Sounds like that explains the NAPA 8822 that I had turn to mush and why some other people found the same problem.

Even the same material can be processed differently, though. I had been buying some nice Pumice but paying $9 for 1/2 Cubic Foot. OF Wolfinbarger sells a similar material for $4.75 for 1 Cubic Foot. Roughly 1/4 the price. The problem is that it has about 10-15% dust with it. If I put it in a large screened container and wash the dust away, they are about the same.

I get my pumice from a local feed store as Dry Stall. This is natural pumice but it has been crushed rather than graded - so it is REALLY dusty. It leaves a little white river of pumice dust when I screen and wash it out.

When you had the NAPA 8822 before, do you remember what the particle size was? Because the stuff I grabbed out of the top of the bag just seems so small to me - almost but not quite up to 1/8" and mostly much smaller than that.

Maybe there are bigger pieces down at the bottom of the bag, I don't know yet.

I screened it over a 1/8" screen and almost 1/2 fell through. Don't forget that screen has 8 wires per inch so the holes are more like 1/12". None was over 1/4". There would have been a lot of waste so I wasn't that disappointed when it turned to mush and wasn't suitable for use at all.

After that, I was thrilled to see the consistency of Turface. MVP has a fairly small amount 1/16" & smaller. Pro League has virtually none but the large particles are missing also.

I haven't got a single piece in that handful out of the top that's over an eighth of an inch! I'd be happy if it got up to 1/4"!

Maybe there will be some larger stuff lower down in the bag. But maybe the new producer has not only tightened up the manufacturing process and the heat treatment for better stability, maybe the particle size has changed since it is now the same stuff as their "regular" Axis DE.

Hopefully tomorrow I can dig down into the bag and see what I've got. Whatever I've got, that's just what I'll have to deal with, I guess. Its supposed to be more stable now - but maybe it's also smaller, rats! LOL!

Thanks for the post, I just checked my bag and it is from EP minerals. I'm not that concerned about the size. I use it with peat, pine, and perlite. it works well in that situation. As a mineral mix additive I guess it's too small. I call the gritty mix a mineral mix as that is what we called it in the 1970's. Not like it's a new idea, been around since last century. I first tried mineral mixes in the 70's when I grew mostly cacti. I stopped using mostly because it was easier to use organic materials already mixed. I was busy raising a family and working my butt off. Now retired I have more time.
Just a note silicon is a micronutrient, and DE has ton's of it. Also found that added to seed starter mixes, it makes a better seed starter mix.

Hello All. I've been away for a while and just hit the site for a quick minute. It sounds like there is both confusion and good news regarding the NAPA 8822 and Axis DE products.

I used the NAPA 8822 product a while back but I have not tried the Axis DE product. The DE that I currently use is OptiSorb and I believe it's a Moltan company product, but I'll check the bag tomorrow. The average particle size of the OptiSorb is larger than the NAPA 8822 DE (see photo for a sample of screened OptiSorb).

I ran both the NAPA and the OptiSorb DE through a 1/8" screen and a lot more of the NAPA product passed through the screen. Exactly how much more I can't recall. It might not matter anyway since the product size can vary from bag to bag.

From my experience I believe OptiSorb has a larger particle size than the NAPA product. True, the OptiSorb does cost a couple dollars more per bag than the NAPA DE, but you also retain more DE product after screening with the OptiSorb. I think I paid something like $9.00 for a bag of OptiSorb a few months ago. After 7 months in a container the OptiSorb DE showed no signs of breaking down. We'll see how it does over the coming winter.

I'll try and post more information as time permits.

Thanks, and keep us posted.

TYG