Hydroton vs. PrimaAgra

[Algyros]

I want to try growing a few Catts in s/h and was wondering what, if any, the differences between Hydroton and PrimeAgra are?
Thanks,
Alex

[Ray]

Alex,

I have never done any testing with Hydroton, but what I hear from others is that it is more spherical than PrimeAgra, which means it will likely be a bit more difficult for the plants to become established mechanically - you'd just have to stake them and make sure they don't move for a longer period of time.

I can also add that PrimeAgra is the only brand of LECA designed and made specifically for horticulture, so it has the optimal combination of pore size and shape, which affects both wicking and the absorption/release hysteresis (so will build up minerals more slowly). All other brands were originally manufactured as concrete additives, but remarketed to hydroculture.

The wicking properties may-, or may not be an issue for you, depending upon your ambient humidity.

[Rivka]

i have 50 or so plants in hydro and have had most in them for a year now. i have found Hydroton to work very nicely, but like Ray but on the other side i have not used PrimeAgra to compare with.

but i do clearly know that i have not had any build up issues and that most all of the plants are now secure, though yes they certainly required staking for a while, but i think most do anyway.

Hydroton is readily available locally for many folks and much cheeper that way. i bought a 50 lb bag and lasted me about 45-50 plants in good sized pots.

the only thing i have ever noticed is my very thin leafed Milt family has seemed to have a hard time getting enough water and has had pleated leaves, i think this was a case of slow growth or new roots more than it was a failure of the hydroton.

[berkeleysgr8]

I haven't used both mediums. I live in an area where there are a LOT of hydroponics stores, so a huge 50 liter bag of Hydroton cost less than $25. I've had good luck with it. The plant losses I've had were likely due to repotting at the wrong time or other problems caused by what I was doing, not by the medium per say.

[HotPot]

you could try the expanded clay used in cat litter I found this about it on a UK forum
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For those of you looking for smaller sized aggregates for S/H, you could either use the very expensive Akadama baked clay, or alternatively, Cat Litter This is the RED/Pink lightweight cat litter you can buy in Tesco. It does have a scent added but this disappears very quickly after a good rinse. I have it in my planted Aquaria and the fish and shrimp do very well, as do the plants, so it's quite safe for plants.

More discussion on this here Cat Litter as Bonsai Soil

I've got some Hydroleca that I'm going to try, but am thinking of using Cat litter for the smaller Phals that I have I like the idea of not having to disturb the roots when I repot.
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These soil components are all (basically) clay granules that have been fired/heated to create small pellets or granules that are water retentive, extremely well draining and are stable, that is they will not breakdown over the course of the year.

Some cat litter products are exactly this; fired clay granules. Originally, a knowledgeable fellow enthusiast who has been using it as a bonsai soil for the past decade, introduced me to using clay granules intended as cat litter a number of years ago. I have been planting all of my bonsai in this particular brand of catlitter for a number of years now and it has proved to be an excellent material that I would now comfortably recommend as being superior to Akadama and Seramis.

As time has gone on since first writing this article around 2004, I have since heard from many enthusiasts who have switched to Tescos Low Dust Lightweight and a number of other similar (diatomaceous earth/diatomite) products with great success.

To find suitable alternative brands outside the UK, you must be prepared to try a number of products until you find the correct material. This can be difficult, as very few makers of cat litter will display the ingredients on the outside of the packaging!
Avoid all products containing paper, wood chippings or Fullers Earth as these will swell when wet. Also avoid the cheapest clay products as these are more likely to contain unfired clay granules.
Unfired clay granules swell and clump together when wet and crumble when dry. As the granules break down and congeal they will do great damage to the roots of your tree, causing the roots to rot and the tree to die. Watering properly will be virtually impossible. It is of maximum importance that any cat litter clay granules you use keep their structure indefinitely.
To test a new product for its ability to retain its structure, first soak some of it in water for 24/48 hours and check that the granules do not break down. Then try putting the wet granules into the freezer for a few days and see if they retain their structure after thawing out. Reject any products that break apart. To illustrate how strong the 'Low Dust Lightweight' granules I am using are, they are impossible to break between the finger and thumb, even when wet or frozen.
Finally if you have any doubts, use the granules for cuttings and seedlings at first; these will react to anything 'bad' in the soil quickly and their loss can be taken much more easily than if you lose a bonsai.

