charles17: loam (10. Jun 2006 11:57)

i live in the united states and im having a very hard time finding the loam soil that is sold online at antstore. i can find loamy soil, but that's basically regular black dirt with a loamy consistency... where does antstore get its loam to sell? construction supply places, gardening places, no place seems to have the kind of white loam that is sold here. any help?

Varban: (11. Jun 2006 12:39)

I don't know where they get it but can give you the loam recipe :)
Sand, Clay and Silt. Get cooking ;). Also all the elements have equal proportion so its 1/3 Sand + 1/3 Clay + 1/3 Silt

Regards, Kind

Martin S.: (11. Jun 2006 20:51)

Dear charles17,

you must go in a store for ecological build.

grettings Martin :D

charles17: (12. Jun 2006 00:26)

what does ecological build mean?

charles17: (12. Jun 2006 09:30)

verban,
will modeling clay do for the clay in the loam recipe?
and where does one get silt...? haha...

Tommi: (12. Jun 2006 15:42)

Hi charles17.

I've got a suggestion for u how to get loam(powder). A few days ago i tried to buy loampowder here in germany, to design the sandy area of a new antbasin; not in the Antstore-shop.
So i canvass a few shops (buliding centers f.e.) but i didn't got the loam-powder, even not in pet shops.

Then my girlfriend told me that her mother bought some potter's loam a few month bevor witch dried completely because she has forgotten to keep it clammy. So i took the dried loam-block and started making some powder out of it.

To make the powder i took a rasp ( a very abrasive file for working with wood ) and started to make the powder out of the dried loam-block. After doing this i seventh the powder.

I took me approximately one hour and muscle ache in the arm to become 2kg very fine loampowder. :)

I hope this helps u if u can't buy loam-powder at your place ;)

P.S.:
I have to apologize for my bad english. ^^

Greeting

JimmyVe: (12. Jun 2006 18:33)

Good luck with your Loam. charles17 ;)

Let us no if you find anything.

FLechdrop: (25. Jul 2006 15:32)

Hmm, so this means you should get powder(ed loam), not 'raw' loam?

charles17: (26. Jul 2006 04:02)

ok so here is my progress so far...

i tried white craft sand + powdered dried modelling clay. about 4/5 fine sand and 1/5 clay powder. this is not a good mix. i think the ants hate the smell of the clay. the smell is not that strong, and in my little art projects, once the clay dried and was left alone for a while the 'artificial' smell was gone, but the ants notice it and wont go underground ebcause it smells stronger there. they stay at the top. and its hard for the aeration to work because the clay is too thick, even at 1/5 mix.

so now im trying to use construction sand, which is not as white as craft sand, but its a lot thicker compared to fine sand. hopefully that better aerates the antfarm. and less sand. maybe like 1/10 or something.

JimmyVe: (26. Jul 2006 13:13)

you can try that, good luck. ;)