by all means. maybe they treated "thrifty-sorb" differently. i will still buy a bag of the tractor supply version and check it. for 4.99 it's worth a shot.
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big plant ppk
- Thread starter delta9nxs
- Start date
by all means. maybe they treated "thrifty-sorb" differently. i will still buy a bag of the tractor supply version and check it. for 4.99 it's worth a shot.
You and I both know its highly unlikely they treated each product differently... Its like shopping at JC Penny vs. The Gap... The only difference is the price!
So if turface is fired at a higher temp... Can I make a fire, put the oil absorbant in a metal bucket, and cook it? Honestly I would probably rather just buy some grow rocks at the hydro shop. They're fired glass. Fairly large, so I would have to add rice hulls or something to decrease the porosity of the mix. I know not everyone has a local hydro shop.... I have at least 20...
there's only 1 shop I frequent however. They even know me by name now! Haha! Another reason I'm cleaning up my act and playing by the rules.
SecondAttempt
Active member
That's why I was deferring to you on this... I was experiencing the same thing but was unsure if it was acceptable... Turface doesn't do this huh?
I may go Perlite, I have 4 weeks to make a decision, acquire and process materials... I really don't want to be raped by John Deere, but if I have to I will. I just have to tell the wife it's an investment... we've already invested a grand into the grow this month so what's another couple hundred?
You and I both know its highly unlikely they treated each product differently... Its like shopping at JC Penny vs. The Gap... The only difference is the price!
So if turface is fired at a higher temp... Can I make a fire, put the oil absorbant in a metal bucket, and cook it? Honestly I would probably rather just buy some grow rocks at the hydro shop. They're fired glass. Fairly large, so I would have to add rice hulls or something to decrease the porosity of the mix. I know not everyone has a local hydro shop.... I have at least 20...
wow, you shop at JC's! you must be rich folk! the cheap bastard shops at the Mart of Walton.
if you can cook it at 1300f plus you just may be able to convert it into something usable.
i looked at the "growstones" site and it looks good except for the 50% air filled porosity.
but it and small lava rock, pumice stone, or hydroton for that matter could possibly be used with the filler/porosity reducer concept.
possibly long fiber coco, rockwool croutons, or even polyester fiber, which is what the "sure to grow" stuff is.
maybe start with a full volume of the non compressible substance to provide the rigid, interlocking structure and then add just enough filler to get the air porosity down.
do those grow stones float? i couldn't find anything on that. i have 2 stores about 50 miles away in the "big city" but neither stock it.
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turface does not break down into mud. i consider it to be infinitely reusable. i think the profile literature says that the loss to ablation from wear is less than .01% at 20 years. maybe on a ball field or something.
i don't know if i believe that but it does hold up a long time. all the material i threw away, actually gave away to a vegetable grower who tilled it into his garden, was still viable. some 7 years old and re-used countless times
those are 5 gal root balls, in case anyone is wondering. all screened with the aluminum window screen.
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SecondAttempt
Active member
That pic is hilarious.... Turface it is.... let the John Deere raping begin.
don't bend over for those bastards! go to turface.com. they have a dealer locator on their site.
but any of the sports field or golf course/turf management products should be good if they are the right particle size. we just need to test each new one that we find.
i'm going to check "mule mix" soon as i have a distributor about 30 miles away.
SecondAttempt
Active member
I was just quoted $20 a bag for MVP from an independent supply an hour away... John Deere isn't the only one doing the raping.
Just found This stuff http://www.proschoice1.com/products.html a few miles away, gonna go snag a bag to check out. Be back later with results.
Just found This stuff http://www.proschoice1.com/products.html a few miles away, gonna go snag a bag to check out. Be back later with results.
never heard of it but i went to their site and they show two mine sites as their sources for the clay.
and one of them is in north mississippi. the only site in north ms is at ripley, ms. the other site is somewhere in illinois.
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SecondAttempt
Active member
The distributor down the street was closed... Booohoooo. Have to wait until Monday, I have high hopes.
SecondAttempt
Active member
This is officially become an obsession of mine I'm going to walk away in a minute.
http://www.mulemix.com/products/field-materials/game-changer
http://www.moltan.com/Products/SportsField.htm
Both companies offer "game changer" Is Mulemix related to Moltan? if so how will that effect quality?
I wish that place was open today if I had a bag to process and experiment on I wouldn't be obsessing so much.
Okay break time, Thanks for letting us use this thread to pin down all the media options.
http://www.mulemix.com/products/field-materials/game-changer
http://www.moltan.com/Products/SportsField.htm
Both companies offer "game changer" Is Mulemix related to Moltan? if so how will that effect quality?
