AusBonsai

G'day all, what is the general consensus when repotting with Diatomite or Attapulgite, haven't used either before and am wanting to start and because the particles are larger than soil, do you still poke the media into the gaps around the roots or just do your best to fill the spaces without poking, im thinking that you could damage the roots because of the large coarse particles if you start poking around.
Cheers
James

Hi James,

I use diatomite when I can get it, and I poke it in gently with a chopstick,

Glenda

Hi James, if you gently push the stick in then agitate it from side to side that will work the mix in without damaging the roots, personally I have never liked to poke the mix in with a stabbing motion for the very reasons you outline.
Craig

i have just poked the chopstick in (since getting a chop stick, thanks leigh ) agitated like some one said and worked it in and around, i have found with diatomite that it is easier to work when slightly damp for some reason, i know its supposed to be done with a dry mix but i have found slightly damp is a lot easier!

jamie

Jamie wrote:i have just poked the chopstick in (since getting a chop stick, thanks leigh ) agitated like some one said and worked it in and around, i have found with diatomite that it is easier to work when slightly damp for some reason, i know its supposed to be done with a dry mix but i have found slightly damp is a lot easier!

jamie

Gosh, you could get A chopstick? I though you could only get them in pairs anyway, I just use my fingers.

yep just the one, i think it was specially made for bonsai

OK....here's an off the wall idea I once had when having to do an emergency repot of a deciduous tree in the middle of summer. Not wanting to damage the fibrous roots given the wrong time of year, I was a bit hestitant to do the 'poke it in' with the soil. So I set the pot (making sure the tree was well wired in) on top of the lawnmower running on a low idle. Two minutes later and the vibration had done as much 'compacting' as I needed/wanted at that point. The tree did survive the summer. Thanks to Invicta? Hard to say.....

I just tap the pot with a convenient object. Usually my hand

Ken

Yes... the tapping would probably have worked fine....maybe I wanted to torture myself as much as my tree in a sad manifestation of empathy........ but as I was going for a fine yet open soil, I thought I'd give it a go having recently seen a paver compactor at work. (This was a few years ago......) I once read somewhere above, "Get ya head out of the sand.....try to do something different" and that's what I did.