Stalite
 

Anyone familiar with this medium?


Medium Stalite


I've read good things about it but I've not seen it in person. People have noted it's a little bit more moisture retentive than hydroton, for example, and that it has crevices to which orchid roots like to attach themselves, unlike the smoother surfaces of hydroton.

I'm thinking about potting up a couple of plants to see if they do well in them, but I wanted feedback first. Thanks!

Once upon a time, that was sold as Dyna-Rok (not Dyna-Rok II, which is diatomite), and Dave Neal (owner of Dyna-Gro) sent me some to experiment with.

I found it to be heavier than any LECA (not necessarily a bad thing), but it only absorbed about half of the liquid they did and only left about 2/3 of the open volume (air space) they did.

Thanks Ray! As you know, I don't grow in S/H but I do grow my plants in 100% hydroton. Which LECA, in your opinion, is best for orchids? :)

I'm confused- I thought growing in any LECA was synonymous with S/H?

LECA is a medium used for s/h. Other media can be used also. LECA can also be used for potting plants grown "traditionally"

In simple layman's terms, s/h is only when you have a water reservoir in the bottom rather than a free draining pot like you would use with any other media.
s/h provide constant moisture to a degree, but using LECA without s/h would be similar to planting in volcanic rock.

Ray,
I use stalite almost excluseivly with my cymbidiums in Florida.It is not similar or anything like diatomite but is rather heat expanded shale. It is used in the concrete industry for the fabrication of precast concrete structures. I like it a lot and it does hold a lot of moisture but drains well. It is also pH neutral. A lot of commercial nurserys use it here in Florida including Krull-Smith. My own personl opinion is that it is the best potting media on the market. Mixed with chc in differant ratio's I use it for everything I grow which includes a little of everything.

Orchids3, where did you find stalite? I've only found it in repotme.com?


Thanks!

Do you grow any other orchid in stalite?

M
I dont know where to find it in Miami but it is available here in Jacisonville at a gravel yeard.
1.Google or search Stalite and narrow it down to a local source. 2. Stalite is also known as Perma - Till which is used in the agracultural, horticultural and landscaping buisness. The price goes up for putting it in a bag and labeling it. 3. Some lumber yeards also
sell it in the concrete and building supply section as
Expanded shale or lightweight aggregate.
Good Luck

X

Thanks so much for the information! :)

I am well aware of what the material is. I was merely mentioning that I had compared it to LECA for S/H culture.

I have spoken to the manufacturer in the past. maybe they can point out a local source:

Carolina Stalite Company
PO Box 1037
Salisbury, NC 28145-1037
P: 704-637-1515
Toll Free: 800-898-3772

Thanks guys. I found it @ Hicks Orchid Supplies in Orlando, if anyone is interested.

Their email is: hicksj0430@bellsouth.net

Before jumping in, I am going to repot 2 catts: both in the same type of pot, but one with hydroton and one with stalite. Let's see how it goes.

Seems like an interesting new medium. And, everyone I've asked about it likes it a lot.

Update #2: I also found it at OFE: Small bag for $10.95 and HUGE bag for $22.95.


:)

Keep us updated on how it goes! I'd really like to know. I realize you grow in a different climate then me, but how often do you have to water your orchids that are potted in all LECA non s/h culture? I have found several of my catt hybrids that I mixed more LECA in the potting mix then I realized really like it. I know Sue also uses LECA with her 'chids as well. I've been tempted to try it but to scared to!

Hi there Becca! I'll certainly keep you updated. Right now, I have to water them every day. It's REALLY hot here so the pots dry out rather quickly.

I spoke yesterday with the guy at OFE and he informed me the growers down here are turning to stalite bcs. hydroton is getting more expensive.

I will definitely let you know though. I ordered some pots and as soon as they arrive I'll start my little non-scientifically rigorous experiment. :)

Old thread dredge, but I bought a 10 pound bag of Stalite and would like to experiment with it.