I wish that place was open today if I had a bag to process and experiment on I wouldn't be obsessing so much.
Okay break time, Thanks for letting us use this thread to pin down all the media options.
first, all the moltan products from the middleton mine share the exact same msds. they are all, regardless of market, the same shit.
but it does look like they are calcining according to intended market. firing a kiln is expensive so they are probably doing it to the minimum extent for each market.
oil dry and kitty litter are made to be used once as an absorbent and tossed whereas the ball field stuff has to be tougher. and within that group at moltan we find the red diamond RBI. the only one listed as a "premium" professional infield material. they state that it is the hardest and most durable.
also, you'll see some ball field/golf coarse grade that has a surfactant in it. that scares me. boo!
if this conversation helps anybody grow it has fulfilled the intent of this thread.
bring it all!
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the mule mix is not from the ripley, ms site after all. it too comes from the middleton site and i think the mule mix people buy it in bulk and market it themselves under their own brands.
you definitely don't want the "game changer" it has the surfactant.
of all the mule mix products the 516 field conditioner has the best particle sizing according to their sieve tests. it will still have to be screened.
you definitely don't want the "game changer" it has the surfactant.
of all the mule mix products the 516 field conditioner has the best particle sizing according to their sieve tests. it will still have to be screened.
forkup
Member
In case anyone doesn't know fiberglass window screening comes in different grades with a large difference in mesh size. Some are much heavier duty than others and have larger diameter "threads". I'm not 100% sure about aluminum screening, but most I remember handling over years I was in construction seemed to be the same thing.
The lesson for anyone to take from all the talk about screening and media size, type, composition, etc. is to be sure to test your chosen media thoroughly and make sure it is clean enough to not later cement restricting your drainage.
I'm still looking for housing here in Washington but once i start sourcing materials I will go to extremes to get turface (already located and priced here) as that seems to be a known winner.
The lesson for anyone to take from all the talk about screening and media size, type, composition, etc. is to be sure to test your chosen media thoroughly and make sure it is clean enough to not later cement restricting your drainage.
I'm still looking for housing here in Washington but once i start sourcing materials I will go to extremes to get turface (already located and priced here) as that seems to be a known winner.
Species8472
Member
Let me get this straight... you guys are screening out the particles that are smaller than 2mm, am I right?
D9 told me before that the stuff I found available in my country, 'Liadrain' looks pretty good. It seems to be pre-screened to particles ranging from 2 to 8 mm's - so it should be fine "as is" - right?
The stuff itself is pretty cheap, but the shipment is quite expensive, that's why I am asking.
D9 told me before that the stuff I found available in my country, 'Liadrain' looks pretty good. It seems to be pre-screened to particles ranging from 2 to 8 mm's - so it should be fine "as is" - right?
The stuff itself is pretty cheap, but the shipment is quite expensive, that's why I am asking.
hi, it sounds good but you will still need to do the porosity test. shooting for around 30%.
if you haven't seen one i did a rough, fast version a few pages back.
let us know how it turns out.
Chloemobile
Active member
Herrrroo Everybody.
I am very intrigued here with this passive plant killer. Ive recently been reading about bottom feeding with coco(or other wic material - turdface =P etc.) and intend on trying it out however i have not been able to find in the original PPK thread about the benefits of the air gap with the tailpiece..I've read about 50 pages of threads on the system between that thread and this one and understand how to make and operate the system.. But why not just sit the bucket in the rez? I'm sure there is a reason and I'm probably about to get schooled..but any info(or a pointer to where the info has already been summarized) would be cool! Thanks for your time and pioneering! You have attracted a respectable community of growers to your threads and grow methods, and that should also be lauded and attributed to your character which shines through in your grows and the community you keep thriving here.
I am very intrigued here with this passive plant killer. Ive recently been reading about bottom feeding with coco(or other wic material - turdface =P etc.) and intend on trying it out however i have not been able to find in the original PPK thread about the benefits of the air gap with the tailpiece..I've read about 50 pages of threads on the system between that thread and this one and understand how to make and operate the system.. But why not just sit the bucket in the rez? I'm sure there is a reason and I'm probably about to get schooled..but any info(or a pointer to where the info has already been summarized) would be cool! Thanks for your time and pioneering! You have attracted a respectable community of growers to your threads and grow methods, and that should also be lauded and attributed to your character which shines through in your grows and the community you keep thriving here.
D
DaveTheNewbie
I (and many others) sit the tailpiece of the bucket in the res. If you mean removing the tailpiece and just sitting the whole bucket in the res then you are missing out on a couple of the biggest benefits of the PPK.
