Litter or pet bedding...

zenwarrior

anyone ever used corn cob as soil ingredient? any thoughts on it?


http://www.ferretstore.com/kt-50019.html#

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zenwarrior

No one to even tell me I'm crazy?

I just read a post where Jerry M recommended a test to see if a material is suitable as a soil ingredient. (Letting it sit in water for a few days to see if it stays intact)
I think I will try this for the corn cob. Its just the perfect size, absorbent, readily available, and it's cheap. I dont know about ph levels, if squirrels will try to eat it, and flotation during watering though. I was just thinking it could be an alternate additive to another absorbent material.

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Failure is the key to success; each mistake teaches us something.

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pootsie

I'm thinking it is probably not so good.

Corn, being a fast grower, is not too dense.

I think the cob will likely break down over the course of 1-2 years in the pot, ending up with drainage problems as compared to pine bark.

just a guess

pootsie
(oh, yeah, you're crazy! but that has nothing to do with the corn)

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WindTalker

Zen, any answer to this yet? I also have found Corn Cob bedding for 1.00 per pound. It is light, holds water, but not sure how long before it bio-degrades.
Also, curious if there are any fungi worries.

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lagunamadre

I would think corn cod to hold too much water and too long. Go to www.bonsai4me.com, and read about cat litter, and a recent update. The same material is available from NAPA auto parts. In fact, I just picked up a bag today and am testing in. I like it already because it is light colored and will not absorb heat from the sun as a dark material. Good luck, Larry

dow

You can go to Sams or Costco and get Oil-dri as well. It's used to absorb oil and chemical spills. Your local mechanic probably has a barrel of it somewhere. Anyway, it's about $4.50 or so for a 40 lb. bag. Here's a link to the MSDS if you're interested: http://www.oildri.com/indusauto/pdf/MSDSFA05.pdf and here's what it looks like:

Oh yeah, and you can use it for cat litter, too.

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WindTalker

I hear and have read that items containing Fuller's Earth should not be used.

One question is: Has the Oil Dri brand been baked at a high enough temperature to keep it's form? Will it become mush in 8 months of moisture?

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dow

Beats me. I was advised to use it when I started, earlier this year, by a couple of our local club members, and it's been working fine. I've got some 1st year maples in it, along with my zelkiva, a chinese elm, a flowering quince, two dwarf youpons and a pride of Houston holly, and they're all thriving. As in most things, however, you must be the judge of what works for you.

On a related subject, I just read an interesting article on the Knowledge of Bonsai website titled The Secret to Soil Revealed! which makes a lot of sense to me from a "common sense" standpoint.

Based on this article and the amount of care that you're willing to give your trees, I don't see that it would matter that much. But I'm still a beginner, and probably will be for years to come.

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Vonsgardens

Oil dry has been covered here and elsewhere many times. It is a cheap alternative for those who use smaller volumes of soil. The problem is that it isn't fired at as high a temperature as Turface, and will clump and break down. You need to "cut it' with something like volcanic and bark, haydite, pea gravel or pick your poison.

We use Akadama, Hyuga and Volcanic. It costs more. It works great- now, ask Dale Colchoy, in his environment and circumstance he doesn't like akadam- I value Dle's opinion- so if you live in areas with many freeze thaw cycles you should be careful.

If you think I am being elitest, think of this: I used to buy turface by the ton. No longer.

John

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