Substrate vendors?
 

I'm looking for a vendor that carries small Lava Rock (.25-.5 inches) and Turface MVP (this is not for orchids but for an olive tree I'm growing potted indoors).

Would love to find a good-deal vendor that carries this stuff and at the same time I wonder if this could offer an opportunity to discover lesser known vendors.

Here's a list of where I've personally purchased substrates from and my review:

"Orchiata" pinus radiata bark

- Kelley's Korner: this is my preferred option. All chip sizes are available and well-priced. Shipping has never been prohibitive. Usually takes a while to arrive, about 5 business days to get shipped, and 7 days to arrive via UPS. Worth ordering in bulk and in advance.

- RepotMe: very expensive compared to any other option available plus prohibitive shipping. They do offer a wide selection of everything if you're willing to pay the hefty price of that convenience.

- Josh's Frogs: if you need overnight shipping for whatever reason, this is the option via Amazon. The prices are much better on their website but shipping is prohibitive.

Sphagnum Moss "Spagmoss"

- Fifth Season Gardening: fair pricing and shipping, similar experience to Kelley's Korner, good prices but compromise is slower shipping.

- OrchidSupply com: it's an alright vendor, they have better prices than KK orchid or Chula orchids for some stuff, and worse prices for others. I've only bought from here once because I couldn't find sphagnum moss anywhere else and I had a positive experience. However, it makes more sense for me to get my shopping list together and buy in bulk from a vendor that has a wider catalogue, so I usually end up at Kelley's Korner or Chula Orchids.

LECA (Hydroton)

- I've only bought this one from Amazon because shipping from any other hydroponics vendor is prohibitive. Haven't found a local retailer that carries Hydroton, most around me carry "GrowIt." ACE Hardware carries Hydroton at good prices if you happen to have one nearby.

Grodan Grow Cubes

- First Rays: shipping included and convenient for smaller size purchases. The nice thing about FR is that shipping is included so you can buy on demand vs. having to wait until you have a pretty long list of stuff to buy in bulk in order to save on shipping. However, this is mostly a store for those products they carry exclusively: Kelpak and Quantum (other vendors sell K-Lite but price at FR is better accounting for shipping) and not for substrates.

- Amazon: here and there you can find a seller on Amazon that sells 1cu ft or 2cu ft bags at reasonable prices.

- Local Hydroponics Stores: best bang for buck but at least in my area I could only get 5.3 cu ft boxes for about $120. The price is unbeatable but that's probably more grow cubes than you will use in a lifetime. It's worth paying a bit more for smaller quantities and save on storage.

Charcoal

- Kelley's Korner: recently restocked on the medium sized which is what I buy. Same review as for orchiata.

- Amazon: this is the most overpriced option but apparently horticultural charcoal is hard to find. I've bought small bags on medium sized charcoal on Amazon when I couldn't find it anywhere else.

Coconut husk

- Orchid Mate: I have quite a few wood baskets from this vendor so I've bought coconut husk from them, alongside an order of baskets, to place at the bottom of the baskets. Their prices are reasonable and they have $7 flat shipping which is usually very fast but I live in California where they're based. Might be worth comparing prices with Kelley's Korner since their shipping is capped but overall I feel I get better deals for everything else at KK.

Perlite

- I've bought perlite from Kelley's Korner, RepotMe, and Amazon vendors. Best bang for buck is Kelley's Korner.

Lava rock

- ??????

Turface MVP

- ??????

I'm curious about growing an olive indoors. They're such high light trees it seems it would be difficult without a large bank of lights. And your alluvial sand/clay soil is just what they like.

It's going to be interesting, I might document some of my non-orchid plant experiments in the everything else forum.

I'm hoping lower light keeps it within a manageable size. Pruning is not necessarily helpful as they tend to grow bigger shoots after that. Fertilizing them heavily or potting them in rich soils makes them grow really tall and vigorous vegetatively. I'm not aiming for fruiting, just a good-looking and manageable plant, but I've heard they fruit really well under neglect. I might add some coco to the substrate to make it a bit more water retentive, they are thirsty. Most of the wild ones grow in cliffs right off the Mediterranean coast, I see them as the Brassavola version of trees.

I will likely be using this light bulb in a regular fixture right on top of the tree at about 5-10 inches over the canopy and I might keep it on well into the night for the visual effect: Amazon.com

Mateo, this is a hyper-local suggestion for Orchiata and (usually) Spagmoss. For people in the Los Angeles area and suburbs, Yamada Co. in Gardena sells these. Depending on your exact location, a little bit of a drive but saves shipping - substantial especially if you get large sacks.

If you go to Sunset Valley Orchids to go shopping when there's an open house, you can pick up a sack or two of Kiwi Bark, and also sphagnum. Or they will likely be willing to bring these to a show if there is one that you're going to attend anyway.

The last time I was seriously looking for Turface MVP, I gave up. It was around 5 years ago but it didn’t seem to be available in Southern California and shipping was extremely prohibitive from vendors on the east coast, and they only wanted to sell bulk. The consensus from local vendors was it’s heavy, so shipping is prohibitive regardless of scale, and there are other similar product options more easily available for the original use so nobody except horticulturists care too much at the difference.

---------- Post added at 08:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:48 AM ----------

Pumice is a reasonable substitute for lava rock. Name brand Dry Stall found at horse & feed stores has nice sized particles with only a little sifting. The off-brand equivalents have much smaller particles and don’t work well in pots.

Mateo, also in the LA area is HOUSE OF BONSAI in Lakewood, they have good prices for small lava rock and also import Japanese Bonsai materials. They carry a wide variety of Bonsai materials and they may be able to give you advice on your olive.

Another note, low light will not stunt the growth of your olive tree, I would recommend giving it plenty of drought and low fertilizer levels, along with plenty of pruning. Why not grow it outside (if you have space or not?)

If you can't find brand name Turface you might consider a product marked for spills like this. If you don't have a Tractor supply you can find similar products at auto stores.

Hmmm... I have used kitty litter for such things (grease on the garage floor or driveway). I suspect that it is the same stuff. If using kitty litter, get the cheapie brands with no perfumes or other additives.

I bought some one-inch lava rock from Amazon. It was more expensive than the larger stuff I buy at the hardware store but cheaper than if I had bought it at a plant supply place. They have the one-half inch size there, too.

They also have this, sized perfectly for bonsai culture:

https://www.amazon.com/Horticultural...58181318&psc=1

For turface, they have this:

https://www.amazon.com/Turface-MVP-A...s%2C191&sr=8-1

You can also find both on ebay & etsy; they are often used when making custom cactus media mixes.