calling my country men, South Africa that is

Waxonwaxoff said:
Hello everybody,

I just wanted to find out if anyone knows where in Johannesburg I might find diatomite (diatomaceous earth) kitty litter or oil absorbent. I've read that this material is a suitable bonsai growing media. Has anybody had any experience using this stuff?

Here is the link to the article I'm referring to: http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicscatlitter.htm
Click to expand...

I have been using kitty litter for about 3 years now and I cannot praise it enough. Some say it is equal to akadama. I wouldn't know if that is true but the stuff is astounding. I suggest that you purchase some of it and find out for yourself. Germinate a seed and immediately stick it into a pot of pure kitty litter, nothing else. Water it thoroughly and watch it grow. At the time of transplanting you'll be pleased at how well it took root. Tesco still operates in the RSA .... doesn't it?
 
Andrew Legg said:
I've yet to find a cat litter in CT that does not clump or collapse.
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There are at least 2 on the market, here in Sweden. Both were recommended .... thank god. So if you can find no recommendation then you'll have to go by trial and error. I suggest that you and Waxonwaxoff pool your assessing in order to save time and money. Perhaps better still ..... what about contacting the South African Bonsai Association:
www.saba.org.za
 
Saba can't help on stuff like this. Problem for me is no cat! Every now and then I get a bit of enthusiasm and end up buying a small bag which inevitable collapses when wet and turns to a bag of mush in my garden somewhere.
 
Andrew Legg said:
Saba can't help on stuff like this. Problem for me is no cat! Every now and then I get a bit of enthusiasm and end up buying a small bag which inevitable collapses when wet and turns to a bag of mush in my garden somewhere.
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My dear fellow, I'm not talking about Saba the cat. I'm talking about S.A.B.A. - South African Bonsai Association. I can't imagine your question going unanswered over there. There are club members and contacts galore, are there not?
 
Lol. Yip. There are members galore, but us South Africans are remarkably unimaginative when it come to this kind of stuff. Don't worry, I'm active in Saba and sabf. I'm very familiar with the local scene. Thanks though for the suggestion!
 
Andrew Legg said:
Ps: having a cat would be a good excuse to try every litter under the sun.
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Yes. You could feed it mielie-meal and perhaps usable pellets would come out the other end to supplement a healthy bonsai substrate.
 
Waxonwaxoff said:
Hello everybody,

I just wanted to find out if anyone knows where in Johannesburg I might find diatomite (diatomaceous earth) kitty litter or oil absorbent. I've read that this material is a suitable bonsai growing media. Has anybody had any experience using this stuff?

Here is the link to the article I'm referring to: http://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basicscatlitter.htm
Click to expand...

I have never heard any good things about Cat litter and I also think that being in SA we do not have nearly the same variety or quality that is available in other countries like the US.

What I can suggest and works great for me is LECA. You can look at the following link and order it online. I get my LECA from the same place and cannot praise it enough. Also Terry who runs the site and company is always on hand to give excellent advice on how to use it.

I have 2 Japanese black pines and a juniper planted in a mix of LECA and perlite to thicken up and the progress so far is brilliant. May try that our before using Cat litter.

http://www.bonsaitree.co.za/collect...onsai-leca-2-4mm-particles?variant=9205166339

Or email terry on info@bonsaitree.co.za and I know he will help you out.

Should you be interested, have a look at the following link with regards to my JBP's growing in LECA

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.501709723343466.1073741905.361632014017905&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.428118674035905.1073741878.361632014017905&type=3

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.361917207322719.1073741832.361632014017905&type=3



Good luck.
 
Interesting, your Leca, is similar to our crushed sifted earthenware red brick, been using it since 1980.
First seen outside a brick factory in Oropoche, with mimosa pudica all over it. Cast away heaps of broken bricks.
Today we blend it with sifted silca based gravel for building and trying to get the inorganic particles to follow the - ballbearing principle at 5 mm [ and 2 to 3 for mame']
The third ingredient is just compost.

Grows everything well.
Good Day
Anthony
 
So I've read the whole thread....LOL that's just like us South Africans....first rugby then biltong then politics and when the politics wore off it was about the good old days, then only, about bonsai.... note how civil our soil discussions are at the end :) please take notes

btw I'm sticking to my Clinker soil mix :rolleyes: I've tried each and every cat litter sold locally and all but one kind turns to mush (10 minutes in a glass of water) I wouldn't use the one that didn't turn to mush though either, looked like some kind of crystal formation and was scented. leave the kitty litter to the kitties that want to go to the bathroom. there's a lot of other stuff available to us

expanded clay,
fired perlite,
crushed clinker bricks,
composted bark,
loam,
rough palm fibre(palm peat)
pool filter sand(silica),
crusher run granite chips,
washed rough river sand,
think we can buy pumice now through mutimex, need couple guys to be interested though to make up a big enough order for the guys to drive it up from eastern cape(Turkish pumice)

, and then there's always old faithful: granite chips and cultera compost...cough cough...I've grown my fair share of plants in this mix, :) some people even use this type of mix unsifted, I know quite a few that still do.

hello fellow SAFFAS...
and my brother Sorce

best regards
Herman
 
Definitely one of the greats. Pity he did not play for the Bokke enough. On time will tell if he will be classed as good as Joost.
 
I was certain his shoulder injury ended his career. He proved me wrong!
 
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