AusBonsai

I bought some zeolite in the form if zero chlor from the big green shed.

I started sieving it today through a fly screen sieve.

I would say I am sieving out about 60% of the volume.

This makes it very expensive and rather wasteful.

Do I need to sieve it?

If I do what should I do with all those fines?

I use 2mm + and sometimes sieve it for a coarser mix for figs. I use it and diatomite straight out of the bag for tridents and they seem to love it. Finer particles = more water retention. I use the zeolite and diatomite fines I keep for propagating especially cuttings.

I don't sieve mine unlewss reusing it to get rid of the fines.

I buy the larger particle bag from Ray and that is 2 mm up and use it straight from the bag

Ken

Zeolite comes in different forms sounds like you have got some for the finer consistency. The stuff I use is like a small gravel doesn't need too much sieving.

I have also sourced Zeochlor from the green shed (sold for pool filter sand). I haven't filtered it in the past, just wet it to pour the dust off before mixing in with diatomite. I don't think much of it would be less than 2mm - certainly not 60% anyway. Leads me to wonder:
- maybe you got the bottom of a bulk batch with smaller fines (or maybe I just got lucky!)
- the size of your sieve might be larger than 2mm? (although if it's flywire, I would have thought it would be a smaller screen than 2mm?)

I have a bag of zeochlor and I can't imagine much of it is 2mm or larger...maybe I got the dodgy bag.

Hmmm interesting.

I just finished bagging it up and the fines make up exactly 50% by volume. So slightly better than I thought.

I would describe it as more like a coarse sand than a fine gravel.

I'll get a bag from Ray and compare.

Maybe I just got a dodgy bag or maybe the zeochlor version is finer.

I bought a bag of zeoclor recently too, and mine was probably 50% fines also. As it's main use is for pool filtration I think this is the way it is supposed to come. The fines do work great for a cuttings mixture though.

Ray wrote:I bought a bag of zeoclor recently too, and mine was probably 50% fines also. As it's main use is for pool filtration I think this is the way it is supposed to come. The fines do work great for a cuttings mixture though.

How do you use the fines for a cutting mix-what of anything do you add?

Maybe I just got a dodgy bag or maybe the zeochlor version is finer.

Big W has purrfit non clumping kitty litter . Plus watch the BBQ tray fillers

Isitangus wrote:

Ray wrote:I bought a bag of zeoclor recently too, and mine was probably 50% fines also. As it's main use is for pool filtration I think this is the way it is supposed to come. The fines do work great for a cuttings mixture though.

How do you use the fines for a cutting mix-what of anything do you add?

Anything that goes through the 2mm seive, goes into a fines box. I then seive it again using another sieve that is about 1.25mm, anything that passes through this is mostly dust so it gets put on the garden bed. It's made up of what I get left from diatomite, zeolite, gravel, pine park and scoria. It holds moisture but still drains well enough.

If you wanting a Zeolite >2.0mm buy a bag of Trouble & Trix Cat litter 15ltr. This is a creamy colour Zeolite - highly porous and clean with very little fines. I would recommend.