Posting this here for anyone who is interested in the volume post sifting NAPA 8822. I sifted the bag with a 3mm sifter, and the results were pretty shocking to me. The whole bag resulted in about 4 qts. of particles >= 3mm. This bag cost me $15 from my local Napa. With the increase in cost and the low volume of usable particles, it seems this option is becoming less and less feasible vs bucking up and buying true bonsai soil. Hope this helps everyone!
Napa Oil Dry Sift Results
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
Bags tend to have different results. Ive had similar bags like this as well as the opposite.
Srt8madness
Omono
Yup, really not that much savings for a lower quality outcome. Thanks for posting.
Gabler
Masterpiece
I use it unsifted for deciduous trees for its higher water holding capacity and higher cation exchange capacity compared to pumice and lava. Carpinus caroliniana and Acer rubrum in particular grow well in wet soils, so I'm not worried about short periods of poor aeration right after watering. Fagus, Liquidambar, Ulmus, and Lagerstroemia spp. transpire so fast that the mix quickly dries anyway between waterings, and even most Quercus spp. don't seem bothered by the finer mix, although they mostly grow in drier upland soils in nature.
I have just a handful of conifers, so I used a similar NAPA-based mix, and they don't seem to like it. My Pinus taeda and P. Virginiana suffered fungal issues this year, so I plan to keep them drier and plant them in a pumice-based mix moving forward.
It seems most bonsai soil advice is tailored to pines and junipers, but there's plenty of trees, (e.g. Taxodium distichum) that thrive in wetter conditions, and we should be focusing more on species-specific mixes, rather than a one-size-fits-all mix.
Take that with a grain of salt. I still have a lot to learn, but I figured my experience was still worth sharing.
I have just a handful of conifers, so I used a similar NAPA-based mix, and they don't seem to like it. My Pinus taeda and P. Virginiana suffered fungal issues this year, so I plan to keep them drier and plant them in a pumice-based mix moving forward.
It seems most bonsai soil advice is tailored to pines and junipers, but there's plenty of trees, (e.g. Taxodium distichum) that thrive in wetter conditions, and we should be focusing more on species-specific mixes, rather than a one-size-fits-all mix.
Take that with a grain of salt. I still have a lot to learn, but I figured my experience was still worth sharing.
JackHammer
Chumono
Put in some water drops into the fines - they will clump, and then scoop out the clumps and they could be usable. It also clumps inside a soil mix so keep that in mind, otherwise you could end up with a ball of clay in your pot which is exactly what you don't want. I am finding that bark and wood chips are giving me plenty of water retention so I haven't been using the oil dry.
queenofsheba52
Chumono
I also have given up on the Napa Oil Dry: too much dust and not enough particles of good size. We are Classic Car lovers so we always have Oil Dry on hand; I just leave it in the garages now.
Orion_metalhead
Masterpiece
I have found tractor supply saf-t-sorb acts as a better substitute. I get a decent quanity out of the bags, especially bags in the top of the pallet, and the color is more to my liking. I am looking for cheap alternatives to perlite at the moment.
Eckhoffw
Masterpiece
Oil dri premium is a nice alternative. Not DE, but calcined clay. Way less dust, and usually contains more useable particles. 
I’ve ran some tests on particle degradation. Oil dri VS. DE and I would say it’s a wash.
Study can be seen here.
www.bonsainut.com
I’ve ran some tests on particle degradation. Oil dri VS. DE and I would say it’s a wash.Study can be seen here.
Big box bonsai mix
Hello, I’m working on making a inexpensive bonsai mix soil out of items I can grab at the big box stores in my area. So far I’ve got some: red lave rock I’ve crushed and sifted to around 1/4” Some sphagnum moss shredded fine Wood chips at around 1/2” Sand. Thinking out mixing these up in a...
Gabler
Masterpiece
Oil dri premium is a nice alternative. Not DE, but calcined clay. Way less dust, and usually contains more useable particles. View attachment 512283I’ve ran some tests on particle degradation. Oil dri VS. DE and I would say it’s a wash.
Study can be seen here.
Big box bonsai mix
Hello, I’m working on making a inexpensive bonsai mix soil out of items I can grab at the big box stores in my area. So far I’ve got some: red lave rock I’ve crushed and sifted to around 1/4” Some sphagnum moss shredded fine Wood chips at around 1/2” Sand. Thinking out mixing these up in a...
Isn't that just Turface?
Eckhoffw
Masterpiece
Yeah. Basically. I like to use it to make a poor man’s boon’s mix. Pumice, lava, oil dri.
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