Does anybody have any recent experience/reviews of this medium? I bought a Catt at the Naples orchid show a couple of months ago and it is potted in 100% Stalite.

Curious that there isn't a lot of mention of this media in the forums.

Let me know if anyone has any recent feedback/observations!

Thank you!

I repotted one Catt yesterday in 100% Stalite. I did notice right away that if you have a stair climbing Catt, it might be a challenge to repot with Stalite and also take care of mature new bulb roots that were previously ariel. Thee sheer weight of the medium and the shifting of the rhizome when repotting and looking for that perfect position might be too harsh on older roots.

It does seem to be retaining water well so far though. I've got the pot skewered and will track the length of time the medium sustains before rewatering for my conditions and compare it to traditional bark.

The medium just seems so...dead...it basically feels like rock. Very curious to see the long-term results of this experiment.

You can try an experiment with Hydrolite; Hydroponic Grow Media from Botanicare.

New here...what does OFE stand for? Thanks

OFE Orchid Supplies, Miami, FL.

I've noticed a few orchids which I think contain this Stalite media. Wow, this stuff is hard to track down. It can be found under various names, however. The three I have found so far are PermaTill, Volebloc and Soil Perfector. This is being sold as a soil conditioner and vole repellent, but not necessarily being promoted as an orchid media.

From the descriptions it sounds like it is lighter weight than lava rock. I would like to try some to add to a mix. Might have to look for it at the local hardware/garden center.

Not sure if those you mention are actually the same thing as stalite. It's a slate...small and very small pieces...I find it to be heavier than lava.

Repotme carries small and medium size...
Orchid Potting Media

I still haven't made a decision on if this is a viable media by itself. It seems to dry out faster than bark but I don't even know that for sure. I have several catts in 100% stalite and a few other catts with a stalite/bark mixture.

Plants are growing, but results are inconclusive so far.

Oh, heavier than lava rock? OK...

Check out the last paragraph. This is also what I found by researching the production facility, which is in North Carolina...

Gardens at Post Hill

The thing is, depending on how it is marketed, i.e. for applications requiring large amounts, or on the other hand for limited niche horticultural uses, the price point is determined, which can be quite highly variable in range.

Interesting. Clicking that link led me to this - more info regarding Stalite.

We specialize in soil conditioner, green roof soil and structural soil.

Stalite
 

Stalite remains my "Base" media of choice after 5 years of use but do not recomend mixing CHC with it. The CHC
breaks down too fast. I am using Orchiata to differant ratio's now.
Stalite from the local gravel yeard has gotten very dusty. It is not dirt but ground up stalite, I believe from handling with big machinery. Stalite is very sterile because it is shale, popped like popcorn at 3000 degrees.
It is best to wash well before use - just drill holes in a bucket and run water thru it till the small stuff is washed out - or pay big bucks - whatever floats your boat. Washing in a small cement mixer is the best way.

Well, it's 4 years later and i've ordered another 15 pounds of Stalite, and most if not all plants in Stalite are still alive. An uniflora I repotted today that was hidden in an opaque pot revealed a thriving root system with good penetration through most of the substrate area, but concentrated along the inside walls of the pot. This results in the famed pot within a pot of a strong and pot-borne plant once the plastic is removed.

Not sure if I can even swag a guess at the moisture retention properties, but i'd say the stuff performs relatively similar to traditional bark cultures. The moisture seems to be consumed faster in Stalite when the ambient temperatures are high for some reason, but perhaps more ideally consumes moisture more rapidly or more consistent over time when ambients are on the low end of the toleration scale.

Weird stuff. Still undecided, but from a price point I paid 15 bucks for 15 pounds on Amazon, as long as I didn't get jacked.

I've never heard of it before. Glad it's working for you however.

Safe T Sorb is $6 for a 40lb bag but i prefer a bigger size in my orchids. Been using this stuff in my bonsai mix and top dressing for aired plants . For orchids I use straight leca in clay pots with a top dressing of seramis to hold more moisture throughout the pot. It would be nice if there was a section in this forum for listing orchid media compatibility.