What is the most economical source for a large bag of small red lava rock,
to be used as a replacement for pumice in a succulent soil mixture? I also
want to use the red lava rock as a mulch.

--
W

"W" wrote:

What is the most economical source for a large bag of small red lava rock,
to be used as a replacement for pumice in a succulent soil mixture? I also
want to use the red lava rock as a mulch.

At my store 1 cu ft costs $4.93
http://tinyurl.com/atj4fxe
http://www.lowes.com/pd_252578-59576...&storeId=10151

W wrote:
What is the most economical source for a large bag of small red lava rock,
to be used as a replacement for pumice in a succulent soil mixture? I also
want to use the red lava rock as a mulch.

the stuff floats away easily, so not the
best mulch if you get heavy rains, winds or
floods.


songbird

"songbird" wrote in message
...
W wrote:
What is the most economical source for a large bag of small red lava
rock,
to be used as a replacement for pumice in a succulent soil mixture? I
also
want to use the red lava rock as a mulch.

the stuff floats away easily, so not the
best mulch if you get heavy rains, winds or
floods.

Are you confusing lava rock with perlite? Perlite definitely floats.
Volcanic aggregates (i.e., either white pumice or red lava rock) sink in
water.

I did a quick test with 10 smallish red lava rocks in a bucket of water, and
they all 10 sank.

--
W

"Brooklyn1" wrote in message
...
"W" wrote:

What is the most economical source for a large bag of small red lava
rock,
to be used as a replacement for pumice in a succulent soil mixture? I
also
want to use the red lava rock as a mulch.

At my store 1 cu ft costs $4.93
http://tinyurl.com/atj4fxe

http://www.lowes.com/pd_252578-59576...&storeId=10151


I was looking for a wholesale source of a 40 pound bag.

The trick I have been doing with white pumice is to buy a large bag in a
product known as drystall from agricultural retailers. You can get a 40
pound bag under $20. I'm looking for something similar that lets me buy
a large amount of small red lava rock at a better price than what a nursery
gives on a 5 lb bag.

--
W

On Feb 24, 4:21*pm, "W" wrote:
"songbird" wrote in message

...

W wrote:
What is the most economical source for a large bag of small red lava
rock,
to be used as a replacement for pumice in a succulent soil mixture? * I
also
want to use the red lava rock as a mulch.

* the stuff floats away easily, so not the
best mulch if you get heavy rains, winds or
floods.

Are you confusing lava rock with perlite? * *Perlite definitely floats.
Volcanic aggregates (i.e., either white pumice or red lava rock) sink in
water.

I did a quick test with 10 smallish red lava rocks in a bucket of water, and
they all 10 sank.

--
W

Lava rocks are not pumice. Pumice floats. Having tossed a few hundred
pumice pieces into Crater Lake, I can attest to this. You might also
look at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumice_raft

Chris

I have 40 pounds of Drystall as well as white pumice bought from a nursery.
When I put it into a bowl of water it sinks. If you look at Drystall and
pumice under microscope, they are identical.

Your data point on Crater Lake is interesting, and I don't know why your
pumice behaves differently than mine. If I read the pumice raft idea
correctly, this just means that sometimes a large piece of pumice traps a
large air pocket internally.

Perlite, however, is a significant floater.

Sorry for top posting but I could not get my reader to quote your post
correctly.

--
W




"Chris" wrote in message
...
On Feb 24, 4:21 pm, "W" wrote:
"songbird" wrote in message

...

W wrote:
What is the most economical source for a large bag of small red lava
rock,
to be used as a replacement for pumice in a succulent soil mixture? I
also
want to use the red lava rock as a mulch.

the stuff floats away easily, so not the
best mulch if you get heavy rains, winds or
floods.

Are you confusing lava rock with perlite? Perlite definitely floats.
Volcanic aggregates (i.e., either white pumice or red lava rock) sink in
water.

I did a quick test with 10 smallish red lava rocks in a bucket of water,
and
they all 10 sank.

--
W

Lava rocks are not pumice. Pumice floats. Having tossed a few hundred
pumice pieces into Crater Lake, I can attest to this. You might also
look at

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pumice_raft

W wrote:
songbird wrote:
W wrote:

What is the most economical source for a large bag of small red lava
rock,
to be used as a replacement for pumice in a succulent soil mixture? I
also
want to use the red lava rock as a mulch.

the stuff floats away easily, so not the
best mulch if you get heavy rains, winds or
floods.

Are you confusing lava rock with perlite? Perlite definitely floats.
Volcanic aggregates (i.e., either white pumice or red lava rock) sink in
water.

nope, no confusion at all. perlite is air
expanded silicon. pumice can float and the
color varies just as the lava rocks can vary,
but the point in common to all of these as
marketed is that they do tend to have air holes
throughout.


I did a quick test with 10 smallish red lava rocks in a bucket of water, and
they all 10 sank.

they might sink, but they are lighter than
a normal rock and they move much easier by
water and wind.

i've used some as mulch here and they wander
around. you need a pretty good border to keep
them in place.


songbird