Hardest Akadama available (for my carnivorous plants! PICS!)

[NepenthesDaddy]

I tried my hand at Bonsai and it wasn't for me, but I love using Akadama for other plants. What's the hardest akadama brand? I know hardest isn't the best necessarily for Bonsai, however I don't want this for Bonsai and for my purposes I want the hardest possible. In the past I have used Triple Red Line (the kind with the tree on the bag) and it was hard and good quality, but I have also used some other Akadama of unknown origin and it was much, much harder. I could wash and re-use and it would barely even discolor the water when washing. It would crush when pressed between fingers wet but you had to add quite a bit of pressure. Probably came from a small amount purchased on ebay or etsy at who-knows-where.

Bonsai enthusiasts would probably say it isn't the best for tree roots since it is so hard, but hardest is what works best for these plants under my particular conditions.
It seems like getting stuff in America is difficult, and sometimes the same brand may vary in quality depending on where you buy it and when. I would love to know where I can order "the good stuff" at the moment. Price isn't an issue as I only one one bag and these are for some carnivorous plant very important to me. I heard Yaki is the hardest and fired at 1,200 celcius, but when I googled yaki akadama I couldn't determine which brands are and aren't considered yaki akadama.

what

 

[Cruiser]

Sorry, I don’t know the answer to your question. But let me just say, those are some fine looking meat plants.

 

[penumbra]

Those are the healthiest and some of the prettiest I have ever seen. I think most people would have a harder time keeping these plants looking that good, than they would keeping a bonsai that healthy.

 

[RoadManDenDron]

Again I'm sorry I can't help but what is this one?

 

[NaoTK]

I use pumice for my CPs. Very hard, high moisture holding capacity and it doesn't wash away like perlite. I have nepenthes, sarrs, and pings in 100% pumice.

1200C would melt the particle into glass.

 

[Srt8madness]

Again I'm sorry I can't help but what is this one?View attachment 527645

Don't know specifics but it's a type of pitcher plant, most likely mountainous.

 

[cbroad]

Again I'm sorry I can't help but what is this one?

Hint: it's in his name

 

[NepenthesDaddy]

Again I'm sorry I can't help but what is this one?View attachment 527645

Thanks! It's a Nepenthes villosa clone from the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, I will take a better pic of this and other plants for you guys tonight haha , this one is my baby

 

[NepenthesDaddy]

I use pumice for my CPs. Very hard, high moisture holding capacity and it doesn't wash away like perlite. I have nepenthes, sarrs, and pings in 100% pumice.

1200C would melt the particle into glass.

I use pumice for my Heliamphora and Nepenthes along with other equal parts akadama and kanuma, It's just time to buy more akadama for my mix and I don't know the brand that I used in the past that you could grind underwater without it giving off dust or discoloring anything. It was much harder than the stuff I bought last time, which was this:

 

[NepenthesDaddy]

I also notice the same size bag of the same brand can cost $40 from one site and then $70 on another for some reason, should I avoid the cheaper stuff even if its the same bag?

 

[NepenthesDaddy]

I use pumice for my CPs. Very hard, high moisture holding capacity and it doesn't wash away like perlite. I have nepenthes, sarrs, and pings in 100% pumice.

1200C would melt the particle into glass.

Can I see your sarrs in pure pumcie and what size do you use?

Here is a reference to the glass akadama, I couldn't open the link at least at work for any more info.

 

[NaoTK]

Can I see your sarrs in pure pumcie and what size do you use?

Here is a reference to the glass akadama, I couldn't open the link at least at work for any more info. View attachment 527669

I use whatever local unsieved pumice we get by the truck load here in Oregon. Sarrs require little to no care. I have them along with Darlingtonia in wine barrels outside, but there's nothing to look at it now they are just stumps

I can believe 800C for akadama and maybe 1000C, but 1200C is ceramic temperatures and akadama would melt into a puddle, unless its like a flash process.

I just thought you might like hydroton. It has the texture of a fired clay

 

[Maiden69]

If you want something kinda similar to akadama but hard that won't break down take a look at Bonsai Jack Bonsai Block or Monto Clay. Monto Clay is the same as turface, but Bonsai Jack special order this with a rounder profile vs that flat plate that regular turface has.

Also, keep a look on Bonsai Tonight store, Jonas had some hard fired akadama a few months back, it is sold out at this time.