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Sep 9, 2018 9:56 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Sandie
Liberty, Utah (Zone 5b)
Sempervivums
I used Manna Pro Chick Grit with Probiotics as a top dressing for some of my sempervivum starts. Has anyone else used this and if so have you had any side effects from the Probiotics? So far mine seem O.K. but it's just been on them for a week or so!
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Sep 9, 2018 11:17 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
Hi Chicklady. Can you tell us what the grit part is made from? Maybe a photo?
Sure seems expensive. You can get a 50# bag of regular chicken grit for $8.00 to $10.00 for you local feed/farm store.
I don't think the probiotics would harm the plants. I am not seeing anything on the label ingredients that states probiotics were added?
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Sep 10, 2018 6:57 AM CST
Name: BigT
Central Illinois (Zone 5)
Birds Cactus and Succulents Sedums Sempervivums
It would appear from their website that this is a #1 crushed granite grit, for young and bantam chooches, treated with probiotics. Probiotics is a generalized term for some combination of digestive enzymes, beneficial digestive bacteria, and yeasts. When you research probiotics, manufacturers don't list the actual ingredients in their supplements as it would be proprietary information. Even if ingredients were listed they would be for human "probiotics," I have no idea what might constitute poultry probiotics.
What might be in probiotics? Amylase enzymes that break down long chain starches/carbohydrates (sugars) into short chain sugars that are more easily processed. Lactobacilis, a beneficial gut bacteria, most often used in cheese and yogurt processing. Acetobacter, the bacteria the turns alcohol into vinegar, also considered a beneficial gut bacteria for some odd reason. Brewer's yeast, which is a generic form of Sacchromyces cereviserae, which is used for everything from bread making yeast to beer and wine making. Yeasts convert short chain sugars to alcohol and CO2. At least these are the activities of these ingredients outside the digestive tract. Debate still goes on to the effectiveness in the digestive system. Hard telling how these would react to being in soil as most would not find it suitable environment.
It is very pricey too, compared to plain, crushed granite poultry grit.

BTW, when my stomach is sour, I find a couple spoonfuls of live culture yogurt, and a shot of raw apple cider vinegar, sets me right again. I've not bought into the whole probiotics as anything more than a scam to make a few bucks.
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Sep 10, 2018 9:34 AM CST
Name: Mark McDonough
Massachusetts (Zone 5a)
Region: Massachusetts Enjoys or suffers cold winters Garden Procrastinator Native Plants and Wildflowers Garden Photography Foliage Fan
Birds Seed Starter Hybridizer Sempervivums
Wow BigT, you have a lot of knowledge and insight on this topic, very interesting. Thumbs up
Avatar: Jovibarba x nixonii 'Jowan'
I use #2 chicken grit to feed my hens & chicks :-)
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Sep 10, 2018 12:09 PM CST
Name: BigT
Central Illinois (Zone 5)
Birds Cactus and Succulents Sedums Sempervivums
AntMan01 said:Wow BigT, you have a lot of knowledge and insight on this topic, very interesting. Thumbs up


A naturopath/herbalist for 45 years, I try to pay attention to what goes in my body. Operative word, try. Smiling A brewer, wine and mead maker, I know a thing or two about yeasts and enzymes. Saccharomyces cerevisiae could be considered the wild phenotype. Most breweries, wineries have developed their own cultivars specific for the beers/wines they make and technically this would be specifically for ales. Saccharomyces carlsbergensis is lager yeast. The taxonomy for yeast is almost as complex as for semps. Hilarious!
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Sep 10, 2018 1:43 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Sandie
Liberty, Utah (Zone 5b)
Sempervivums
The grit is crushed granite! It is expensive...I work in a feed store and I am actually the department manager over all the baby chicks and their supplies! I think it's only ironic that I love "Hens and chicks" in plant form as well as in animal form! Hilarious! I just thought I would try it and see if I liked the results and then someone on a Facebook group mentioned that it may be harmful to the plants with the probiotics in it. So far I haven't seen any problems but I will keep you posted if I notice any. I am going to see if we can bring in the 50# bags. I have actually had customers coming in looking for chick grit for use with their succulents. I love this forum! You are all so knowledgeable and I have really learned a lot about semps and heuffelii. I may have a little addiction going on now!
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Sep 10, 2018 1:55 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
Oh Chicklady, I am so sorry to hear about you addition. So sorry I can't help you with a cure. Whistling
Hmmm, I think I feel my nose growing. Blinking

