Permatil in soil mixture?

[berobinson82]

I hope not to open the can of worms here about soil. I was just curious if anyone else has used permatil as an ingredient in their mixture. It's a bit large for shohin trees but seems to have characteristics that are favorable to bonsai culture including: porous, lightweight, sharp edges, extremely cost effective...

It is a very dull grey color which IMO is unattractive but I can live with that since none of my trees are yet show quality.

Thank you all for your input.

-B

 

[Poink88]

You had me looking around for this online and so far based on what I read...it could be very good bonsai substrate or used to amend other mix. I am curious to hear other people's experience with it if any. I sure won't mind trying it myself.

 

[Martin Sweeney]

berobinson82,

Arthur Joura at the NC Arboretum uses Permatil and Peat Moss to grow the trees there. They have nice trees.

I have used it too, but not with peat. It has a high Cation Exchange Capacity, folks say that can cause leaf burns on maples,etc. I can see using it as a substitute for lava or turface.

Regards,
Martin

 

[rockm]

I used to use the stuff. It's extremely coarse. It is NOT sold as a soil amendment by its makers anymore and that might be the reason. They sell it as a mole and vole deterrent soil additive. From what I can tell, the Permatill web site was hacked and isn't functioning anymore.

I never had spectacular success with the stuff and found haydite and other amendments easier to get and more effective.

In short, if you have species that like EXTREMELY well-drained soil, it might be useful...

 

[Poink88]

In short, if you have species that like EXTREMELY well-drained soil, it might be useful...

Good to know. Thanks for sharing your experience with it!

 

[Fangorn]

Before I found a cheaper and more local source of haydite I used permatil in my soil mix. They're both an expanded shale product and I started using it instead of granite when that supply dried up. IMHO it's a nicer color and much lighter than granite, and even though it comprises only about 10% of my mix, as the years go by, the lighter the better