AusBonsai

Recently purchased a few bags of Green Kleensorb from Stafford petstore in QLD.
The granules are so soft they crush to powder with minimal force between my fingers.

When added to water and other soil ingredients the result is a substrate with lots of fine particles. terrible for drainage.
I add kleensorb to my normal mix at about 20-30%. This has been a mistake this spring with alot of my plants and I can see they are not happy.

I rang Ian at Mt Slyvia, as alot of others from the Bonsai community have by his immediate query: "Do u use it for your bonsai soil?"
His explanation for this change in hardness is that in the rock strata they are currently mining the Diatomite is alot more pure than it was previously.
In the past alot more clay has been present mixed in with diatomite and during the kiln drying process the granules end up alot harder.
His advice was that this change to soft particles will not be changing anytime soon.

Has anyone found an additional supplier of kiln dried diatomite readily available in Aus?
Also has anyone had a go at using Mt Sylvia PALAGONITE "Soil Support" in their mix.
I believe Redcliffe produce Store stocks it.

Your advice is appreciated.

Maybe the answer is Pumice?

http://www.australianperlite.com/pumice/horticulture/

Hi Charlie Green,

How easy is it crushing? I'm of the understanding that it crushes easily but it doesn't actually matter as it will still hold itself together in the pot. I've only been using it for around 2 years though. This thread discuses the same situation also.

viewtopic.php?f=12&t=19445&p=197978&hil ... te#p197978

It was at the time of reading this that I went and squashed a few bits and found out how easy it is to crush.
Cheers,
Nigel

Hi Charlie

I had the same problem with the cleensorb I was getting here in Sydney. In my opinion it is unusable, to use it, it must be washed or there will be sediment issues in the bottom of the pot. Not to mention how soft it is to crush, I never had that problem with the stuff I was getting a year ago.
I switched to pumice last year and it has been great! when I repot a tree I reuse the old substrate and add pumice if it needs to be bulked up. I haven't had any problems with it at all.

Cheers
Matt

Aaaargh!!!!! Curses *?&# wish you'd posted this earlier , I've just ordered 13 bags of the stuff through blackwoods and sons . I'll get straight onto them tomorrow about cancelling the order. Well here's hoping they'll refund me
Peterb

This was discussed last year in this thread here
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=18342&start=0&hilit=mt+sylvia

I have been using the current supplied product with no issues ( I also now put Pumice in my mix as well).
When I get a new Batch of Kleensorb, I soak it in a jar of water for at least a week and test its hardness. I have found the current batch to be softer that the original, but even after being immersed in water for extended period it still quite firm and will not crush without excessive force.

This is the problem with organic material that is mine specifically for our use.

Ken

Hi ken
So it would appear all is not doom and gloom, just have to be abit more gentle, what ever happened to maidenwell didn't somebody say it was opening shop again
Peterb

I think watty9 mentioned it.
I assume tho that they will also have variable deposits at their mine so they may well have the same issues one day if they do restart.

Ken

Isn't it funny how we all have different issues re soil. I've got enough akadama to kill 10 men, yet i cant find course river sand anywhere near me...

Raymond wrote:Isn't it funny how we all have different issues re soil. I've got enough akadama to kill 10 men, yet i cant find course river sand anywhere near me...

I'd love to swap some with you!
But postage would be a killer.
If I could only source some akadama.

Yep, copped a bad batch about a month ago. Got it replaced by my supplier. Be careful if you have the soft stuff. I soaked for a couple of weeks then let it dry a bit. The soft stuff left a powdery substance in the bottom that went rock hard. It then went to powder again when wet. It would clog drain holes and kill a tree very quickly. Thinking I might have to change products if this becomes a problem.

Raymond wrote:Isn't it funny how we all have different issues re soil. I've got enough akadama to kill 10 men, yet i cant find course river sand anywhere near me...

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

I'm lucky enough to be still using maidenwell, i grabbed a large stash before they stopped producing.
should be right for the next few years.

lakepipes wrote:I'm lucky enough to be still using maidenwell, i grabbed a large stash before they stopped producing.
should be right for the next few years.

well played

wrcmad wrote:

Raymond wrote:Isn't it funny how we all have different issues re soil. I've got enough akadama to kill 10 men, yet i cant find course river sand anywhere near me...

I'd love to swap some with you!
But postage would be a killer.
If I could only source some akadama.

I picked up 40kg at the show in sept. The Bosai Society of WA puts on a top show and the sales section was excellent. IThere were bags and bags of it. Someone in WA imports it and it is soooooo cheap...