AusBonsai

hey all was just wondering if Snappy Tom LAVALITE cat litter is diatomite or some other similar material? the packaging doesnt say if it is or not. just say its 100% natural and that once used that it is a good soil conditioner.

Only way to check wil be to put some in a jar of water and leave for 6 months, Agitate daily, and then take a piece out and test
If still hard and brittle then good chance of being Diatomite or some other hard mineral

Ken

ps, I have diatomite in Water now for 4 years and still as hard as when first put in

ok ill have a go at that because i picked some up from supa iga today for bout $7 for 5 litres. ill do a test on it tomorrow.

ps, I have diatomite in Water now for 4 years and still as hard as when first put in

thats really good quality. i understand why it is used so well for bonsai

owieo86 wrote:

ps, I have diatomite in Water now for 4 years and still as hard as when first put in

thats really good quality. i understand why it is used so well for bonsai

Yes Owie
I Have been using the same Components now for 4 years and not that I have lots, I rarely need to use fresh stuff when repotting. Just wash and sift then reuse
the stuff is so cheap to begin with, and now just reusing it makes my potting subtrate cost almost Nil

Ken

Hi Owie, I live in Victoria and have access to Maidenwell Diatomite, you must be able to get it in relatively easily in Toowoomba given that the mine is only 110kms north of you. Ring the mine and ask if they supply anyone in Toowoomba. There is no substitute for the real thing, using kittylitter made of unknown components is a huge risk.

Cheers,
Mojo

I think I saw this stuff Owie and grabbed a bag just for curiosity. From memory it looks like the whiter Mt Sylvia diatomite. I put some in water and it held up fine from memory it gave the same charachteristics of diatomite but since I have plenty of diatomite still I don't think I have throwen it into a mix yet. Should still be sitting in the shed.

100% natural and that once used that it is a good soil conditioner.

This tends to be a good sign that they are using a component that is also used in horticulture.
$7 for 5 litres is not cheap but if you only have a couple of small trees to pot up it might be financaly viable for some to start with.
I would say yes but with caution. It would be great if you could post a picture of the material in the bag.

Been mucking around with these for a bit now and it is funny how I can almost tell which is which just from looks. Found some oil soaker spread out on the floor of a workshop. Hunted down the bag and it sure looked like maidenwell Diatomite. Popped a little in water and almost instantly am 99% sure it is. Headed to the local place where they sold it "Valvoline Oil Spill Soaker" And see that the top bags are now in a smaller bag We have seen this happen with other products and they now contain different material. One of the older packets there same as they where using at the workshop. Grabbed that one for $28 which is not cheap but was my first local source for maidenwell diatomite. Been using it for 6 months and still almost 100% sure it is maidenwell diatomite. Although I am pretty wild as I didn't even do a pH test on it.
But not sure what is in the new bag now. Dam well seems like as soon as we find a source they change what they are using.
These changes all seemed to be about the same time we had trouble getting Maidenwell Diatomite out of the mine and it's suppliers. Seems to me suppliers worked out different sources when maidenwell went through the shaky period

Edit: Should have bought stocks in Mt Sylvia mine as they seem to supply everyone now

Hi all i have been using lavalite as an alternative to richgro aquatic mix because the big B ran out of the richgro aqua mix. As far as i can tell it's pretty much the same stuff just a lot whiter have potted up into a mix made with it with no ill affects so far the test will be in a years time when repotting to se if it holds together.

posting up photos of bag and material. ive started a test on it in a jar filled with water and going to see how it holds up. seems to be maintaining hardness straight away but time will tell.

Brett, I feel that some of what has been written here is assumptions/observations and is presented in a way that persons who may not know any better could interpret them as facts or researched findings. Which they are not.

Bretts wrote: From memory it looks like the whiter Mt Sylvia diatomite. I put some in water and it held up fine from memory it gave the same charachteristics of diatomite but since I have plenty of diatomite still I don't think I have throwen it into a mix yet. Should still be sitting in the shed.

It looks like diatomite? In the same way that sand looks like raw sugar and diff oil looks like honey? Or the same as in physical properties, pH, silica content etc?