How wonderful that you can be a source for other succulent growers wanting chicken grit. Hurray!
So what part of the country are you from? Growing zone?
Have any photos to show us? We love photos. Big Grin
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Sep 10, 2018 2:09 PM CST
Name: BigT
Central Illinois (Zone 5)
Birds Cactus and Succulents Sedums Sempervivums
@Chicklady, addiction? Sadly this is not a twelve step program for semp addicts. More like forum full of enablers. Hilarious!

I might suggest checking your supplier lists for Cherry Stone #2 or medium, brand poultry grit. It's a favorite of many of the sempaholics here.
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Sep 10, 2018 2:19 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Sandie
Liberty, Utah (Zone 5b)
Sempervivums
Thanks BigT...I will do that! Love that "enablers"!! I think I've definitely come to the right place!!
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Sep 10, 2018 2:29 PM CST
Name: Melissa Hopper
St. Helens, Or (Zone 8a)
Semp addict horse junky dog flunky
Garden Photography Critters Allowed Dog Lover Keeps Horses Hummingbirder Region: Oregon
Sempervivums Enjoys or suffers cold winters
I think there is even a thread about semp addiction.

It is not fatal, but it does seem to be incurable.
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Sep 10, 2018 2:38 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Sandie
Liberty, Utah (Zone 5b)
Sempervivums
Lynn, I've been growing hens and chicks that I got from my mom over 20 years ago. She passed away 19 years ago and I've just always had a few growing. Well last year I started getting more and more interested in them. The store where I work has a greenhouse and we happened to have a few Sempervivum and Rollers so I bought them and planted them. This year I transplanted lots of the baby chicks and they have just really taken off. I also purchased about 25 Sempervivum and 25 Heuffelii and I hope they like it here!! I have grandchildren and children who also love these so I am wanting to be able to share all my chicks with them. I have transformed our old Dairy barn into my "greenhouse". I have lots and lots of starts in there and they are doing nicely. My main problem is figuring out their watering. I think when I didn't fuss with them I never noticed if they were over watered or under watered. Now I'm constantly worried about it! We have had an extremely dry summer....one of the worst I've seen in 41 years of living here. I transplanted a bunch of the chicks on July 15 this year and most of them have finally rooted. The ones that have struggled I have brought into the barn to give them a little TLC. One thing I've noticed is that there seem to be more dead leaves under my old established plants than usual. Could this be from over watering or under watering. Once in a while I will have one rot, but I'm wondering if I just watered them when they were too hot? They get morning sun, afternoon shade and evening sun right now. I have them in well drained soil. I also have a bunch of sedum that I planted around the edges of my flower beds. I think next year I will focus mostly on growing succulents!! I certainly love them a lot! Please disregard the weeds! I work full time and even though I spend all my spare time fussing with my flower beds, I still can't seem to get ahead of those little buggers! The last picture was taken a few months ago before I planted all my new semps and the older ones filled in!
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Sep 10, 2018 3:29 PM CST
Moderator
Name: Lynn
Oregon City, OR (Zone 8b)
Charter ATP Member Garden Sages I helped plan and beta test the plant database. I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Plant Database Moderator
Forum moderator I helped beta test the first seed swap Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Plant and/or Seed Trader Garden Ideas: Master Level
Sandie, they are beautiful, all of them. Just keep doing what you did with the original semps. Only water early in the morning when it is the coolest. This should give them enough time to dry off before things heat up. The combination of high temps and moisture is what gets them. Also putting a nice layer of chicken grit under the rosettes so they don sit on the soil really helps to keep them healthy.
