"Do you think it would work to smash the bigger LECA balls up a bit or do the balls need to be whole to work properly?" LECA products are made from terra cotta, the same baked clay product clay pots are made from. Crushing it and screening out the fines would work, but it's work. When particles of uniform in size at least 2.5mm (.10") in diameter are mixed together, they cannot hold perched water under normal circumstances. So in a perfect world all soil particles would pass a 3mm screen opening but not pass a 2.5mm opening. This maximizes water retention but still disallows water retention in the large spaces between particles. I don't mention this because I expect or even suggest anyone should actually try to build a medium with all particles in a size range so narrow, I just think it's important to understand that by using smaller particles you get a perched water table which becomes taller in an inverse relationship with soil particles (as they grow smaller; and conversely, by using larger particles you will be unnecessarily limiting water retention. This is not necessarily a bad thing from the plant's perspective, but from the grower's it means more attention to the plants is required along with more effort to water. Europeans have access to a product which works well as a replacement for Turface MVP/Allsport. It's called Seramis, and it might be worth a quick search to see if it's available in Australia. "I intended to adapt your gritty mix recipe to hold more moisture. If the DE retains much more moisture than Turface, do you think it would work for me then to maintain the 1:1:1 ratio? My pittosporums like a pH of 6.0-6.5 and I'm assuming my water is slightly acidic because we have acidic soils in Aust, so I'm hoping the pH of 7.0 of the DE would be OK." It's easy to increase the amount of water retention any particular batch of medium will hold by A) increasing the volume of Turface or calcined DE and/or decreasing the volume of grit. This ensures soil particle size remains large enough that no water will be retained between soil particles. If you try to increase water retention by using or adding fine materials to the mix, you'll increase water retention, but it will be as perched water between soil particles. Once you introduce a perched water table to a medium which has as one of it's most notable advantages the fact that it doesn't support perched water, you might as well switch to using something less costly and requiring less effort to produce. The 7.0 pH issue might be an issue for some plants, so avoid use of lime (gypsum is ok) or see if you can find a source for Foliage-Pro 9-3-6, which is an acid-forming fertilizer. You can always use citric acid in your irrigation water (drug store or where wine-making supplies are sold) if you find need. I agree with ToC, the pebbles in the image look good. ".... it's great to be able to start with the recipe ..... and then maybe later think about how I might adapt it. Understanding the concept is far more valuable than the recipe. Once you understand how/why the concept works, you'll be surprised at how much flexibility you have in how the concept is implemented. Al

Diatomaceous Earth (Food Grade Only!!!) is wonderful stuff. We buy it on-line in 50# bags. We put scoops of it inside the coops where the chickens dust bathe. We also add it to their food for internal parasites. We add it to the dog and cat's food and use it in their ears when ear mites are present. (With the cats, I put it in their ears once a week to keep the mites away-- they are outdoor cats and always seem to pick up mites.) My husband puts it in his orange juice every morning. I don't because I don't like the texture. For house pests, you can sprinkle it along baseboards. For ants in the kitchen, you can put it right on the counter tops and know it is very safe if ingested by pets or kids. In the garden it is a great slug killer in the hosta bed, but needs to be re-applied after a rain. (My chickens take care of the slugs these days.)

Hold on, there! ;-) Just remember that horticultural/food grade DE acts as a broad spectrum pesticide. I'd not use it widely outside, where it can come into physical contact with the zillions of beneficial insects that help keep our world in a bit of ecological balance. It must not be applied to plants that are visited by bees and other pollinators, for example. And DE is just as harmful to ladybugs and predatory insects as it is to aphids. The many uses of DE is not a secret and certainly not a well-kept one. It's been used for generations to protect livestock (all kinds, including poultry) from pests and parasites and has been used in agriculture to protect stored grains, flours, nuts, etc. If you eat bread, cereal, peanut butter or anything related, you are likely ingesting DE. It's fed to animals to get rid of internal parasites, and when excreted will still keep the flies (etc.) from mass producing in the dung. It can be found in most 'feed and seed' stores. It's really not the most effective product to deal with most outdoor pest problems as it DOES wash readily away in rain or irrigation, soap or no soap. Though it doesn't dissolve, it loses some physical properties when wet. Be very certain, if you do decide to experiment with DE, that you are NOT using the pool grade product. It is processed in a different manner. Not only is Pool filter DE not effective, but a serious lung hazard as it contains high amounts of crystalline silica. This is what causes silicosis. You must take precautions about inhaling food/horticultural grades of DE, as well. Once settled, it's fine. Best uses? Inside the basement and garage where undesirable critters can lurk in dark nooks and crannies, and in hard to reach locations behind appliances (for example) where pests may hide and reproduce.

No, you can't pour that much salt on the soil around a plant. That would be toxic to the plant and to the soil. Salt is sprinkled directly ON THE SLUG. Diatomaceous earth (DE) is used around plants, but is only marginally helpful in controlling slugs. If you aren't familiar with what happens to slugs when you pour a bit of salt on them, you should try it. It's instantaneous, and not for the very faint of heart.