AusBonsai

Given the halt in supply of Mt Sylvia diatomite, I thought I would post my experience with my recent order of the Maidenwell stuff. I was used to picking up the Mt Sylvia diatomite from a produce store not far from me but for the Maidenwell, I put in an online order from these guys: D E Direct
D E stands for diatomaceous earth and they have 3 grades: fine, <2mm, and coarse (2-8mm). Instead of completing checkout online, I emailed them for a shipping cost and it worked out cheaper than the calculated amount on their website. For an idea of shipping, they are located inland from Maryborough, QLD, and I am in Brisbane. Courier cost for up to 4 x 18kg bags was $39.95.
I ordered 2 x 18kg bags of coarse and 1 x 4.5kg bag of <2mm and they were posted the next day and arrived the day after that.
The 18kg bag is similar in size to the 35L bag of 2-9mm Mt Syliva. The size distribution is also very similar; I spent this afternoon sifting it all out and rinsing it. It was a little dustier than I was used to, and had more fines but was no more crumbly than the Mt Sylvia stuff.

Sifted out, this is what I ended up with:

I hope this helps anyone considering buying the Maidenwell Diatomite. If anyone knows of a retail outlet in Brisbane that sells it, I would love to hear from you.

When did they get the oven working again?
From what I heard they could not run the oven due to OHS issues and thus it was still soft and unsuitable for Bonsai / horticultural use.

can you do a soak test for a fortnight to see how soft it gets? ) put an amount in a jar, fill with water and and leave for at least a week or 2, try and squash with fingers.
if hard will not deteriorate in pot.


Ken

Thanks for going the hard yards on this Sonya. The very fine stuff can always be used where your pup is going to sleep in the yard....fleas don't stand a chance of breeding in it.

Thanks for the heads up on this Ken. I will do the soak test and report back before I use it in my mix.

Bad news on the Maidenwell diatomite. It has only been soaking for a few days and already I can tell it is breaking down. When I rub it between finger and thumb, a lot of it turns to a slurry/ clay-like substance. Some particles are still hard, but I can tell the stuff would be harmful to potted trees.
Oh well, looks like I have lots of expensive soil improver for my vege beds

Thanks for letting us know. I nearly bought some when I saw it here recently.