Using a Blender/Food Processor
- one_bonsai
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Using a Blender/Food Processor
Has anyone tried using a blender or food processor to reduce the size of bark nuggets or orchid bark?
- Sno
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Re: Using a Blender/Food Processor
Yes . Mixed results . Now I use orchiarta bark ,expensive but no more mucking around sieving .I still use the blender for making my moss covers .
- one_bonsai
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Re: Using a Blender/Food Processor
Could you elaborate a bit more?. What sort of results did you get?
- Sno
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Re: Using a Blender/Food Processor
[/quote]
Could you elaborate a bit more?. What sort of results did you get?
[/quote]
I was putting in large bark pieces (about the size of a twenty cent piece) which was being sold as mulch , cheaper than potting mix . The blender chops the bark up no problems but by the time you get the size particles that are a useable size I had to sieve a lot of fine particle out . So it wasn’t worth the effort . I grow a lot of different species mainly shohin size and I like an open mix which I can water basically the same for every tree. My climate is cool and except for a few weeks over summer my mix can stay to wet if it’s not really free draining .
Could you elaborate a bit more?. What sort of results did you get?
[/quote]
I was putting in large bark pieces (about the size of a twenty cent piece) which was being sold as mulch , cheaper than potting mix . The blender chops the bark up no problems but by the time you get the size particles that are a useable size I had to sieve a lot of fine particle out . So it wasn’t worth the effort . I grow a lot of different species mainly shohin size and I like an open mix which I can water basically the same for every tree. My climate is cool and except for a few weeks over summer my mix can stay to wet if it’s not really free draining .
- one_bonsai
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Re: Using a Blender/Food Processor
I wonder if a food processor might be better. It may chop up the bark rather than grinding them up and producing fines.
- Sno
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Re: Using a Blender/Food Processor
Sprung . Now I have to confess my cooking skills are rudimentary . The machine I have been using after a quick google is a food processor similar to this one .
It makes great moss .You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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Re: Using a Blender/Food Processor
Any machine chopping pine bark will produce a lot of fine particles. You will need to sieve out fines and larger pieces which is quite time consuming on a small scale.
The starting material is cheap but the time may push the value of the final product up depending on how you value your time. It is also likely the food processor won't last very long when used for something it was never intended. Used ones are relatively cheap but will still add to the financial considerations. If you are even considering using the food processor from the kitchen please take a deep breath and reconsider the consequences
At one stage we were able to get fine pine bark in bulk at landscape supply places but they don't seem to stock that any more. It may be worth making local inquiries.
You should also be aware of the problems that may be associated with uncomposted pine bark in potting mixes. All woody material, including pine bark, starts to decompose when it gets damp. That requires nitrogen which the microbes take from the surrounding mix. Unless you have supplied sufficient N your plants may starve. By law all commercial potting mixes must have added fertiliser to counteract that N draw down. Most pine bark included in potting mixes or sold as a component has already been partly composted to reduce N draw down.
Feel free to have a go and see what you can come up with. Innovation is great and can sometimes lead us to new solutions.
The commercial product may be more expensive but should save a lot of time, effort and problems in the longer run.
The starting material is cheap but the time may push the value of the final product up depending on how you value your time. It is also likely the food processor won't last very long when used for something it was never intended. Used ones are relatively cheap but will still add to the financial considerations. If you are even considering using the food processor from the kitchen please take a deep breath and reconsider the consequences
At one stage we were able to get fine pine bark in bulk at landscape supply places but they don't seem to stock that any more. It may be worth making local inquiries.
You should also be aware of the problems that may be associated with uncomposted pine bark in potting mixes. All woody material, including pine bark, starts to decompose when it gets damp. That requires nitrogen which the microbes take from the surrounding mix. Unless you have supplied sufficient N your plants may starve. By law all commercial potting mixes must have added fertiliser to counteract that N draw down. Most pine bark included in potting mixes or sold as a component has already been partly composted to reduce N draw down.
Feel free to have a go and see what you can come up with. Innovation is great and can sometimes lead us to new solutions.
The commercial product may be more expensive but should save a lot of time, effort and problems in the longer run.
http://shibuibonsai.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Using a Blender/Food Processor
Sno! Your partner must be stoked that the said food processor is a moss maker... it would add some interesting tastes when the lemon slice is delivered to the kitchen table...
... one hopes that you have two such devices.
Tending bonsai teaches me patience.
- Sno
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Re: Using a Blender/Food Processor
[/quote]
Sno! Your partner must be stoked that the said food processor is a moss maker... it would add some interesting tastes when the lemon slice is delivered to the kitchen table...
... one hopes that you have two such devices.
[/quote]
The moss just adds flavour ,but she wasn’t happy when I tried to make smaller pumice particles ,
Sno! Your partner must be stoked that the said food processor is a moss maker... it would add some interesting tastes when the lemon slice is delivered to the kitchen table...
... one hopes that you have two such devices.
[/quote]
The moss just adds flavour ,but she wasn’t happy when I tried to make smaller pumice particles ,
- Sno
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