The question I have is for a substitute for using turface. I can get this product, but only through a Bonsai Nursery here locally, the mark up is high. I would be paying about $25 per bag. Anyway, what I am wondering is, can you use "oil dry" that you b
uy at the auto store instead? Are there any disadvantages to using this?

Thanks..........................Rick

Rick
Zone 5
New England

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Sorry for shooting blanks. Seems sometimes when I try
to delete one of the addresses in a reply, it gets
sent.

You can use oil dry, you can use dry stall (keeps
horsie's feet dry, get at a full service pet store) or
you can look up Turface on the internet and find a
local dealer. I get Turface for $8.25 per 50# bag.

Kitsune Miko

--- Tlsrider wrote:
The question I have is for a substitute for using
turface. I can get this product, but only through a
Bonsai Nursery here locally, the mark up is high. I
would be paying about $25 per bag. Anyway, what I
am wondering is, can you use "oil dry" that you buy
at the auto store instead? Are there any
disadvantages to using this?

Thanks..........................Rick

Rick
Zone 5
New England


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http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail
+++++


=====
"Art does not take kindly to facts, is helpless to grapple with theories, and is killed outright by a sermon." Agnes Ropplier
(added to the above)
"How many things in life do we bludgeon with facts, render helpless
with theories, and kill with sermons? If art can help us go beyond
these patterns, we certainly need it in our lives."
Anne Wilson Schaef
From, "Women Who Do Too Much Calandar 2004."

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In a message dated 5/8/2004 7:17:51 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:

Oil dry" that you buy at the auto store instead?

Check the particle size some products for picking up spills are much
too fine for our purpose,

Billy on the Florida Space Coast
BSF Annual Convention May 28 - 31, 2004 Radisson Hotel, Cape Canaveral,
Florida
Sponsored by The Bonsai Society of Brevard and the Treasure Coast Bonsai
Society
http://www.bonsaisocietyofbrevard.org/2004/2004.html

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If you want Turface without buying a gigantic bag or paying bonsai nursery
prices, go to a garden center and buy Schultz Multi-Purpose Soil Conditioner.
It is actually Turface, in a 5 pound bag. I don't remember what it cost, but it
was about what you would expect.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Last year I got Shultz Profile, which is turface, for
about $8 per bag. This year it was $16 per bag. With
300 trees, 50 pounds ain't too much.

Kits
--- Iris Cohen wrote:
If you want Turface without buying a gigantic bag or
paying bonsai nursery
prices, go to a garden center and buy Schultz
Multi-Purpose Soil Conditioner.
It is actually Turface, in a 5 pound bag. I don't
remember what it cost, but it
was about what you would expect.
Iris,


=====
"Art does not take kindly to facts, is helpless to grapple with theories, and is killed outright by a sermon." Agnes Ropplier
(added to the above)
"How many things in life do we bludgeon with facts, render helpless
with theories, and kill with sermons? If art can help us go beyond
these patterns, we certainly need it in our lives."
Anne Wilson Schaef
From, "Women Who Do Too Much Calandar 2004."

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

G'day all...

OilDri????

I've been using OilDri for several years...

For me, it works fine. I don't have a tree in a pot larger than 16" X 10" X 4"
(estimated)...except for a couple in 5 gallon nursery cans.

If cost is a consideration, I get OilDri for under $4 for a 40 pound bag...at
Sam's Club.

Have a good day.

Pat

Dez of the Arizona High Dezert, at 4550', Oracle, AZ,
2000' above Tucson Sunset Zone 10 USDA Zone 8
aka: Pat Patterson 'riding off in all directions'

Check out Turface's website

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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Respectfully, they're different. Turface is Montmorillonite clay, Profile is
Arcillite clay. The latter is also fired hotter, resulting in a material
that is almost a ceramic, with a lower CEC than Turface.

