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

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

"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

"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

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

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

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

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