Some interesting D.E. stuff

[sparklemotion]

Besides NAPA's 8822, are any of the other things you've listed here commonly-available across the US? I'd love to try *any* of the others you mention (especially Stall Dry, Turface and AxisDE) but have no idea where I'd get them (actually I think the axisDE is from MH? @milehigh_7 I'd love to know price for minimum order to check it out but your TOL site is down )

I really should make a google spreadsheet of this, but here goes.... (@Bonsai Nut -- if we raise $200 in donations next month can we get a

BBCode plugin?)

An incomplete list of (mostly) American sources* for Bonsai Suitable clay and diatomaceous earth products *that I am aware of as someone who shops in Minnesota and on the Internet. Calcined montmorillonite/bentonite clay

• Manufacturer: Profile
  • Turface, Turface MVP
    • Sold as soil amendments for ball parks, golf courses, etc. Not super easy to find retail, but you may have a lawn supply store locally that can order in 50lb bags. Also resold on eBay/Amazon pretty commonly. It seems like it's not *super* hard to find someone who will sell you a pallet.
    • Other users: It's pretty popular with aquarium/terrarium/vivarium hobbyists.
  • Monto Clay
    • Basically Turface with a 1/4" particle size (good because the Turface-branded products are much smaller).
    • Exclusively(?) available from Bonsai Jack (reasonable pricing and quantities).
• Manufacturer: Oil-Dri
  • Oil-Dri
    • Lowes, Mills Farm and Fleet, Wal-Mart, NAPA #NFD6040
    • This is popular with hobby metalsmiths as an ingredient in "green sand" (used for casting) and forge refractory concrete.
  • Pro's Choice
    • Sold as a soil amendment for ball parks, golf courses, etc.
    • No retail source available that I know of
• Manufacturer: EP Minerals
  • Safety Absorbent, Safe-T-Sorb, ThriftySorb
    • O'Reilly Auto Parts
    • Nigel Saunders uses "Safe-T-Sorb" but calls it "Turface"
  • Axis Ceramic
    • Sold as a soil amendment for ball parks, golf courses, etc.
    • No retail source available that I know of (@milehigh_7 may be able to help)
  • Many more...

Diatomaceous Earth

• Manufacturer: EP Minerals
  • NAPA Floor Dry #8822 (not calcined)
    • Available retail from NAPA stores.
  • Opti-Sorb (not calcined)
    • O'Reilly Auto Parts
  • AxisDE (calcined)
    • Coarse (mostly larger than 1/4") available from Tree of Live Bonsai (@milehigh_7)
    • No retail sources for finer grades
  • Blue Ribbon DE Cat Litter
    • No retail source that I know of.
  • Many more...
• Absorbent Products Limited
  • Can Dry
    • Given the company location, and the name/logo, I would try Canadian Tire or Home Hardware. Maybe someone north of the 45th could go on a mission?

Pumice

• Absorbent Products Limited
  • Stall Dry
    • Available from Tractor Supply Company, I've looked at Mills Fleet Farm but haven't seen it. Other livestock/horse supply stores might be able to hook you up.

 

[milehigh_7]

I really should make a google spreadsheet of this, but here goes.... (@Bonsai Nut -- if we raise $200 in donations next month can we get a

BBCode plugin?)

An incomplete list of (mostly) American sources* for Bonsai Suitable clay and diatomaceous earth products *that I am aware of as someone who shops in Minnesota and on the Internet. Calcined montmorillonite/bentonite clay

