Which Pumice should I buy?  Solved

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BryanW
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Which Pumice should I buy?  Solved

Post by BryanW »

Before i go out and buy a 50l supply of pumice, I'd thought it best to get experienced opinions on which sort is more practical/suitable.
I intend to use it mainly for Haworthia and maybe Astrophytum and certain Mesembs, I want the most suitable grade for good root development.

Personally I'm leaning towards the smooth & rounded bonsai pumice that is widely available but I have seen the less refined pumice at half the cost for 50l from Planeta Huerto in Spain.
Which should I buy?
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Stuart
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Re: Which Pumice should I buy?

Post by Stuart »

I've been using pumice for Haworthias for a few years now and the roots are much better than with anything else I've tried, I've used pumice from Bob Potter, although he's closed the nursery, he still has pumice for sale.
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Re: Which Pumice should I buy?

Post by BryanW »

Stuart wrote:I've been using pumice for Haworthias for a few years now and the roots are much better than with anything else I've tried, I've used pumice from Bob Potter, although he's closed the nursery, he still has pumice for sale.
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Hi Stuart, What size are the grains you're using 3-5mm, 5-8mm etc is it bonsai pumice?
it's all new to me, I'm still learning about Haworthia care.
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Re: Which Pumice should I buy?

Post by Tina »

Some of the bonsai products, Akadama actually degrades so buy pumice not bonsai products.
Even the bonsai groups use cat litter now as its better and cheaper, either Tesco or pets at home product, (sophisticat pink cat litter).
As Stuart says Bob has the good stuff and its cheaper/larger bags than kaizen and other suppliers.
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Re: Which Pumice should I buy?

Post by BryanW »

Hi Tina,
It was Bonsai pumice I was looking at (not Akadama or any other baked clay product)
Here's a few links to the type of stuff I'm looking at, bear in mind I need to have everything delivered to me as I'm not able to go shopping due to ill health and my Mrs works long hours as a Nurse.
By pink cat litter I presume you mean Moler grain I have considered using this for the finer rooted plants but in the smaller grain as per cat litter.

Eg 1 5-8mm Bonsai grade

Eg 2 Overseas order pumice 3-6mm The larger stuff they sell is not an option for me as I can't crush it down.

PS I don't know who Bob Potter is unfortunately
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Re: Which Pumice should I buy?

Post by Tony R »

BryanW wrote:PS I don't know who Bob Potter is unfortunately
Bob's contact details are on his 'old' nursery website:
http://toobees.com/online-shop-now-published/
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Re: Which Pumice should I buy?

Post by BryanW »

Tony R wrote:Bob's contact details are on his 'old' nursery website:
http://toobees.com/online-shop-now-published/
Thank You Tony (tu)
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Re: Which Pumice should I buy?

Post by AnTTun »

BryanW,

I don't use pumice because I can't find it in my country, so I use zeolite instead. Same thing just different :) My advice is: pick size according to pot size. I use smaller grains for smaller pots and vice versa. After one year of experimenting with size, I've reduced it to two sizes only (with addition of some sand).

Most of our plants don't like their 'feet' wet for long, they need water just to refill inside...
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Re: Which Pumice should I buy?

Post by BryanW »

Hi Anttun,
The different sized grain according to pot size is a good tip! (I hadn't considered that) (tu)

I've started using deeper pots for Haworthia so I can hopefully encourage better quality tap roots.

Some of the plants I've purchased have a stunted root system, most likely due to being grown in a soil & grit mix that had compacted in the lower half of the pot.
Hence the reason I want to adopt pumice as the main growing medium for Haworthia.
Stunted and distorted roots
Stunted and distorted roots
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Re: Which Pumice should I buy?

Post by James Pickering »

AnTTun wrote:.......... My advice is: pick size according to pot size. I use smaller grains for smaller pots and vice versa ..........
That is what I do.
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