Tescos Low Dust Lightweight cat litter is a 'Moler Clay' and originates from Denmark, exported by a Scandinavian company - Damolin. Moler Clay is a type of Diatomaceous Earth or 'Diatomite'.

"Diatomaceous earth consists of fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of hard-shelled algae. It is used as a filtration aid, as a mild abrasive, as a mechanical insecticide, as an absorbent for liquids, as cat litter, as an activator in blood clotting studies, and as a component of dynamite. As it is also heat-resistant, it can be used as a thermal insulator."
"Freshwater diatomite (Diatomaceous Earth) can be used as a growing medium in hydroponics gardens.
It is also used as a growing medium in potted plants, particularly as bonsai soil. Bonsai enthusiasts use it as a soil additive or pot a bonsai tree in 100% Diatomaceous earth. Like perlite, vermiculite, and expanded clay, it retains water and nutrients while draining fast, allowing high oxygen circulation within the growing medium."
"Its absorbent qualities make it useful for spill clean-up and the U.S. Center for Disease Control recommends it to clean up toxic liquid spills.”

“More recently, it has been employed as a primary ingredient in a type of cat litter. The type of silica used in cat litter comes from freshwater sources and does not pose a significant health risk to pets or humans." (Source: Diatomaceous earth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

So essentially, if you are unable to obtain 'Tescos Low Dust Lightweight' cat-litter (moler-clay/ Diatomaceous Earth/diatomite) what other product names is it sold as?
In the UK there is a product called Sophisticat Pink cat litter that is sold at 'Petsmart' and 'Pets at Home' and it is exactly the same clay granules as those sold as 'Tescos Low Dust Lightweight'. (Interestingly, there are a few references online to experienced UK bonsai enthusiasts that have been using Sophisticat Pink cat litter to good effect for many years). Don Smith aka 'Stymie' from the South Yorkshire Bonsai Society has e-mailed to let me know he has been using cat litter to good effect for 4 years now and has found that Sophisticat Pink which has varied size grains (unlike the standard round pellet of Tescos Low Dust Lightweight), the majority of which are larger than those now found in Tescos product.



Sophisticat Pink is imported into the UK by a company called Steetleys who are bagging it up under a number of different product names. It is very possible that there are other UK chain stores other than Tescos that are selling the same product as Sophisticat Pink and Tescos Low Dust Lightweight under different 'own brand' packaging.
So Steetleys are importing from a Scandinavian company Damolin and bagging it up under different names. On the Damolin site it appears that French & German subsidiaries distribute Damolin cat litter for the rest of Europe.
France and Spain

Christophe Appriou says "I have been buying cat litter since 2005 with success. I buy it at a local supermarket (named MUTAN ) less than 1 Euro for 7 litres."
Holland and Europe

Jerry Norbury has written to tell me about the Purina “Tidy Cat” range that is sold in Holland under the title “Purina Tom Poes – Foetsie Ba”. It’s Danish Clay and looks very similar to the Migros product both dry and wet. He has only found it in pet stores not supermarkets

[Brooke]

I've used both products and really don't see any difference in them. I currently use Hydroton because I can buy it locally and not pay the shipping costs which doubles the price.

Brooke

[Ray]

Each brand of LECA has its own set of properties that affect how it works:

• Absorption
• Absorption/release efficiency
• Capillarity
• Surface characteristics
• Pore size
• Pore distribution
• Particle size
• Particle shape
• Particle size distribution

But don't forget that YOUR SPECIFIC CONDITIONS also affect the growing process, so help determine which of those properties are important TO YOU. For example, as wicking and evaporation work against each other, if your conditions are dry, and product with excellent wicking properties is a significant advantage.

And like Brooke says, you should take shipping cost into consideration when deciding on any product's value.