Held up fine in water? Well that should be fine for bonsai use then, to stand up to 1000 days and nights of temperatures from freezing to 45 degrees C, causing expansion and contraction of the particles, at least 500 waterings that erode the soil particles and literally grind them together, UV exposure etc. The leaving of possible diatomite like material immersed in water for any period does not test it's durability anywhere near enough to suggest it's suitability as a bonsai soil component.

Bretts wrote:

100% natural and that once used that it is a good soil conditioner.

This tends to be a good sign that they are using a component that is also used in horticulture.

Not really. For a start, the quote does not suggest use in horticulture. It would most likely refer to the products suitability to be disposed of in garden beds, once it has been used. Also, should we be taking horticultural advice from a pet supplies company?

Bretts wrote:Been mucking around with these for a bit now and it is funny how I can almost tell which is which just from looks. Found some oil soaker spread out on the floor of a workshop. Hunted down the bag and it sure looked like maidenwell Diatomite. Popped a little in water and almost instantly am 99% sure it is. Headed to the local place where they sold it "Valvoline Oil Spill Soaker" And see that the top bags are now in a smaller bag We have seen this happen with other products and they now contain different material. One of the older packets there same as they where using at the workshop. Grabbed that one for $28 which is not cheap but was my first local source for maidenwell diatomite. Been using it for 6 months and still almost 100% sure it is maidenwell diatomite. Although I am pretty wild as I didn't even do a pH test on it.

There is a lot of assumption here. Again the assumption that you can tell Maidenwell Diatomite by appearance, assumption that 6 months of use of "Valvoline Oil Spill Soaker" can confirm or disprove that it is Maidenwell Diatomite.

To my understanding the hard facts on diatomite in Australia for bonsai use are as follows:
Many Australian bonsai growers report that Maidenwell Diatomite has in the past and continues to produce excellent results when used as a bonsai potting media component. Similar testimony supports My Silvia Diatomite (although I do not know which of their diatomite products are being used, Ken perhaps you could tell us which one you have had success with http://www.mtsylviadiatomite.com.au/diatomite-products/) The absolute best way to identify these relaible and well tested products is by the writing on the bag.

Chandlers Kitty Litter, a raw Attapulgite clay product has been reported by many growers to be inconsistent in structure, have a very short working life and to remain quite wet for a long period. I have personally seen this product contribute to if not be the outright cause of root rot in Japanese Maples, European Hornbeam and Sargent Juniper.

Owie, by all means give Snappy Tom Lavalite a try with a few expendable trees if you wish, but be aware that you really need to trial it for at least 2 years before you can trust it with bonsai that are of any value. A possible starting point to detemining what it is made of is to ring or email whoever makes Snappy Tom and ask them to send you a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).

Cheers,
Mojo

What I wrote was straight forward and honest Mojo. You and others can take it anyway you like.

Thanks for the Pictures Owie. I am sure that is the stuff I bought too. Sure looks like Mt Sylvia diatomite to me.

Hi Owie,
Does it say somewhere on the packet that this stuff is imported from Mexico?



Steve

Hi all
Dunno Bretts. Looks too Yellow to me but that might just be the background

Is it washed? covered with dust? See the photos attached as this is Mt Sylvia from the bag and washsed.


As mojo mentioned, the only way to be absolutely sure is if they write it on the bag, or to contack the manufacturer and get them to confirm it. I assume they will tell you.
If unsure, then do a test and watch the trees real close

Ken

just had another look at the packaging and it says product of argentina. Argentina does produce diatomite so there is a fair chance that this is diatomite. the pics i uploaded last nite look rather yellow but that is because poor lighting. its really white and a little bit dusty not to bad. when it is wet it doesnt have the varying colours of the mt sylvia product just a uniform colour.

Washed product.

Yea looks very similar to Mt Sylvia.
Note that mine had been used fro about 2 years already and it does darken over time

I would still test exclusively tho just to be sure and watch your trees like a hawk

Ps, Are you sure you cannot get the real stuff there locally?
for the cost you pay for the imported stuff, you can get the real mcoy cheap, Be even worth a day trip to the mine itself

Ken