Food grade DE comes in a fine, powdered form that looks rather white with a slight grayish tint. As Josh said, it wouldn't be mistaken for the grit looking type of DE that's used as a medium ingredient. I order food grade DE online from a company out west... Earthworks Health, I believe the company is called... they have a website with a ton of information... link below for your convenience. It's mined right there in the same state, taken out of the earth naturally, and is very reasonably priced. I think we paid about $14 for 10 pounds, including shipping. That amount lasts us a very long time, and as I mentioned earlier, we use it mainly for health reasons... though it also makes a wonderful natural insecticide and an anti-parasitic agent for pets or humans. The health benefits of ingesting about a tablespoon per day are many, and include helping to lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, aid in digestion, help to build stronger hair and nails, help to keep skin healthy, rid the body of parasites, and the list goes on. I mix about a tablespoon with my cup of coffee in the morning... I have to keep stirring as it doesn't really dissolve, but it's odorless, flavorless, and loaded with benefits. Because of DE's structure... what's it naturally made of... the microscopic pieces are incredibly sharp and cut insects or parasites to ribbons. It's so fine in powdered form, however, that it does not harm pets or humans... it does, however, have the great benefit of helping to clean out the entire digestive tract, which allows for better health. I also use it in the garden to help kill insects on my plants... it's completely organic. I lightly dust the leaves of plants that appear to have bug damage. It does need re-application after a rain, but it's cheap enough. I also place a small bit on my windowsills where I keep my indoor plants, and it kills anything that sneaks in and comes in contact with it... like those ladybug look-alikes, box elder bugs, earwigs, etc... I've never worked with the DE for pool filters, so I can't really comment on it... except to say that the dust is very dangerous if inhaled or if it gets in the eyes. It's a terrible irritant. When processed, it turns into a glass-like structure/substance, from what I understand... and it can be dangerous if breathed in or if it comes in contact with mucous membrane, like the eyes. You would not want to mistake this grade of DE for the food grade! The grade for pool filters is NOT edible, or for use on pets or plants! I've never worked with DE in larger particled sizes... as in cat litter or oil dry products. But I must say, it looks like a great substitute for turface. I will have to keep my eyes open next time I go shopping... or need auto parts! Come to think of it... my son works for O'Reilly's... I could probably get a discount on the product, if they have it in stock. I'll have to ask him. I could sure use some! Here is a link that might be useful: FOOD GRADE for Health

BP - I read through your thread and thought I'd mention a couple of things. First, all oil-dry products aren't created equal. Some are less appropriate because of the particle size gradation, and some are inappropriate because of their instability (turn to clay after prolonged exposure to moisture). Freeze a tablespoon of the screened product in a plastic cup overnight. If it's stable when it thaws, it's ok to use. Screening the fines out of your ingredients is a practice that retains the important macropores, the spaces between the particles. The more interparticular spaces filled with air and the fewer with water, the more approval your plants will show for the effort of screening. I/ve done some side bt side tests of various plants grown in a 5:1:1 mix of CHCs:perlite:peat vs the same ratiuo of pine bark:perlite:peat, and there was a significant difference in growth rate, vitality, and appearance with the CHC mix coming in a distant second. You won't need the extra water retention afforded by the CHCs, so I'd stick with the bark. CHCs are very high in K, and potentially very high in soluble salts (if processes with sea water). All CHC products are very low in Ca, potentially high in Mn (which can interfere with iron uptake). Several studies have also shown that the significant presence of phenolic allelochemicals (inhibits growth of other plants) in fresh coir can be very problematic for a high % of plants, causing poor growth and reduced yields if yields are a consideration. CHCs high pH (neutral is too high) also eliminates dolomite as a potential liming agent. Al

My understanding of going from pebbles at the bottom to progressively smaller and smaller particles above that, is that if you lay pebbles and then put fine soil directly on top of them the soil will simply fill the air pockets you are trying to create with the pebbles. That method is not in favor currently- most recommend you don't need pebbles at the bottom, just well-drained 'soilless' soil with no potting soil. I don't use charcoal, but only because I don't understand its purpose fully that cannot be accomplished another way. If you are growing succulents in a pot with no drain holes, I don't recommend it and can't help you with tips in that environment. Letting soil of succulents dry out keeps the roots from rotting. At watering time, watering thoroughly three times until water is draining freely each time flushes the soil, helping to prevent buildup of minerals, and ensures all the roots receive moisture.

I noticed some wrinkling starting on the leaves of one and just went ahead and watered them all. Each stem is in it's own 4" nursery pot (the kind with lots of good-sized holes on the bottom)s i had been putting the pots on various saucers to catch the water that came out of the bottom, but to try to clean up the area I put down a double layer of bounty paper towels and transferred them to that. To my surprise, the paper towel began sucking what seemed like an awful lot of water out of the pots. Since they had stopped drop-draining a while ago I assumed they were pretty fully drained but the paper towel told a different story. So now my question is, should I keep putting the containers on a paper towel or is this pulling too much water out of the soil too quickly?