Rick, take them back. You ordered Turface and you did not get Turface. The
store should be ashamed of themselves not filling the order as placed.
Now, take your $25 and go to an auto supply house. Get a 40 pound bag of
oil dry. That is a generic description based on a product name. The
generic material may be the same as the material you just refused but should
cost you between $3 and $5 a bag rather than $12. When you get home, put
the bag through a window screen sized sieve to get rid of the fines. You
will probably loose 5% to 10%. Then you can use your calcined clay, as any
remaining fines will be minimal and probably wash out with the first
watering. If you're nervous about it, put a handful in a glass jar and add
water. Shake it to put any remaining fines into suspension. Pour off the
water and repeat the rinse until the water stays clear enough for you. Then
let the handful of clay sit in the water in the jar. If it breaks down,
then don't use the bag. I doubt it will. I have had a jar sitting on my
desk in the office for over six months and its fine.
Why does this work? Well, the product is used to absorb spilled oil in
garages. No fancy smell stuff is added, it's not needed and you don't want
the added chemicals. The material is quite hard as the oil soaked clay will
be swept up with a broom. If it is soft enough to break down with oil into
a mush, the broom will not sweep the stuff up and the company will not be
able to sell more bags of the stuff. Since the fines will act as mush just
as if the stuff had broken down, the company doesn't allow much in the
process or perhaps does some screening before packing it. What you screen
and wash out is probably due to the shipping. Of course, if the clay
doesn't absorb the oil, it won't absorb water either. No absorption, lots
of fines or fast breakdown, no repeat sales and the company goes out of
business. That's why this works.
So, you have spent $10 instead of $25 and gotten the same results. You also
now know how to check the product whether its Turface or the generic stuff.
Take your $15 savings and treat yourself to a new pot or a nursery plant or
whatever. After all, the object of this hobby isn't to learn to mix soil
but to grow bonsai, trees in pots!
Have fun - jay
Jay Beckenbach - Melrose, FL - Zone 8b/9a -
-----Original Message-----
From: Tlsrider ]
Subject: Turface
---------- CLIP ----------
Hello everyone, I am back with another Turface question. A couple weeks ago
I thought that I had solved my Turface problem. I finally found a nearby
store that could get it for me at a very reasonable price, $12.99/50 lbs.
When the guy at the store brought it up on his computer it said MVP TURFACE
so I ordered a couple bags. I just picked it up and it is not MVP Turface
and it is not from Profile. Instead it is a product very similiar called
Profield Field Conditioner, made by a company called Profield. The bag is
green and white and says calcined clay soil modifier on it. Are any of you
familiar with this product. If anything the only difference may be that this
is finer.
Thanks..........................................Ri ck
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