• Manufacturer: Profile
  • Turface, Turface MVP
    • Sold as soil amendments for ball parks, golf courses, etc. Not super easy to find retail, but you may have a lawn supply store locally that can order in 50lb bags. Also resold on eBay/Amazon pretty commonly. It seems like it's not *super* hard to find someone who will sell you a pallet.
    • Other users: It's pretty popular with aquarium/terrarium/vivarium hobbyists.
  • Monto Clay
    • Basically Turface with a 1/4" particle size (good because the Turface-branded products are much smaller).
    • Exclusively(?) available from Bonsai Jack (reasonable pricing and quantities).
• Manufacturer: Oil-Dri
  • Oil-Dri
    • Lowes, Mills Farm and Fleet, Wal-Mart, NAPA #NFD6040
    • This is popular with hobby metalsmiths as an ingredient in "green sand" (used for casting) and forge refractory concrete.
  • Pro's Choice
    • Sold as a soil amendment for ball parks, golf courses, etc.
    • No retail source available that I know of
• Manufacturer: EP Minerals
  • Safety Absorbent, Safe-T-Sorb, ThriftySorb
    • O'Reilly Auto Parts
    • Nigel Saunders uses "Safe-T-Sorb" but calls it "Turface"
  • Axis Ceramic
    • Sold as a soil amendment for ball parks, golf courses, etc.
    • No retail source available that I know of (@milehigh_7 may be able to help)
  • Many more...

Diatomaceous Earth

• Manufacturer: EP Minerals
  • NAPA Floor Dry #8822 (not calcined)
    • Available retail from NAPA stores.
  • Opti-Sorb (not calcined)
    • O'Reilly Auto Parts
  • AxisDE (calcined)
    • Coarse (mostly larger than 1/4") available from Tree of Live Bonsai (@milehigh_7)
    • No retail sources for finer grades
  • Blue Ribbon DE Cat Litter
    • No retail source that I know of.
  • Many more...
• Absorbent Products Limited
  • Can Dry
    • Given the company location, and the name/logo, I would try Canadian Tire or Home Hardware. Maybe someone north of the 45th could go on a mission?

Pumice

• Absorbent Products Limited
  • Stall Dry
    • Available from Tractor Supply Company, I've looked at Mills Fleet Farm but haven't seen it. Other livestock/horse supply stores might be able to hook you up.

Ep makes every brand of DE in the US. They also make a good deal of the clay products.

 

[coh]

Optisorb is a nice size but non-calcined. I used it for a year before I learned the difference. It completely broke down in one year and we don't even freeze.

That's a bummer! Person who told me about it didn't mention that.

 

[milehigh_7]

I really should make a google spreadsheet of this, but here goes.... (@Bonsai Nut -- if we raise $200 in donations next month can we get a

BBCode plugin?)

An incomplete list of (mostly) American sources* for Bonsai Suitable clay and diatomaceous earth products *that I am aware of as someone who shops in Minnesota and on the Internet. Calcined montmorillonite/bentonite clay

• Manufacturer: Profile
  • Turface, Turface MVP
    • Sold as soil amendments for ball parks, golf courses, etc. Not super easy to find retail, but you may have a lawn supply store locally that can order in 50lb bags. Also resold on eBay/Amazon pretty commonly. It seems like it's not *super* hard to find someone who will sell you a pallet.
    • Other users: It's pretty popular with aquarium/terrarium/vivarium hobbyists.
  • Monto Clay
    • Basically Turface with a 1/4" particle size (good because the Turface-branded products are much smaller).
    • Exclusively(?) available fromBonsai Jack (reasonable pricing and quantities).
• Manufacturer: Oil-Dri
  • Oil-Dri
    • Lowes, Mills Farm and Fleet, Wal-Mart, NAPA #NFD6040
    • This is popular with hobby metalsmiths as an ingredient in "green sand" (used for casting) and forge refractory concrete.
  • Pro's Choice
    • Sold as a soil amendment for ball parks, golf courses, etc.
    • No retail source available that I know of
• Manufacturer: EP Minerals
  • Safety Absorbent, Safe-T-Sorb, ThriftySorb
    • O'Reilly Auto Parts
    • Nigel Saunders uses "Safe-T-Sorb" but calls it "Turface"
  • Axis Ceramic
    • Sold as a soil amendment for ball parks, golf courses, etc.
    • No retail source available that I know of (@milehigh_7 may be able to help)
  • Many more...