They don't need as much water as some of your other plants that I see in the last photo. That could be a conflict of water needs with some of the combinations I see.
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Sep 10, 2018 5:56 PM CST
Name: Bev
Salem OR (Zone 8a)
Container Gardener Foliage Fan Sempervivums Photo Contest Winner: 2014 Garden Ideas: Master Level
Sandie, your photos show some great looking groupings and single clumps. My favorite one is the first photo...the cool coloring...ahhh… nodding
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Sep 10, 2018 6:05 PM CST
Name: Karen
New Mexico (Zone 8a)
Region: New Mexico Region: Arizona Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Plant Identifier Plays in the sandbox
Greenhouse Bromeliad Adeniums Morning Glories Avid Green Pages Reviewer Brugmansias
Sandie, what is the plant with the yellow flowers? Is it a sedum? It's gorgeous!
Handcrafted Coastal Inspired Art SeaMosaics!
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Sep 10, 2018 6:53 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Sandie
Liberty, Utah (Zone 5b)
Sempervivums
Lynn, I agree about the watering conflicts! I have always grown annuals in this flower bed. When I started with the Semps I didn't realize that I was going to love them so much. Next spring I will probably not have many annuals, mostly my Semps. I have started to put pea gravel down between some of my new additions. It is definitely a work in progress!
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Sep 10, 2018 6:56 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Sandie
Liberty, Utah (Zone 5b)
Sempervivums
Bev, Thank you! I love the Semp in the second picture. I think I bought it from the store I work in....but I lost the ID on it!! Been trying to figure out what it is all summer!
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Sep 10, 2018 7:03 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Sandie
Liberty, Utah (Zone 5b)
Sempervivums
Karen, yes those are Sedums. I work in a farm store that has a large greenhouse! (lucky me!) Last year we got hundreds of Sedum Tiles. You probably already know what they are but just in case....they are a 12" by 12" flat of mixed sedums. They didn't get them out of their boxes for a while and they didn't look too hot so they didn't sell that well. I fell in love with them and they gave me a steal of a deal on them! I think I planted 50 or so!! They have turned out so pretty this year! They just seem to go so well with my Semps. This is them in the first part of July! They looked so pretty when they were blooming!
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Sep 10, 2018 7:05 PM CST
Name: Karen
New Mexico (Zone 8a)
Region: New Mexico Region: Arizona Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Plant Identifier Plays in the sandbox
Greenhouse Bromeliad Adeniums Morning Glories Avid Green Pages Reviewer Brugmansias
Thanks, Sandie. I'm just getting into sedums and plan to put them in with my semps for more height and interest.
Handcrafted Coastal Inspired Art SeaMosaics!
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Sep 10, 2018 7:22 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Sandie
Liberty, Utah (Zone 5b)
Sempervivums
Karen, the fun thing with sedums is that they grow so easily. Whenever one breaks off, it just starts growing where it lands!! There are so many different kinds too. I think all succulents are wonderful. It gets pretty cold and snowy where I live so I haven't tried any of the soft succulents. My house doesn't have any south facing windows and I think they would not do well inside! The hardy ones seem to thrive! I'm excited to see how all of my new ones (about 50 in all) do this winter!
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Sep 13, 2018 4:55 PM CST
Name: Karen
New Mexico (Zone 8a)
Region: New Mexico Region: Arizona Region: Ukraine Cactus and Succulents Plant Identifier Plays in the sandbox
Greenhouse Bromeliad Adeniums Morning Glories Avid Green Pages Reviewer Brugmansias
Wow, you have a lot of new ones! I think I have 5! Rolling on the floor laughing
Handcrafted Coastal Inspired Art SeaMosaics!

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