AusBonsai

Ash Barns wrote:That is pure conjecture Brett. Who are these people who have moved on? You can't reinvent the wheel because that has been done by so many and proved to be a rehash of what people did many years before. They all claim to have found the new meaning of life but fall down on past history. The old ways prevail. Some new techniques are good and do carry weight and I laud that but please do not presume that folks believe or savour the next word you type as being the gospel. You have maybe three or four years experience in our great subject and offer such profound knowledge to us lesser mortals.
Mate, stop researching and actually do it over a number of years then come back and advise us on what you discover.

i got your back mate no prob! letm play with kitty litter ash. i wouldnt even use it for my cat to piss in.

You can't please them all

IS2SXC wrote:

JayC wrote:

Ash Barns wrote:The old ways prevail.

Old like debco or old like akadama? Kitty litter is closer to akadama.....

Old ways prevail assuming that the test of time has proved them right, but time doesn't test against new emerging products. Experimenting is a great thing! I would like to congratulate Brett for his efforts, both in doing some testing, and for bettering all of our knowledge as well by sharing results.

Thanks Brett!

JayC

I guess there are beef stirrers in the bonsai world never thought that i would see one i thought bonsai is suppose to bring a calmness to the owners
anyways I GOT YOUR BACK experimenting is what makes bonsai fun and thats why we have aus bonsai.

Anyways dont know why hes so angry it aint his tree ur experimenting on

i guess our soil is just too HIP for the old ways

He doesn't like my lack of spelling ability

Ok here is cactus for you JayC just because it is too easy
I cut this ball type cactus off the mother and also a cutting of a dwarf column type. I remember something about leaving them to dry for 24 hours before potting them? Do I use cutting powder?
The succulent in the cascade pot is an interesting plant I picked up from bunnings. It's a great little grower and recently I found lots of little ones growing in a seedling tray
I guess some clippings must have gotten mixed up with the seedling mix on the bench. Since they seem to grow so easy I will cut some bits off into this pot and see how they go.

Take note Ash Modern mix as described by Walter.

Modern substrates have created a very different situation than what is described in most bonsai books. What is a modern substrate? Well, anything like akadama, pumice, crushed lave, baked loam, turface, Styrofoam flakes, coconut crush, seramins and hundreds of other materials. They all have a couple of properties in common: small particles of even size which don't decompose or decompose slowly; ability to work as water buffer - take on water and and release it alter; due to the coarseness drainage is good and aeration; OXYGEN gets to the roots easily.

Bretts wrote:Ok here is cactus for you JayC just because it is too easy
I cut this ball type cactus off the mother and also a cutting of a dwarf column type. I remember something about leaving them to dry for 24 hours before potting them? Do I use cutting powder?
The succulent in the cascade pot is an interesting plant I picked up from bunnings. It's a great little grower and recently I found lots of little ones growing in a seedling tray
I guess some clippings must have gotten mixed up with the seedling mix on the bench. Since they seem to grow so easy I will cut some bits off into this pot and see how they go.

cactus.jpg

No cutting powder on cacti Bretts, ever. You can leave them for up to a week to dry the ends and longer depending. I love your succulent plant cascading, i wonder if i can have some of it, i need some black succulents for my succulent coral garden thats been long time coming . I have finaly made a start, and just cant wait to get it going. I will PM you about this plant.
I too have also used attapulgite in my cacti mixes and they are fine with it.And any ways theres a saying for this dispute,each to their own. No ones forcing it on any one. Cheers!

You can have some of this for sure Petra now that I discoverd how easy it propagates. I am very happy because it is a cool little plant. The cascade setting is looking a little tired at the moment I am hoping it will pick up now the warmer weather is here but It hasn't really filled out again since the last trim. There is a good chance it needs repotting.