Diatomaceous Earth

• Manufacturer: EP Minerals
  • NAPA Floor Dry #8822 (not calcined)
    • Available retail from NAPA stores.
  • Opti-Sorb (not calcined)
    • O'Reilly Auto Parts
  • AxisDE (calcined)
    • Coarse (mostly larger than 1/4") available from Tree of Live Bonsai (@milehigh_7)
    • No retail sources for finer grades
  • Blue Ribbon DE Cat Litter
    • No retail source that I know of.
  • Many more...
• Absorbent Products Limited
  • Can Dry
    • Given the company location, and the name/logo, I would try Canadian Tire or Home Hardware. Maybe someone north of the 45th could go on a mission?

Pumice

• Absorbent Products Limited
  • Stall Dry
    • Available from Tractor Supply Company, I've looked at Mills Fleet Farm but haven't seen it. Other livestock/horse supply stores might be able to hook you up.

A few quick corrections:

NAPA 8822 is calcined. This was verified with EP who makes it.
I can get any AXIS products but it won't be till I know where I am going to live. Being unemployed sucks.
The product I sell is AXIS Course and below is the screen sizes according to EP.
3/8” ............................................................................. 0.0%
4 Mesh ........................................................................ 90.0%
6 Mesh ....................................................................... 98.0%

 

[sparklemotion]

Thanks for the correction!

I might just be able to put together a test to see if calcined matters (with my growing conditions) after all.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@SU2 - yep, I ran a quality control laboratory for a company that made products for modifying the characteristics of concrete. Most of my chemistry was production orientated. ''Hey Joe, add another 2 tons of this and 1000 gallons of that". My hands on concrete work was limited, but you can not help but absorb all manner of odd tidbits after 35 years of dealing with the sales force, customers and the R & D folks. Concrete is aggregates, which are mined, and cement, which is a reaction product from high temperature fusing of mined products. So I got some tangential experience.

And I've raised orchids for 47 years. About 20 years ago, DE from the Maidenwell mines in Australia was the briefly all the rage as the ''perfect'' long lived substrate for orchids. Didn't prove out, but was a hot item for a number of years. Since then Maidenwell quit exporting to USA, then lately I heard they are again, but I have not bothered to seek out sources. I could get half in size chunks, it was an interesting product.

 

[CoreSeverin]

Amazing thread! I've been reading everyones input and I really appreciate all of information that's been put out there!

 

[M. Frary]

I also use d.e.floor dry from Auto Zone.

 

[CoreSeverin]

@M. Frary
What kind if results have you gotten while using it? I'm going to try using it in my soil mix.

 

[M. Frary]

@M. Frary
What kind if results have you gotten while using it? I'm going to try using it in my soil mix.

I don't have the desire to try anything else.
D.E. mixed with lava or pumice or both is the shit!

 

[Adamantium]

Optisorb is a nice size but non-calcined. I used it for a year before I learned the difference. It completely broke down in one year and we don't even freeze.

Dammit. Wish I had known this in spring before I planted all my trees in 60:40 DE:Scoria

I gave it about 7 freeze dry cycles in the freezer, and it didn't break down at all.

It did break down between my fingers when wet, though.

 

[spannah]

...

• Absorbent Products Limited
  • Can Dry
    • Given the company location, and the name/logo, I would try Canadian Tire or Home Hardware. Maybe someone north of the 45th could go on a mission?

...

Princess Auto, Canada only AFAIK, has it:

Can Dry Supreme All-Purpose Absorbent | Princess Auto

Can Dry Supreme All-Purpose Absorbent

www.princessauto.com

However, it does have some monto clay mixed in. It does have a decent particle size.

Canadian tire does have a DE product with no mix, but really small particles:

Qualisorb Oil Absorbent | Canadian Tire

Qualisorb Oil Absorbent absorbs liquids such as oil, gas, paint and chemicals | Canadian Tire

www.canadiantire.ca

Oh, and hi, long time lurker, first time posting. I have a bunch of small trees, nothing that really can be called "bonsai", mostly native species.