AusBonsai

So down here in the South West of WA, i cannot find any course river sand. I was wondering if i can use the gravel they sell in pet shops for aquariums?? It seems to be small enough, and i can actually get some without having to drive 2 hours... I am now mixing my own soil, I have 2 sizes of akadama, and have sphag moss and charcoal. Just need some sort of river sand...

Masters sells course grit https://www.masters.com.au/product/1008 ... se-grit-5l even in Mandurah according to their www

https://www.masters.com.au/product/1008 ... se-grit-5l
This all I use...Don't know if it fits into purest thoughts but it's good...just was out the fines.

I purchased a pine from Koreshoffs, and when I repoted it the soil consisted of what looked to me exacly like the gravel I have in my fish tanks
I still have some of it I use as soil dressing for display

Ken

cre8ivbonsai wrote:Masters sells course grit https://www.masters.com.au/product/1008 ... se-grit-5l even in Mandurah according to their www

Huge Thanks. Never thought of looking at Masters. I guess thats because we dont have one down here. 2 big green sheds though, 7 mins apart...

Indeed. Not much in the South West. Bunnings do sell some varieties of small gravel in their outdoor area near the pots but quite a small selection

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Hi there Ray!. I've been using this exact product from Masters over the last year and a half....and I reckon it's great.
I too live a fair distance from any of the nurseries in Perth and find it to be a great alternative. I do prefer the Canarvon river sand, but mainly due to the fact that at Peter's you can buy it in any quantity you want. If your only doing a few trees, it works out to be fairly reasonable ($$$) wise.

Cheers!
Anthony

The Koreshoff mix ,you speak of, is crushed stone,crushed to all size's of 3-7ml.Average being 5ml.It is ideal for all plant's, as a growing medium,and is the only mix that I use,with added organic fertilizer's, for over 30years.It allows air to be present, because of it's coarseness,and creates fantastic root systems.It allows water to freely flow through ,constantly,and helps healthy fungus to grow to develop , good root structure, very quickly.You have to water less often,and no curl grubs can enter ,because of it's roughness.The only drawback, get's a little heavy when wet.That's a minor problem......