wondering why people use "drier" "mix", (I hate both those words)...
For conifers?
From summer break thru to like mid-September...
My junipers and spruce needed a "rewetting" before the deciduous trees, and the Mugo sure didn't mind the water either....
Sorce
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Oh, and no, that is not me saying it: http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicscatlitter.htm
So can we now leave the discussion that you cannot grow bonsai in it behind us? I would think everyone can agree that his trees are top-quality bonsai. And he grows them in baked clay/diatomous earth/kitty litter without any problems.
Just because it is not from Japan, does not mean you cannot use it. Keep an open mind to alternatives. And NO this is not something selected because people are "cheapskates". It is about what works best under your growing conditions. In areas that know a lot of freeze-thaw cycles, akadama can break down rapidly. This does not, and therefor may there be better than other substrates.
Gaitano
Shohin
I found Ferti-lome aquatic potting soil 100% DE at a local garden supply store, 8 dry quarts for $12. Sifted 2/3rds to 1/16-1/4” and 1/3 was 1/4-1/2”. No fines and little dust.
My usual mix is red pumice (cause its available by the load cheap) sometimes white when available bulk, small bark nuggets from lowes, napa oil dry (about equal parts) and then some nice potting soil stirred in . The only thing I screen usually is the red pumice depending how far down the pile is when it is loaded. Smaller pumice at the bottom of the pile usually.
This works excellent for my situation and trees. I mostly dont have many mame any more as I just don't want to water that often when it gets hot. It is difficult enough to find someone to water once a day if I want to get away.
This works excellent for my situation and trees. I mostly dont have many mame any more as I just don't want to water that often when it gets hot. It is difficult enough to find someone to water once a day if I want to get away.
TN_Jim
Omono
So is soil type an important aspect of showing bonsai? Would a tree of relatively equal quality in a mix DE, be comparatively judged lesser than its counterpart in akadama?
GGB
Masterpiece
@sorce I'm a young busy guy who likes to travel. I grow specifically, trees that are flood tolerant so when I get busy/vacation-y I can put them in tubs of water and not worry. I grow loblolly (swamp pine), bald Cypress (swamp Cypress), Freeman's maple (swamp maple), American elm and eastern hemlock. BC is it's own thing but the other trees only "tolerate" being flooded and when I pull them from their tubs I need them to drain and dry up a little bit to ward off any funk. Maybe I have it all wrong. I'm still finding my way, this spring is only my 5th growing season. 4th sort of, because I was so incredibly green and poor my first year that i learned nothing.
Also I have a fondness for Virginia pine which would grow in pure salt crystals if given the chance. My Pennsylvania bayou is wet enough. I think... We'll see.
And to answer your question, last year I used a god awful premixed soil from my local bonsai nursery. 1/8" at best, trees survived at least, lesson learned for good, wallet lighter forever
Also I have a fondness for Virginia pine which would grow in pure salt crystals if given the chance. My Pennsylvania bayou is wet enough. I think... We'll see.
And to answer your question, last year I used a god awful premixed soil from my local bonsai nursery. 1/8" at best, trees survived at least, lesson learned for good, wallet lighter forever
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
Being shown,the soil surface is covered with moss. So it can't be seen anyway. That aside from only being to very few shows it doesn't matter what it's planted in.
TN_Jim
Omono
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