Granulated cork

[amcurls]

While looking for cork tubes for hides I came across a product called granulated cork. Assuming it is not treated, I wonder if it would work as substrate. Has anyone used this product?

[Katrina]

Interesting. I haven't seen this product before, but I'd definitely give it a try. It looks like it might work well, just might not be very absorbent. I'm sure it would work ok, if you end up trying it please let us know how it works. Seems like an environmentally friendly substrate, could be a good option.

[Linnea]

it is sold here too and i was just about to get myself a few kilos of it im not sure its the exact same though, i buy the cork material in small pieces, but theres also small bark pieces on the google photos. but it is about the same...

from what i know, cork is a very good material, good enough to be used as wine bottle sealers as to not give the wine the wrong taste.

as katrina said it is not absorbent at all, so spot cleaning often may be a good idea. BUT, due to this, the substrate itself doesnt mold.
but it doesnt seem to be dusty either, which is why im going to try it.

not entirely environmental friendly, since its shipped pretty far and airplanes and especially boats have no regulations when it comes to rest products, but the trees are alive after harvesting and will continue to produce usable cork-material throghout its life or....so it says in all the descriptions. but im a bit sceptical that it is like that.

anyway, im trying it too xD it looks like fun to bury in since its so soft.

if the material is good i can start saving wine corks to save some money.....

[Katrina]

but the trees are alive after harvesting and will continue to produce usable cork-material throghout its life or....so it says in all the descriptions. but im a bit sceptical that it is like that.

Why are you skeptical? Why not look into it more if you aren't sure? Cork would be an excellent renewable resource from what I've heard, not the virgin cork but after the first two harvests it will continue to produce the same quality. Any product will have some sort of carbon footprint for shipping etc, that is kind of unavoidable. I read an article that suggested that buying locally and the 100 mile challenge etc was actually worse for the planet, because all of those foods were shipping in small quantities using trucks / fossil fuels and so it might actually be better in some cases to ship larger quantities from further away and use a large distributor because of the scale of the operation. I'm not sure that I believe that, but it is interesting to consider.

[Linnea]

im sceptical because much of the cork is harvested in spain and portugal.
just saying i dont believe a word from the internet decriptions until ive seen it with my own eyes. i have yet to see a cork oak tree plantage in spain.

carbon footprint wasnt really what i meant, but i can debate that too xD

i wonder why the article said local buying needs shipping with cars and trucks? you can actually use the bicycle with a box for small quantities like that. its just lazy if its less than fifteen km or so, and the box contains about a kilo.....so it gotta be calculated on people who are more used to using cars. in denmark on lolland you just go to your neighbour and get tomatoes, leeks and other stuff in exchange for eggs and milk and maybe meat. if you transport by bicyle you also re-use the boxes and cans.

in spain and portugal, they love using old cars all day and they need lots of gasoline. they use large amounts of pesticide, or if its ecological they use plastic bags that litter into the ocean or on the road. burning the ground in some places is needed, and nowadays they use gas burners without masks on the countryside. its very effective plant keeping, and the plants are healthy, but the surroundings get messy and the air bad. if small farms dont do well they just leave everything as is.

its simply a different culture, and not many research articles take this into consideration when calculating carbon footprints of an item, they use a middle number that sounds good and fits into the large farming ground descriptions.

it is better to eat food that is produced just nearby, i think. if it was allowed here id just use my bicycle and buy milk from the farms a few km away every day, but they need to pass health checks, transport to be packaged, transport to store, then transported home. its pretty sick we dont know our local farmers here, so the milk industry is attempting to help this by telling us which cow produced the milk we drink and where to find it. eggs and fruit however are free to buy as you wish from locals, theres much more than they can eat themselves, and the horses around here are well spoiled xD of course, in the cities here, everyone just buy from the store. all imported when we have such fine things just a few roads away.

of course if you ship a small amount locally a lot instead of shipping one large shipment of something is worse if you count the shipping as the main problem. but when i say shipping i mean....everything. that is considerably worse with large shippings from who knows where since you dont get to see the process, so its like it doesnt exist. people arent used to feeling for a problem far away the same as if it affected your surroundings...but i guess thats natural :/

all in all, the carbon debate started as to make our living places better and make processes looked over, but it turned back to praising the money you earn from importing rather than producing local *facepalm*

but i think about the cork, the process must be more refined than the food products. wine corks must be very specific and the trees are cared for for generations, so i dont see why anyone would harm the number of trees.

all this makes me feel like chopping down trees in my backyard instead and make a substrate out of that.....too bad its pine trees.......

[Katrina]

i wonder why the article said local buying needs shipping with cars and trucks?

We are getting WAY off topic here... but the study wasn't saying you NEED cars and trucks. It was looking at what was ACTUALLY happening. Of course there are lots of better methods and more environmentally friendly options. But it looked at reality and what was actually occurring, not the ideal, best possible scenario. It never said that was the only way, it just looked at facts of what was actually happening. Just because something is possible and ideal doesn't mean it will actually occur.

[Linnea]

oh, sorry xD i have not read the actual study.

i dont think its veeerry off topic substrate is a very good market for tree and bark tests from many industries, thus it is good to know where you get it from and under what conditions. i know cypress mulch has often been debated here and recommended. not just for its great properties as a terrarium substrate, but because its a good rest material.

[Katrina]

I didn't link the actual study because I can't remember where I read it. So not your fault for not reading a study that I alluded to but couldn't actually reference!

You're right - it is a good discussion, I like the possibility of other, environmentally friendly substrates.

[amcurls]

I have seen many suggesting aspen as a substrate but if you have ever been in an area where it is harvested you would witness a true carbon footprint. Aspen is a renewable resource true but the majority of the processing has a great environmental impact. I was just suggesting an alternative to cypress and researching it as such.