David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
Bunabayashi Bonsai On The World Wide Web: http://www.bunabayashi.com
email:


-----Original Message-----
From: Internet Bonsai Club ]On Behalf
Of Kitsune Miko
Sent: Saturday, May 08, 2004 11:25 PM
To:
Subject: [IBC] Turface


Last year I got Shultz Profile, which is turface, for
about $8 per bag. This year it was $16 per bag. With
300 trees, 50 pounds ain't too much.

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--- "David J. Bockman" wrote:
Respectfully, they're different. Turface is
Montmorillonite clay, Profile is
Arcillite clay. The latter is also fired hotter,
resulting in a material
that is almost a ceramic, with a lower CEC than
Turface.

Good to know the difference. To the naked eye and
even one glasses clad, they do look the same.

What does CEC mean?

S

=====
"Art does not take kindly to facts, is helpless to grapple with theories, and is killed outright by a sermon." Agnes Ropplier
(added to the above)
"How many things in life do we bludgeon with facts, render helpless
with theories, and kill with sermons? If art can help us go beyond
these patterns, we certainly need it in our lives."
Anne Wilson Schaef
From, "Women Who Do Too Much Calandar 2004."

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

There are several types of Turface. IMHO, Turface MVP is the best choice for
bonsai since it has a larger average particle size than the other Turfaces.
You will need to sieve in order to get rid of the really small fines. I use
8-mesh and 12-mesh metal screens. Save the small fines. They come in handy
for adjusting the water retention levels of your soil. And Turface is
relatively inexpensive at $9 per 50# bag.

Oil Dri is pretty cheap at $4.50 per 50# bag at Pep Boys and other auto
supply shops. It seems to have somewhat higher moisture retention than
Turface. My habit is to use a 50/50 mix of Turface and Oil-Dri as the
inorganic part of my bonsai soil. The cheaper Oil-Dri functions as an
extender for the more expensive Turface MVP.

Later

--
Ray Schmitt, Aliso Viejo, CA
Cold Hardiness Zone 10b
AHS Heat Zone 4
Sunset Climate Zone 22







"Tlsrider" wrote in message
...
The question I have is for a substitute for using turface. I can get this
product, but only through a Bonsai Nursery here locally, the mark up is
high. I would be paying about $25 per bag. Anyway, what I am wondering is,
can you use "oil dry" that you buy at the auto store instead? Are there any
disadvantages to using this?

Thanks..........................Rick

Rick
Zone 5
New England


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****
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++

************************************************** **************************
****
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

In a message dated 5/9/2004 11:11:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
writes:

What does CEC mean?


I was looking for a textbook definition, but it stands for "cation exchange
coefficient" and refers to the ability of a soil or soil component to hold and
release moisture and nutrients over time.
In other words a high CEC would mean that a high percentage of your
fertilizer salts in solution would be trapped by the soil particles (Turface) and
released as the plant needs it.
A low CEC means your fertilizer just runs through the soil and out the bottom
of the pot.
(Even hard particles of fertilizer must dissolve in water before the plant
can use them. In many cases they must also change their chemical nature. One
argument against so called natural fertilizers such as manure is that it must
break down into its chemical parts before plants can use it. Of course this is
also an argument for, since these fertilizers feed for longer periods.)



Billy on the Florida Space Coast
BSF Annual Convention May 28 - 31, 2004 Radisson Hotel, Cape Canaveral,
Florida
Sponsored by The Bonsai Society of Brevard and the Treasure Coast Bonsai
Society
http://www.bonsaisocietyofbrevard.org/2004/2004.html

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by John Quinn++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

I get 50# bags & use it for bonsai soil, a bit in houseplant soil & use
it straight for my pond plants. Now I live 2 hours from the Turf place I
plan to get 2 bags at a time.

Dusty
-----------------------------------
Walk in Beauty
Traditional Facets
Gemstones, Jewelry, Faceted Opals, Calligraphy & Oriental art supplies,
Author of the Rendezvous Cooking series, Birthstones Through the Ages,
The Runes, Gemstone & wood rune sets, Panther Tent dealer.
-----------------------------------

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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++