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10-Aug-2002
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#1 |
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Growing...
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Has anybody here tried kitty litter in the bonsai soil?
I have heard someone has used kittylitter in the bonsai soil. Is it safe to use? Does it break down fast and then get hard? Any other comments/suggestions are welcome!
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Kitty Litter in bonsai soil? |
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Forum Sponsor
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10-Aug-2002
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#2 |
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Tips:5¢ Advice:Free
 
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If you can find untreated kitty litter, it would not do any harm initially, but yes, some of these tend to break down over time and get sludgy in the pot.
A better choice would be Turface, or Terra-Green (Those are fired calcinated clay) Regards, Matt
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15-Sep-2002
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#3 |
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Inactive
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Update On Kitty Liter For Soil
I mentioned sometime back that I had been using kitty liter in my soil mix and Matt mentioned wanting to hear how it was going. After a full summer: not good. It isn't breaking down or anything but the soil is compacting to where water sits on top the soil before it is absorbed in. In hindsight, that makes sense because most of it isn't any bigger that 1/8". The soil isn't getting mushy or soggy, so to that extent it is working, but probably not getting enough air or oxygen. Guess it's too small.
So guess I will be doing some re-potting come spring! Earl |
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16-Sep-2002
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#4 |
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bonsai who?
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grow boxes
Earl, I am not sure if you are using that mix in a grow box or a bonsai pot but the soil in my grow boxes has oil dry (aka kitty litter) I find after a month or two i gett the same problem with the water pooling on the surface before draining through but i have found that "tilling" the top half inch or inch of soil around and pretty close to my twigs helps restore drainage to the soil. It is like the top of the soil forms a skin after awhile. I use a mix of bark, oil dry, peat, and sand.
bye mike |
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17-Sep-2002
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#5 |
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bonsaiTALK Master
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I use the oil absorbant also, and I am not happy with the results. I have benn using it for 6 months. I mix it with pine bark, peat, and aquarium rock. I will try something else in spring. I heard that turface is a better component. Any other ideas for a substitute?
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"What we see depends mainly on what we look for", because "Creation and art are defined only by the boundaries we confine ourselves" both quotes written by authors unknown |
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17-Sep-2002
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#6 |
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bonsaiTALK Master Craftsman
 
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oil dry and kitty litter are not fired high enuf to
last in a bonsai mix...there have been many people who have used it only to have the same conditions you are enjoying :0)> a turface soil conditioner is, imho, the best to use... peace, tom stoute
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peace, tom stoute http://bonsaiinsights.spaces.live.com/ |
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17-Sep-2002
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#7 | |
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bonsai who?
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Dear Bonsaimon,
you wrote Quote:
I am not sure if i buy the fact that turface is not just green oil dry, with some good stuff mixed in. Oil Dry corporation manuafactures Terra-Green, and Oil dry absorbent. I would write them a letter asking if there is a difference, but who would admit that a twenty pound bag of oil-dry at five bucks is essentially the same stuff as the five pound bag of terra-green at ten bucks? Are you guys sifting the oil dry? Straight from the bag it is full of fines and i sometimes get lazy and throw it in as it is... mike |
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17-Sep-2002
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#8 |
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bonsaiTALK Master
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Yeah I sifted, and this stuff is dangerous. Make sure you wear a respirator when yopu sift it
__________________
"What we see depends mainly on what we look for", because "Creation and art are defined only by the boundaries we confine ourselves" both quotes written by authors unknown |
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18-Sep-2002
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#9 |
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bonsaiTALK Adept
 
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I tried kitty litter just once and got a pot full of muck. I have been using hadite/peat moss in a 50/50 mix. There is no compost mixed in with it but I did sift out the fines and it works wonderfully. It stays very porous has about the right amount of water retention and does not pack down. Of course I have to fertilize every two weeks and I use a 17-17-17 liquid fertilizer. So far this season everything likes it. The evergreens get Fertiloam acid formula.
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18-Sep-2002
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#10 |
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bonsaiTALK Master Craftsman
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if the choice is between oil dry/kitty litter and
a turface like product...yes i recomend the turface i have seen many problems with the oil dry first hand.. i have also seen a turface like product which was not as high fired as what is on the market today...that was many years ago and haven't seen or heard of it lately...it also broke down and became slimey... if it works for you that's great.. my trees are happy to know i will not put oil dry or kitty litter in thier soil mix. there are many other alternatives for components in bonsai soil i use some of them but... not oil dry or kitty litter
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peace, tom stoute http://bonsaiinsights.spaces.live.com/ |
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