Sakadama is now also online available in the Netherlands and Belgium

[Lutonian]

Yay another "best"

what are these better results, how long have they been used to compare results? if it doesnt break down how does a fine root ball form? should i only expect long feeders at the edges? You mentioned not knowing bonsai yourself, but youre telling us this product is a better product than your competition only based on what? In the end this seems to be another product from a far off source in the world that will have to be processed, bagged, shipped and sold across oceans, making it as economical and environmentally destructive as akadama itself was with out any proof of true results. This feels like a OSN advert.

never believe the sales man they have a financial incentive to hype up a product (read as lie about), I took a small chance to sample a bag to test. but you are right the is very little in the way of user reviews and information.

To keep comparing it with another product and not give any details is a bit sketchy because if I was selling a product better than the original I would use all the information on how it differs and comparisons too drive sales if my claim was true.

Get some test some let us know your results if enough of us do this the truth will out.

 

[Taste]

never believe the sales man they have a financial incentive to hype up a product (read as lie about), I took a small chance to sample a bag to test. but you are right the is very little in the way of user reviews and information.

To keep comparing it with another product and not give any details is a bit sketchy because if I was selling a product better than the original I would use all the information on how it differs and comparisons too drive sales if my claim was true.

Get some test some let us know your results if enough of us do this the truth will out.

its also funny theyre even coat tailing akadama by name. but slander it. what makes sakadama better than akadama? well we put an S in front! (and inb4 called out for being an akadama purist, personally ive ran out of my supply of akadama and am no longer going to use it in my potting mixes. lava, pumice, for the most part, and maybe some bark for some.

 

[Lutonian]

its also funny theyre even coat tailing akadama by name. but slander it. what makes sakadama better than akadama? well we put an S in front! (and inb4 called out for being an akadama purist, personally ive ran out of my supply of akadama and am no longer going to use it in my potting mixes. lava, pumice, for the most part, and maybe some bark for some.

I cant see how this differs much from other fired clay products when looking at the information provided, but i will give it a go could be great could be a bonsai Wunderwaffe also

 

[SeanS]

Hello,

Sorry for the late response. To be honest I don't know enough about Bonsai (am working on that dough). But we work with people that do. Here's the answer I got to a question from another person stating something similar then to what you just stated:

We have tested akadama in the lab. The used akadama was from Ibaraki. In the beginning, we used this to compare it to our calcined product.
The results are shown on the datasheet which is available on www.sakadama.com, but I can also mail you one.

We have so far tested Sakadama in South Africa on various local species, Ficus, Juniper, deciduous trees and a few maples also.
At this moment we have the likes of Bjorn Bjorholm testing it in his nursery, Rafael Torres from Spain and Ryan Neil has just got a batch to test.
USA tests in a nursery have used 100% Sakadama on pines and had very positive results. Tests and data gathering is ongoing due to the new nature of the product in the market.

The lifespan of Sakadama has many different advantages, not just repotting lifespan.
In various parts of the world species have different growth rates and repotting needs. Some species require every year and others every 3 - 5 years. Most deciduous are repotted more often than conifer species. Another thing is as trees get older they require less repotting.

One main advantage of Sakadama is that it actively scales and helps keep the balance of oxygen and water in the media until repotting again. This helps in fertilising, balanced root growth and less guessing on the part of the grower. Akadama breaks down quickly and reduces the oxygen balance in the media and this affects the above fertilisation and ability to actively hold onto nutrients through cation exchange capacity.

The other very good reason is the freeze-thaw tests on Sakadama showed it is better equipped to handle the winters for much longer and keep its structure. This on its own shows the value in Sakadama for not only "normal conditions" but extremes in cold and hot conditions also. This value will show after the first winter using Sakadama.

Bjorn didn’t exactly sing its praises in a live Q&A 2 weeks ago…

 

[Lutonian]

Bjorn didn’t exactly sing its praises in a live Q&A 2 weeks ago…

what was Bjorn's review like, can you tell me the main points of his thoughts

 

[SeanS]

what was Bjorn's review like, can you tell me the main points of his thoughts

He tried a batch of JBP seedlings in different mixes; some with akadama and some with sakadama. The seedlings in the mix containing sakadama were yellow most of the season, while the akadama based mix were healthy.

 

[Lutonian]

He tried a batch of JBP seedlings in different mixes; some with akadama and some with sakadama. The seedlings in the mix containing sakadama were yellow most of the season, while the akadama based mix were healthy.

View attachment 461742

Thanks it definitely seems to hold more water than akadama

 

[BobbyLane]

Think I only ever bought some akadama once in 9 years, ive always used kitty litter or a kaizen mix and my trees have for the most part been healthy and strong, and grown rapidly with plenty of vigour.

 

[Lutonian]

I use akadama pumic and lava mostly, but have used and tried lots of other substrates. You can keep a tree in almost anything and keep them healthy but the the watering and fertilising will change drastically. The fact akadama can be used to keep tree healthy and slow the growth can provide me with finer ramification than any other substrate I have used. It a case of horses for courses.

 

[BobbyLane]

If your trees are in development I dont see how one can want to slow growth. you can build great ramification in a number of different soils, you dont need akadama for that. ive bought nursery plants that had pretty good ramification and killer roots.
as they say, the proof is in the pudding.

 

[Lutonian]

If your trees are in development I dont see how one can want to slow growth. you can build great ramification in a number of different soils, you dont need akadama for that. ive bought nursery plants that had pretty good ramification and killer roots.

Your right I don't use akadama for developing tree you want them to grow vigorously. Akadama gives me finer ramification on tree I'm building the ramification on (this comes last in my garden).

As you know ramification potential is species dependant and varies on the techniques and culture methods used and in my experience in my garden it has delivered the best results for me.

Like I said I don't need it I prefer it and the result I get, it's a case of different strokes for different folks.

 

[Ruben Bouwmeester]

He tried a batch of JBP seedlings in different mixes; some with akadama and some with sakadama. The seedlings in the mix containing sakadama were yellow most of the season, while the akadama based mix were healthy.

View attachment 461742

Damm that is not what I wanted to hear. Just ordered a bag, for growing pines.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

I think it would be good in a mix. mixed with some DME and pumice.
It seems similar to the hard pan “calidama” I ordered a while back,