Monto Clay pH 5.6 (Montmorillonite Calcined Clay) Bonsai Soil Amendment (2 Dry Quarts)

Bonsai jack treated me well! Sent me a cool free metal planting chopstick. Super useful. Now I don't have to steal em from the drawer hahaha.Package came quick and on time, in 2 bags for 2 gallons. Packed in a box, this stuff doesn't need a whole lot of protection. Thick plastic bags, sealed well. Came with a HUGE bread tie type clip haha.I use it as an additive to regular house plants, not just succulents and bonsia though I do plan to do a couple bonsai eventually. It's the perfect size for a soil amendment, with very irregular structures and pieces around 1/4".This stuff isn't seen as much as it should be in gardening outside of bokashi and cacti/succulents. But man it's great in aroid mixes and anything houseplant related that benefits from even moisture levels in the soil and plenty of aeration.It works, as far as an amendment to a houseplant substrate mix, in a couple of ways, which all help to improve the mix both now and over time.First, they absorb moisture, a lot of it. It holds onto it, and releases it over time, and don't change shape in the process. They swell a little possibly, I haven't measured, but in general, will hold the water in the structure of a rigid ceramic, where it will be wicked to the surface to evaporate or wick away. The best part, when used as an amendment for a mix, they can't hold TOO much water. They absorb moisture when there is an excess, and release it when there is a deficit. For mixes designed for houseplants such as tropical aroids, this is an excellent property, as they want to be wet occasionally, but most often they want a "humidity" zone, full of various things that hold water within and on them in different ways, so the roots and plant can freely pull as it needs from which source it needs, just as it would in nature. As well, in nature some of those sources will have different minerals and nutrients available, which is why more diverse mixes can be beneficial, in my opinion. They may also make a decent additive to a moss or coir chips pole, helping to modulate the water within and protecting it from drying completely inIn addition to their abity to absorb, hold, and release water, they are a hard grit that will create mechanical pockets within the soil, similar to how pumice or gravel will, provide a little weight to the soil mix, and help with lightly compacting the mix together around the plant and in the planter, without it being over compacted.If you grab a piece, you can break it with your hands. So it is kind of fragile, but they're actually less fragile than perlite is, and way less fragile than vermiculite, but not near as hard as pumice or something. but again, even with this ability to break it, it will hold it's rigid shape when wet. But that fragility and it's structure, what it's made of, are one of the next things that make this stuff awesome.It slowly breaks down into smaller pieces in the soil, and as it does, leaches different minerals into the soil, and slowly acidifies the soil. This slight acidification can help to slowly correct issues with ph in the soil, and act as a buffer against the soil going alkaline, but also from going too acidic as well. But it does help the mix trend toward the acid, which MANY plants like.So this is a great product. And I know you can get the same type of stuff cheap some places, and ordering it I probably spend way more. It's sold as cat litter sometimes. So. Maybe this stuff is superior to that stuff though, I don't know. All in all, I'm happy with it, bonsai jack is great, thanks guys. Will order again. (Well, honestly, unless I find a product similar in quality for cheaper. Sorry 🤷)

I purchased 8qt of this and the pumice. They arrived a day early and are exactly as described. I noticed some varience in the sizes of the pumice but it is mostly 1/4" pieces and there is no silt/fine particles in the bags at all, it is definitely all usable. The clay is very consistant in size, im guessing because it's a bit harder.I was also delighted to find a nice aluminum chopstick and a couple pH strips in the package as well. A nice little surprise in addition to receiving them earlier than expected.Overall I am very happy with my purchases and will likely buy from Bonsai Jack again in the future. If the cost is not prohibitive to you, I think you'd feel the same.

I use this as an active substrate for Caridina shrimp tanks. These shrimp need a fairly low PH. I use this as a substrate with remineralized RO water and it keeps the PH of the water at about 5.8 - 5.9. Ideal for my specific shrimp. I rinsed all the dust before using. I neglected to do this once and the cloudiness lasted a very long time. Rinse. Otherwise this is a fantastic alternative to aquasoil in my opinion, as it does not break down and keeps the PH lower. I only wish they had it in black.

I would have given it 5 stars if it wasn’t full of small size pieces. Overall good quality and clean product. I wish they start making it in a little bigger size.

Love the look of this monto clay as a top dressing. I’ve been using this with all my succs and they love it. The clay pebbles are very uniform in size and are very aesthetically pleasing in contrast to the bright green of my succs. Love a natural top dressing. Will probably keep repurchasing from here in spite of the high cost. My 2 quartz has plenty left despite having used it for 5 pots already.

This is nice monto clay. I add it to my potting soil for my succulents along with some chicken grit and pumice. Makes a nice gritty mix that my succulents thrive in. Will definitely buy again!

I like this product for smaller bonsai, smaller plants seem to do better with this than with a coarser material. I ordered 2 gallons and the 2 bags came in a box just the right size to prevent the clay pieces from getting broken apart too much in shipping. And a chopstick for repotting was included.

Good product, quick service, only negative is was shipped in FedEx envelope and bag had opened up inside so went all over when opened.