FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

@evenwind, do you recall who you found in Andalusia or Troy that handled the Turface?

Supercazzola wrote: ↑Sun May 21, 2023 6:59 pm The sand I get at Home Depot is actually the coarser one made for pool filters. I am sure there are other brands, but I use Quikrete 50 lb. Pool Filter Sand, Model# 115350
Internet# 202314677
Store SKU# 747181
Store SO SKU# 280836

I've eyeballed this sand a couple of times. It seems to be about the cheapest (not that that is a criteria) so that's good. I just checked and my nearest (35 miles away) Lowes doesn't carry it. I'd have to get it in Montgomery from HomeDepot. Good to know that you've used it and with apparently good results.

One thing that bugs me about some of the sands offered at the big box stores is that in the questions section a lot of times the vendor will state something like "sourced locally in your area", or something to that effect. So, going by the reviews you may get something entirely different from what someone gets (and reviews) in a different area.<sigh> Best thing, I think, is to try to find a torn bag.

Also, I was looking at "coal slag" at Harbor Freight. It looks like lots of people use it in their aquariums for "black sand" and rave about it. Apparently it isn't toxic to the fish. BUT, looking at it's SDS it lists iron oxide, aluminum oxide, calcium oxide as being large percentages of its composition so....so I'm taking it that it would be deadly for CPs.

Thanks for using your googleeze to look these up. Yeah, as much as we've been traveling the last year I'm not looking for anywhere that takes a lot of energy getting to...and definitely don't want to make a waterhaul if I do take a ride! I'll call first.

Troy would be my first bet...but they pulled a Houdini, next would be Andalusia, and then Enterprise. It's possible to be lured to Andalusia by a granddaughter or three.

Sylacauga is interesting as it's known for its marble quarries.

I've read all the warnings about using "river sand" that you scoop out of the creeks, but... Me and my buddy (the one with the dog-filled garden) was going up around Auburn a few years back looking for rocks and petrified wood. The creeks in the area we were looking are full of quartz rock...all shades of colors...whites, yellows, reds, blues, almost blacks, etc.,. I don't remember any really opaque stones there. I keep trying to remember how the sand was...seems that it was pretty gritty...larger grains. I just can't recall for sure. The problem is you have to hike out with whatever you want to carry home and I'm a few years older now. We're due a road trip *somewhere* and my buddy's be aching to see if any new wood has washed up. There again, I guess I need to ride by the cement companies around here and see what they've got in their yards.

...or, just go buy a bag of pool sand and quit fretting over it!

evenwind wrote: ↑Tue May 23, 2023 4:11 pm Interesting. I did the search ("turface retailer Alabama") again and Troy disappeared (something about a wooden horse) . This time I found:

Turf Pride, LLC 1914 E 3 Notch St, Andalusia, AL 36421
Enterprise Ace Hardware 6102 Boll Weevil Cir, Enterprise, AL 36330
Turf & Timber - Dothan 2379 Hartford Hwy, Dothan, AL 36305
Hayneville Ace Hardware 201 Hayneville Plaza, Hayneville, AL 36040

There's also a distributer that may deal with individuals:
Harrell's Inc. 151 Stewart Blvd, Sylacauga, Alabama 35151

Just be sure to call ahead. These kind of searches are notoriously unreliable. Have fun.

I'm not so sure about using floor dry. It seems that I've had it turn into mush before when using it in our shop. It wasn't instant mush, of course, but if left in a spot for a while it seems I recall some turning "soft". I'm not running the shop anymore but I think I've got a good bit in a bag still there. I think I'll give it a trial simply soaking in water for a while...I can do a pH and TDS test on it, too....and of course a "smush the mush test"!

The pH of the Turface does sound better, though.

Hmmm, seems I've doomed the sandersonii to be a Captain Nemo as it travels 0.00001578282828282830 leagues under the sea!

I might try to separate it out of the sphagnum moss later on...too many irons in the fire right now. Probably put it in a large glass bowl and fill it with rainwater to help float the sphagnum and utric for easier separation. Piling the wet heap on a plate seems like it would be a disaster trying to separate the two but I might be over-thinking things (as usual).

It seems that *all* bladderworts are banned in NZ as they have become a problem spreading and displacing/subduing native plants. If they can take over larges areas that native plants have been growing it seems the "low mineral water" requirements might not be as strict for bladderworts? I recall finding some local bladderworts in a local roadside ditch...they were small and no flowers were present...I don't think the water would have been anywhere near mineral free. Sorry...just a rabbit trail I went down.