How I use Diatomite as my Substrate

[kcpoole]

I have been asked by many how do actually use my Diatomite mix in practice so thought I might Doco it here so everyone can benefit and make their own decisions as to what to use as their Bonsai mix

I First got interested in using Non organic mixes as a way to stop ( or limit) the infestation of Curl grub in my Bonsai and training pots, as I have lost far to many trees to the damage caused by them. During my investigations I found many references in the U.S. Bonsai forums to "Boons Mix" and how good it was. I eventually found out that Boon is Boon Manakitivipart from California and his mix does not have any Organics in it. http://www.weetree.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=552

I also found that Walter Pall in Germany eschews using organics in his pots too as described in this Blog post http://walterpallbonsaiarticles.blogspo ... glish.html

I then started to investigate if these various components were available here and after much searching, that to a large extent they were not available, or if were were very expensive.

After more research I discovered that for the most part it does not really matter what you use, so long as it holds both moisture and fertiliser and that Diatomite and Zeolite are as good alternatives as any, Were very cheap and readily available in Sydney.

I started to experiment with a few trees in it and now have almost all my trees in it.
I reuse 100% of the mix as it does not break down ( Still good after 5 years). and very cheap as a result.
I sieve and wash the mix before reusing as it tends to be brittle so the pieces do break and the particle size reduces over time.

the tree shown here is a small Bougainville that has been knocked out of the training pot by the high winds we have here today. This show the only disadvantage of this substrate in that it is very light and trees will easily be dislodged, so need to be wired in to the pot.

the other thing to note, is that some use 100% Diatomite, and others mix it into the organic mix as an additive. Some also just add some organics to Diatomite, eg 20% Sphagnum or peat moss, or Sifted pine bark.
Whichever suits your own site and preferences will be fine

Enjoy
Ken

[kcpoole]

When I repot, I save the old substrate for reuse
Take the tree out of the pot, Root prune and then shake the old Substrate out of the Pot and old roots.
Sieve and then wash it before using again. I top up with Fresh components as necessary.

I use both new and old Substrate mixes at the same time and do not bother keeping them separate.

Ken

[Bougy Fan]

Very insightful Ken - thanks for sharing. I have been cursed with curl grubs but I never considered diatomite as a cure. I currently have stared using a 50/50 mix with Maidenwell and potting mix. Would this deter curl grub or do you think it requires a higher percentage of diatomite ?


Tony

[kcpoole]

Here is a little PJ fig I have on my bench showing Diatomite/Zeolite in a smaller Bonsai pot

I sieve my normal mix to remove particles bigger than about 3 mm and then pot up the tree as normal using the small components, but otherwise is the same as my training pots

Ken

[kcpoole]

Very insightful Ken - thanks for sharing. I have been cursed with curl grubs but I never considered diatomite as a cure. I currently have stared using a 50/50 mix with Maidenwell and potting mix. Would this deter curl grub or do you think it requires a higher percentage of diatomite ?


Tony

Hey Tony I think it will certainly help as I believe the grubs do not like the sharpness and dustiness of the Diatomite.

Funny thing as up till now I have never seen a Grub in my puts since using Diatomite until today. This training pot had 3 in it and that was why the tree got blown out as most of the roots had been chewed

Give it a go and note how many you get as it will be interesting to hear

Ken

[fae]

Hi Ken
Today I took a car trip to Enfield and picked up 5 bags of diatomite.Thought I would start to get ready for the potting season.

I couldn't wait and have bare rooted a small bottle brush and have placed in a 50/50 mix of zeolite and diatomite.
The plant is now sitting in a week solution of seasol.

Fiona

[kcpoole]

Hi Ken
Today I took a car trip to Enfield and picked up 5 bags of diatomite.Thought I would start to get ready for the potting season.

I couldn't wait and have bare rooted a small bottle brush and have placed in a 50/50 mix of zeolite and diatomite.
The plant is now sitting in a week solution of seasol.

Fiona

Awesome Fiona
I think I hav used / purchased 10 bags now over the years

Keep us posted on progress?

Ken

[Scott Roxburgh]

Ken, thanks for the info!

Do you wire your trees into bonsai pots or just use the weight of the soil to keep them in place?

[The Specimen]

Questions for you Ken,

What should I do with trees that have tight densed roots that contain soil with regards to diatomite / zeolite ?

Where can I get that doggy sieve that you have ?

Where can I get that big sive you have that looks like I can sieve for masses of gold ??

Also does anyone know if and where I can get zeolite in Melbourne ??

[kcpoole]

Ken, thanks for the info!

Do you wire your trees into bonsai pots or just use the weight of the soil to keep them in place?

I wire all my trees into the Bonsai pots when i have them in and about 1/2 of them are wire into my plastic training pots. the ones that are larger and more unstable are wired in


@the Specimen
What should I do with trees that have tight densed roots that contain soil with regards to diatomite / zeolite ?
I wash out the old soil when repotting if the tree can be barerooted, ( deciduous, Juniper, Native etc), or wash out 1/2 of it every year if a pine.

Where can I get that doggy sieve that you have ?
Its ans old Flyscreen mesh door pickled up from the side of the road on Cleanup week
Replaced the mesh and they make an excellent sieve for large amounts of soil an makes it easy to wash out

Where can I get that big sieve you have that looks like I can sieve for masses of gold ?? Ray Nesci BOnsai Nursery sells the Steel Round Sieves, they are made in Japan and have 3 differnet size Screens. 1mm, 3mm and 7mm

Ken

[The Specimen]

Awesome Ken!

[The Specimen]

Ok another question.. what happens when I do use organics within the mix?

Is using pellet fertilizers quite the same ?

[siddhar]

It was a cold and wet Sunday in Melbourne, so what better way to spend the afternoon but begin the process of re-potting my trees. I decided to venture into the world of Diatomite. I used Ken's 2 to 1 ratio of Diatomite/Zeolite. What I loved about this mix was its light-weight consistency, ease of use, drainage and how far the mix actually went! I doubled Ken's mix ratio and with that was able to re-pot 5 trees! The savings in dollars Is obvious, and I'm excited to see the results this growing season!

[hugh grant]

i just wanted to ask what the benefits were of using 2 parts diatomite and 1 part zeolite? I'm going to be using diatomite for the potting of my trees this year so i just wanted to find as i was going to just use straight diatomite.

Also how much do the steel sieves from Ray Nesci's cost?

hugh

[kcpoole]

Hi Hugh
I have heard people have poor performance with only Diatomite ( Check Out Grants Potting mix test thread as he confirms it there).
I was trying to replicate "Boons Mix", but I could not source any Pumice or Lava, so Started with Crushed gravel instead. after a few tries with that, I grabbed some Zeolite instead and all looked good so stayed with it.

As for the Quantities of each. Pretty much works at 2 bags Diatomite / 1 bag Zeolite

Highly unscientific But seems to work fine for me

We have since found Pumice in Sydney So when I get over the other side of town will pick some up.


Ken