Soil mix - grit - aquarium gravel?

From: Don Martinson llmen at wi.rr.com> on 2002.04.03 at 19:48:37(8442) >A note about the chicken grit. If you ask for this at the feed store, make >sure it's granite. I've often wondered about the commercially available aquarium gravel - not the colored kind. See photo at: http://home.wi.rr.com/llmen/aquariumgravel.jpg I realize it lacks the uniformity of other products, but it should be quite inert. Any comments? -- Don Martinson +More Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mailto:llmen@wi.rr.com

From: "Clarence Hammer" chammer at cfl.rr.com> on 2002.04.04 at 16:36:38(8460) I certainly wouldn't have any problem using the gravel you mentioned, Don. I don't think the inconsistency of grain size in this would be a big deal as long as it was within a certain screened size, not too small or large. But I wonder about cost of this stuff. And again, I still have my doubts as appropriate for Aroids, other than perhaps for seeds, seedlings, small pots. Russ. +More >I've often wondered about the commercially available aquarium gravel >Don Martinson

From: "George R Stilwell, Jr." grsjr at juno.com> on 2002.04.04 at 19:40:34(8465) Don, Why pay retail price for a hobby material like aquarium gravel when you can +More get Chick-Grit wholesale. I found I could get 20 pounds of Granni-Grit for the same price as one pound of aquarium gravel. Besides, the Chick-Grit is very uniform in size, not that that matters to the plants, but it des make measurement easier. Ray GRSJr@worldnet.att.net ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.

From: Don Martinson llmen at wi.rr.com> on 2002.04.04 at 21:13:23(8468) >Don, > >Why pay retail price for a hobby material like aquarium gravel when you >can get Chick-Grit wholesale I'm sure you're right about the cost, Ray, except that I have a 30 gal. can full of the stuff in my basement from my aquarium hobby days! Besides, I'd have to go 30 miles outside of Milwaukee to find a farm store selling chicken grit. My main concern was just to make sure that there was no harm in using the stuff. Don +More -- Don Martinson Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mailto:llmen@wi.rr.com

From: Dan Levin levin at pixar.com> on 2002.04.05 at 16:24:04(8475) > My main concern was just to make > sure that there was no harm in using the stuff. Don, I'd like to interject one caveat with regard to using "aquarium" or other graded sands/ gravel... Rinse them very well before use! It's not uncommon for some of these materials to have a high salt content when new if they originated from coastal deposits or mines (even ancient sea beds... ). Such is the case where I live, anyway. I have personally used graded sand/ aquarium gravel* in my aroid mixes, but no longer. I find it's nowhere near as effective as small 3/8" clean lava rock or pumice for increasing porosity. At this point (for me) the only value added in using graded sand is in adding ballast to the pot for otherwise top-heavy plants. -Dan +More * Most aquarium supplies buy their "gravel" from rock yards as stock graded sand then simply repackage it for retail sale in smaller quantities, now calling it "Aquarium Gravel". No magic here. If you don't mind schlepping an 80 lb. sack home, you can go to any rock yard & buy the same stuff at 1/10th the cost. Unless of course, you already have a 30 gal. can full sitting in your basement...

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