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Volcanic Lava Rock
Tom,
The diatomite Joe DiDomenico sent me was very smooth, and the dust on the surface gave it almost a talc-like feel. Remember that diatomite is crushed, calcined muds of fresh-water diatoms, not the washed shells of marine diatoms we see for filtration or horticultural use. -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info! .. . . . . . . . . . . "tbell" wrote in message nd.net... On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 14:21:12 -0800, Ray wrote (in message ): Sounds like diatomite, a/k/a/ Dyna-Rok II Thanks, Ray. I'll check it out, though I'd expect anything made of diatoms to be pretty gritty, and this is quite smooth. Tom Walnut Creek, CA To reply by e-mail, please remove APPENDIX |
Volcanic Lava Rock
Tom,
The diatomite Joe DiDomenico sent me was very smooth, and the dust on the surface gave it almost a talc-like feel. Remember that diatomite is crushed, calcined muds of fresh-water diatoms, not the washed shells of marine diatoms we see for filtration or horticultural use. -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info! .. . . . . . . . . . . "tbell" wrote in message nd.net... On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 14:21:12 -0800, Ray wrote (in message ): Sounds like diatomite, a/k/a/ Dyna-Rok II Thanks, Ray. I'll check it out, though I'd expect anything made of diatoms to be pretty gritty, and this is quite smooth. Tom Walnut Creek, CA To reply by e-mail, please remove APPENDIX |
Volcanic Lava Rock
"GrlIntrpted" spaketh thusly:
Of course not. But I'm just surprised that volcanic lava rock is not too rough for orchid roots. I held the rocks in my hands, they're pretty rough, uneven, and I thought that they'd surely damage the orchid roots, but apparently not. Not at all. I'm sure someone here will remember the names involved, but there was a grower (Bob Gordon?) who postulated that, given the chance, orchids would grow just fine in broken glass. The next time he came around to give another talk to that society, someone had done just that- grown an orchid in potted broken glass. It's a matter of rate, after all; a piece of paper can lacerate your finger if done correctly, while a slug can crawl over a razor's edge without harm. Or, as Mel Brooks put it, "Tragedy is if I get a paper cut on my finger. Comedy is if you fall into an open sewer and die." The e-mail address in the header is not valid. Send no e-mail there. -AJHicks Chandler, AZ |
Volcanic Lava Rock
"GrlIntrpted" spaketh thusly:
Of course not. But I'm just surprised that volcanic lava rock is not too rough for orchid roots. I held the rocks in my hands, they're pretty rough, uneven, and I thought that they'd surely damage the orchid roots, but apparently not. Not at all. I'm sure someone here will remember the names involved, but there was a grower (Bob Gordon?) who postulated that, given the chance, orchids would grow just fine in broken glass. The next time he came around to give another talk to that society, someone had done just that- grown an orchid in potted broken glass. It's a matter of rate, after all; a piece of paper can lacerate your finger if done correctly, while a slug can crawl over a razor's edge without harm. Or, as Mel Brooks put it, "Tragedy is if I get a paper cut on my finger. Comedy is if you fall into an open sewer and die." The e-mail address in the header is not valid. Send no e-mail there. -AJHicks Chandler, AZ |
Volcanic Lava Rock
On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 2:38:48 -0800, Ray wrote
(in message ): Tom, The diatomite Joe DiDomenico sent me was very smooth, and the dust on the surface gave it almost a talc-like feel. Remember that diatomite is crushed, calcined muds of fresh-water diatoms, not the washed shells of marine diatoms we see for filtration or horticultural use. That would explain it. Do you like it as part or all of a growing medium? Tom Walnut Creek, CA To reply by e-mail, please remove APPENDIX |
Volcanic Lava Rock
On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 2:38:48 -0800, Ray wrote
(in message ): Tom, The diatomite Joe DiDomenico sent me was very smooth, and the dust on the surface gave it almost a talc-like feel. Remember that diatomite is crushed, calcined muds of fresh-water diatoms, not the washed shells of marine diatoms we see for filtration or horticultural use. That would explain it. Do you like it as part or all of a growing medium? Tom Walnut Creek, CA To reply by e-mail, please remove APPENDIX |
Volcanic Lava Rock
Personally, I don't use it, but think it might be a good addition to some
mixes. Some folks use it straight for catts and the like. In my book, it's a definite "no-no" for S/H culture, as the light color really fosters algae growth to the point of blanketing the surface. -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info! .. . . . . . . . . . . "tbell" wrote in message nd.net... On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 2:38:48 -0800, Ray wrote (in message ): Tom, The diatomite Joe DiDomenico sent me was very smooth, and the dust on the surface gave it almost a talc-like feel. Remember that diatomite is crushed, calcined muds of fresh-water diatoms, not the washed shells of marine diatoms we see for filtration or horticultural use. That would explain it. Do you like it as part or all of a growing medium? Tom Walnut Creek, CA To reply by e-mail, please remove APPENDIX |
Volcanic Lava Rock
Personally, I don't use it, but think it might be a good addition to some
mixes. Some folks use it straight for catts and the like. In my book, it's a definite "no-no" for S/H culture, as the light color really fosters algae growth to the point of blanketing the surface. -- Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info! .. . . . . . . . . . . "tbell" wrote in message nd.net... On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 2:38:48 -0800, Ray wrote (in message ): Tom, The diatomite Joe DiDomenico sent me was very smooth, and the dust on the surface gave it almost a talc-like feel. Remember that diatomite is crushed, calcined muds of fresh-water diatoms, not the washed shells of marine diatoms we see for filtration or horticultural use. That would explain it. Do you like it as part or all of a growing medium? Tom Walnut Creek, CA To reply by e-mail, please remove APPENDIX |
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