Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Discuss repotting, soil, lighting, fertilizing, watering, etc. in this category.
User avatar
stefan m.
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:28 pm
Location: Skopje MK

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by stefan m. »

Ok just checked out some pet shops and cat litter. They had "regular" and silica gel. When i asked about the baked clay they gave me a funny look. In a nutshell, unscented regular either says sepiolite or bentonite. Unless both are bad for cacti, which one would you recommend i use? I could check out more pet stores but expect the result to be the same.
Ive seen people say they use bentonite for seedlings and lophophora/ariocarpus but no feedback on their end.
So far definetely no damolin moler clay.
User avatar
ElieEstephane
Posts: 2909
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:10 am
Location: Lebanon (zone 11a)

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by ElieEstephane »

I'd research chemical composition of each of the 2 and if they don't have any limestone or anything like that i'd go ahead and buy any of them. Or buy the 2 and mix them.
Personnally, i'd look in home improvement or building supplies stores for cement additives or stone mulch. You can buy bulk at a cheaper price.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
User avatar
stefan m.
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:28 pm
Location: Skopje MK

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by stefan m. »

Im in no rush, and will check out (but please explain) cement additives.Id have to carry it , and that will suck.
One had 80 % sepiolite and 20 % bentonite, the other didnt state.
User avatar
ElieEstephane
Posts: 2909
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:10 am
Location: Lebanon (zone 11a)

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by ElieEstephane »

I meant cement aggregates. It's the coarse stuff you add to your cement mixture. Google them because photo uploading is down.
Sepiolite is good. Experimented on it as a catalyst support due to porosiry. Buy a small bag to test for moisture holding and how long it teakes to dry.
http://www.ima-europe.eu/sites/ima-euro ... B-2011.pdf
Bentonite has very similar structure to sepiolite. That's all i know. That's why i suggested mixing both. Each has its merits. But look first for cement aggregates.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
User avatar
stefan m.
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:28 pm
Location: Skopje MK

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by stefan m. »

So i asked my grandfather about the cement aggregates. Turns out its just sand sifted by size(small is used for mortar ,coarse for concrete) and comes in two types-river bed and quartz(but i dont know where i could get a usable quantity yet). But i think i forgot to mention that the 30-40 % sand i used was used construction (mortar sand) with somewhat gritty pieces.
Might i also ask - ash and cinders from wood kindling? Any use for them?
User avatar
ElieEstephane
Posts: 2909
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:10 am
Location: Lebanon (zone 11a)

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by ElieEstephane »

Sand holds too much water and wood ash is caustic, not to mention very fine and will block porosity. However, wood ash is a very effective slug and snail deterrant.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
User avatar
stefan m.
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:28 pm
Location: Skopje MK

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by stefan m. »

And thats why i mixed it with the perlite coir.
DaveW
Posts: 7376
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by DaveW »

I would avoid sand altogether, particularly fine bricklaying sand for making mortar. Presumably aggregates will vary country to country, some will use crushed rock, whereas builders ballast used in the UK for making concrete is originally coarse river sand laid down in previous times with water rounded stones of various sizes in it according to which mesh size it was passed through.

I would stick to fine grit in preference to sand every time.
User avatar
ElieEstephane
Posts: 2909
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:10 am
Location: Lebanon (zone 11a)

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by ElieEstephane »

Im always preaching against the use of sand but no one listens.
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
User avatar
stefan m.
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:28 pm
Location: Skopje MK

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by stefan m. »

This not "fine sand " since you misunderstood . This looks very similar to what i use http://lafargehomedelivery.com/wp-conte ... lam-bc.jpg and this http://ubilio.com/wp-content/uploads/20 ... -10050.JPG
User avatar
7george
Posts: 2628
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:49 pm
Location: Calgary, Canada
Contact:

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by 7george »

stefan m. wrote:This not "fine sand " since you misunderstood . This looks very similar to what i use http://lafargehomedelivery.com/wp-conte ... lam-bc.jpg and this http://ubilio.com/wp-content/uploads/20 ... -10050.JPG
That sand contains some fine fraction too. For me it would be OK, I can use it in a mix with perlite and leaf mold for example. Because the air around my cacti is dry most of the year or they are not moisture sensitive. But you should always be aware about how fast your soil dries.
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
User avatar
stefan m.
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:28 pm
Location: Skopje MK

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by stefan m. »

Oh it dries fast. Its very porous combined with the other stuff(perlite infused coir and other fibrous organic stuff). But its not mineral enough so ive pest problems.
User avatar
7george
Posts: 2628
Joined: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:49 pm
Location: Calgary, Canada
Contact:

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by 7george »

Also lot of salts or something else deposits on the pots from mixes with cat litter. But apparently some species are more tolerant to this stuff than others.
Mammillaria carmenae.
Mammillaria carmenae.
MAM_crm-20.JPG (98.96 KiB) Viewed 2827 times
Photo from today.
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
User avatar
ElieEstephane
Posts: 2909
Joined: Tue Dec 13, 2016 12:10 am
Location: Lebanon (zone 11a)

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by ElieEstephane »

7george wrote:Also lot of salts or something else deposits on the pots from mixes with cat litter. But apparently some species are more tolerant to this stuff than others.
MAM_crm-20.JPG
Photo from today.
Beautiful spination! Are these 2 fused flowers?
There are more cacti in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.
One of the few cactus lovers in Lebanon (zone 11a) :mrgreen:
User avatar
stefan m.
Posts: 516
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2017 5:28 pm
Location: Skopje MK

Re: Did I hear right-Cat litter?

Post by stefan m. »

Question- Zeolite? i hear its non clumping and i think we have that?
Post Reply