AusBonsai

hi glenda, $24 for a 40L bag of diatomite including frieght is pretty good! at bundy i pay $18 a bag, and at deception bay rural supplies andrewm found it for $13! so really for what you have paid including frieght is quite decent considering your location!

the richgro is $10 for 10L so as a substitute seems to be the goods, mitchell, if you can ask if they make bigger bags and find the actual ingredients would be great, i checked it this morning and have found it to dry rather rapidly, but in saying that it can be fixed with a little peat put into the mix and should come up trumps!


i didnt see the Waterworks brand mitchell but there is no way i would pay that sort of coin for 10L. i am still waiting on the richgro email back but if you have a good contact there it might come in handy!

jamie

The rickgro rep should be in soon, but reps are a bit useless. I'll give richgro a call on monday and ask about larger bags/what it is made of.

cool mate, muchly appreciated!

gday guys

RESULTS!!!

i got an email back today and the aquatic mix made by rich gro is a fossilised silica based material called spongalite. here is a little info on it-

Spongolite is a stone made almost entirely from fossilised sponges. It is light and porous.

The silica spicules fossilised with the sponges makes the material hazardous to handle by being highly abrasive. Because the spicules are embedded in soft fossils, the abrasion damage is not as immediately apparent as it would be from sandpaper or rough bricks.

Spongolite is obtained from mines in Mount Barker, Western Australia and Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. There are also large deposits near Esperance, Western Australia.


awesome, problem solvered!

jamie

OK, so the Aquatic mix is Spongalite, not Maidenwell Diatomite. I will label appropriately.

I need to get some genuine Maidenwell from somewhere. Anyone coming to Canberra that has some?

Grant

Grant Bowie wrote:OK, so the Aquatic mix is Spongalite, not Maidenwell Diatomite. I will label appropriately.

I need to get some genuine Maidenwell from somewhere. Anyone coming to Canberra that has some?

Grant

im sure one of the boys could get some and send it down if need be mate. i cant see it costing to much in post as it isnt heavy, just size is a bit bulky.

surely someone down there has maidenwell stocks?? chris sirre from the imagination tree got some in recently i think?

Yes, and he's only 7 hours drive away!!

I'll organise something.

Grant

Jamie wrote: i did a search for aquatic brett, got a whole heap of other stuff but what i was after. anyways i tend to lean to the point that it will be really good for trees.


jamie

Have no idea what you where trying to find out Jamie like I said a member already got back from Richgrow that it was called Spongalight and we all siad it works great!
But here is one post I found in the Aquatic search

Pup wrote:

SteveT wrote:Rich Grow Aquatic Planting Mix is a product called 'spongalite' (I contacted the distributer). The great irony is that it comes all the way from WA but I prefer the look of it over diatomite which is highly available to me here in Brisbane (from the pet store around the corner). I believe it holds less water than diatomite (only around 50% vs 100% its own volume) so I intend to use it for my large JBPs (possibly even straight).

Spongolite versa rock and kitty litter are all inert. All made by the same manufacture here in WA in a town down the south called Albany not allbany as many eastern states people say.
I had the products analysed by a soil chemist all are the same just different colours. Kitty litter is the cheapest of them all.
Spongolite is sold to workshops to soak up oil, versa rock was sold here about 10 years ago as an inert soil mixer. We all know what kitty litter is sold for.
Just my two cents worth. Pup

Hey there guys/gals, Hey Grant the Maidenwell Diatomite and the Mt Sylvia Diatomite must be very much nearly one in the same , as the Maidenwell Mine is near Kingaroy ( actually Yarraman ) Qld and the Mt Sylvia Mine is near Gatton in Qld, which is near Toowoomba, which is near Kingaroy " so to speak " and also the office for Mt Sylvia is in Canberra where you are, so you should be able to get it from there in Canberra surely ?? The horticultural brand name for Mt Sylvia diatomite is Purasil and is a white to greyish colour, details below.
Email
customerservice@mtsylviadiatomite.com

Telephone
Office Phone
Aus 02 61615992
Int +61 2 61615992
Office Fax
Aus 02 62486066
Int +61 262486066
Mine Phone
Aus 07 54629137
Int +61 754629137
Mine Fax
Aus 07 54629146
Int +61 754629146

Office
35 Wongoola Close
Canberra
ACT, 2602

Hope this is of some help fellgals.
Cheers
James

You know what fellas/gals.....I reckon that the whole lot are all the same product when it comes out of the ground and it gets different names applied to it as it gets distributed to and through the reseller / wholesaler, and each one adds their little scenario about the product so as to make it sound different to the oppositions brand.
anyway thats my opinion.
James

I believe richgrow or spongolight is the ancient remains of aquatic sponges and diatomite is the ancient remains of aquatic plants called diatoms. So no suprise they ae very similar!

My order of Maidenwell diatomite arrived yesterday - 30 bags but most will be bought by local club members. Have had 6 bags picked up this morning. I am really pleased with it - no clay like the Septone diatomite!

Glenda