Emergency summer repot?...Oil Dri mess

[Poink88]

I would not use turface. The porosity of it is too small, so The roots are not able to draw water out as they need it especialy when the temps go up (I got this from Ryan Niel).

If this really came from Ryan...it is his first statement that I will disagree with.

 

[KennedyMarx]

One of the guys in my club was talking to Ryan Neal and he recommended diatomaceous earth (the NAPA stuff) as a replacement for akadama since it has been hard to acquire and DE's porosity is pretty similar to turface isn't it?

 

[lieuz]

Hi! I've done a few long running tests on the NAPA Floor-Dry oil absorbing substrate and it's been a few weeks and every morning I throw it out to thaw and every night I throw it back into the freezer to freeze. It's been almost 30 days now and I've not seen any decomposition on the material. I will caution that I have been told that not all of the Floor-Dry oil absorbing substrate is created equal. Some will turn to mush and some won't. My batch is doing well but from what I've seen, the Floor Dry stuff is pretty trust worthy. A few tests before use is always a good practice especially when each bag only costs 5 bucks.

 

[lieuz]

Also, I've done a bit of research and this stuff is a very good pest repellent as well! The very first time I watered the stuff I noticed the white run off and I've been told that this is a great way to naturally repel pests as the micro-structure of the material means death to insect pests. It apparently cuts into their exoskeleton and draws out the moisture leaving it to dehydrate and die. I've saved a few cups of this stuff as I have had a really bad mealy bug problem.

 

[BonsaiRic]

I've used Napa 8822 D.E. since 2005. 1:1 ratio with pine bark of similar size as the D.E. It has not broken down in our harsh Ohio winters. After spending several years in a bonsai pot, I recycled some of the D.E. for use in training pots. Still good after several more years of use.

 

[lieuz]

I have a feeling OP will be heading to the closest NAPA auto store first thing in the morning haha.