Oh to late I already put rooting hormone on the cactus but after I dunked the finished product in water the cactus floated out of the soil So I think most was gone by the time I got it back in teh pot

mikem wrote:I have followed this thread with interest.I have heard many good things,written across numerous fora,about cat litter as an substrate for bonsai cultivation.While my overall experience with "inert' media is limited, for the price,I found Chandlers somewhat expensive.Consequently,I purchased and conducted a few preliminary tests with Coles "Smart Buy' 100% clay cat litter. The product presents as an particulate,cream coloured material comprising dust,fines,and roughly two (50% each),larger particles. Over an three week testing,I placed an handfull of this into an Pyrex jug with tap water.This was brought to boiling four times (microwave),and alternatively frozen twice (-18 C). Results? Fines could be crushed with minimal digital pressure.Larger particles remained strongly intact. Ph at all times was neutral. Preliminary conclusions seem to suggest that the Coles product may be satisfactory,especially as it is only one third the price of Chandlers

Hi Mikem
I am new to this site and i have just been reading to try and learn.
I came across your post.
I bought some of this product you mentioned.
When you bought the bag did it have 2 different coloured particles.
I bought the large bag and it had white and a light grey particles.
Did your testing notice whether or not it clumped or it stayed seperated.
I would be most appreciative if you could let me know please.
Thank you so very much

Hi Heartof
you can get Diatomite in Sydney from Enfield Produce if you are interested in alternate substrate to grow in $20 for 35l bag

Ken

Hi Ken
Thank you for replying.
I am unable to go out to get items from hardware or garden shops.
I rely on Coles or Woolworth supermarket for my supplies.
But thank you for letting me know.
Take Care
Lu

kcpoole wrote:Hi Heartof
you can get Diatomite in Sydney from Enfield Produce if you are interested in alternate substrate to grow in $20 for 35l bag

Ken

Ken i get mine for 21 but its closer to liverpool

anyways seriously is this discussion still goin on if it is i bought the Coles catlitter and added it in to my mix only for collected plants since its too expensive to use it on plants that are in bonsai pots
serious in a year or 2 i have to root prune anyways its $5 a big bag hahahhaha and plus its 1 min away

heartofhush wrote:Hi Ken
Thank you for replying.
I am unable to go out to get items from hardware or garden shops.
I rely on Coles or Woolworth supermarket for my supplies.
But thank you for letting me know.
Take Care
Lu

Lu if u drive i would say to Canley vale there is a nursery i know that sells diatomite both powder and normal its only 21 dollars

im guessing macquarie is near liverpool right hahhaha

hi everyone

does anyone know where I can get Maidenwell Diatomite in Melbourne?

I will try out Chandler's Kitty Litter as well.

Edit - sorry, just did a bit of searching and found this link viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1675

seems Sage Horticultural is the way to go

I tried Attapulgite cat litter and found it broke down to clay within 3 months and the plants hated it. Got hold of some diatomite (I could only get Septone, which has a LOT of clay you need to wash out before using) and my plants have never been healthier

Hey guys. I'm fairly new here and actually found these forums several weeks ago when I was googling about the Chandler's litter, and found some of Bretts posts.

Anyway, I tried this stuff several weeks ago since I've used similar cat litter as aquarium substrate for years. I potted up some self-seeded trees from the garden in it - a couple of cedars and a box elder. I mixed it with about 30% sifted pine bark from a general purpose potting mix. They grew but didn't seem enthusiastic about it I also potted a schefflera in 100% Chandler's. Every time I watered it clay dust would run out the drain holes. In other words it does break down. I don't think it likes wet-dry cycles. Also, even though it seems to hold a fair bit of water, the schefflera which is in the bathroom needed watering sometimes twice a day. It drys out so fast on it's own! With the pine bark mix it stays moist longer though.

But I still don't like it. I've been experimenting with the crushed brick mulch that every man and his dog is landscaping with. You can get a 4-7mm grade, and although it's fairly alkaline at first due to mortar dust, after sifting and washing the pH in the batch I tested fell to around 7.5. I mixed this with pine bark as above. Then I bare rooted the cedar trees and found the Chandler's mix had compacted somewhat. Yuk. But after potting them in the crushed brick mix they are growing vigorously. I also had a Japanese maple which was dying in the Chandler's mix. But after repotting in the brick mix it has new growth after about a week. It is a very open mix and because of this the surface dries out too quickly, though it's impossible to overwater. So yesterday I mixed up a batch using sifted Debco Bonsai Mix instead of the pine bark. It seems to hold a little more moisture now but still drains freely. The only downside is weight. But geez, you can get a trailer load of crushed brick for around $50. And it doesn't look that bad either.