Printable View
I am having trouble finding a good source for lava rocks for landscaping. I want both intact boulders as well as crushed lava rock/gravel. In SOCAL it was easy to find but in south central Oklahoma it is NOT easy to find. I need to get as far up the "food chain" as possible as I am willing to take an entire 18 wheeler load but not at retail one sack at a time prices.
Pat
Lava rock, spring,???Has that primordial springtime urge to rearrange the landscape surrounding ones abode again struck? [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
If you are satisfied with slate, granite, the odd piece of quartz and some metamorphosed slate??? we may be able to accommodate your requirements. How many trucks did you want? [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
As I'm sure you know, Pat; most "lava" rock is burned coal cinders. Do you have any old, coal-fired power plants in the area? (The newer facilities will probably have burned such finely-ground coal that the slag will not produce "rock" but more like sand.)
Lava from burnt coal... What an interesting concept. I hadn't previously realized that volcanoes were big coal fires. Oh well, whatever... I still want crushed lava rock and various size lava boulders.Maybe an old old old coal fired plant might burn really huge chunks of coal resulting in satisfactorily sized "lava" rocks (lava = clinkers???) Or... perhaps one of the underground coal fires that has been burning for decades could be mined for "lava" rocks.
Nah... I think I will try for either "traditional" lava like is mined in some of the western states, native rock, or a combination. The goal is to seriously reduce if not elliminate burnable materials between my circular drive and the house. NO MOWING between drive and house and mowing exterior to driveway to be by brush hog. A few specimen plantings well contained in curbing with such species as pampas grass, various cacti, succulents, and other species suitable for xeroscaping. I will install hidden drip irrigation for those plantings that require more water and any trees (farther from house.)
Pat
are you trying to defy tradition and eliminate the "LAWN" Pat? [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img]
Some folks use the soft reddish rock? from burnt coal seams to good effect for landscaping cover.
Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Egon, At my previous, Spanish Mediterranean style, residence (San Diego built in 1928), slightly under 1500 sq ft not counting sun porch/garden room, I elliminated grass to mow and gave away my lawnmower. I had front and rear patios with fountains and little pools, large areas of lava rock (crushed) and some boulders. I surrounded the living room picture windows with trellises for bougainvillea which I trained to climb up one side and down the other (defying the normal gravitational response.)
In the back yard I had some flower beds, lots of hanging plants, and a raised garden space that was very productive. I had seven kinds of peppers and tomato "trees" (tomato plants still bearing after 3 years.)
I'm not trying to duplicate my previous situation exactly but will elliminate any need to mow grass between the house and the circular drive and use the tractor and brush hog for mowing the yard beyond the circular drive when and if the cattle don't do enough. I will be fencing in a few acres for the front yard, enclosing several large pecan trees, using 3 rail vinyl fence with a hot wire between the rails to keep stock from pushing on it.
I will probably need to find a source "out west" for crushed lava rock and lava boulders and then find an arrangement for 18 wheelers to deliver the loads. In San Diego I could find lava boulders on pallets with cheap wire fencing to hold them in place (stacked 5-6 feet high.) I could luck out and find someone carrying cargo westward who might make me a reasonable deal for the back haul.
Failing a good lava connection my next best deal would probably be native rock such as red sandstone. It is much heavier, doesn't come in as wide a choice of colors, and to my aesthetic sensibilities is less desirable but meets my minimum requirements, barely.
Pat
Oh no; you appear to advocate the abolishment of "The Lawn".
A status symbol of many who maintain an abode on land and pride themselves on pristine green grass devoid of any growing thing other than the specified grass and achieved by copious use of water, fertilizers, chemical deterrents to any broadleaved form of vegetation that would make an attempt to establish and maintain their presence and the biweekly passing over of the cutting machine to maintain the perfect height which is really less than what is optimum.
Front lawns may be deemed a waste of space unless one has a vehicle or two he can park there and work on. Less frontage and more usable backyard make much more sense. Or, convert the area to the growing of kitchen produce. Fresh herbs and vegetables that are not designed to be used as bouncy balls may invigorate many a jaded Palate. Add several rabbit pens and a chicken cage for fresh eggs and then there is a very viable front yard. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
The classic symbol to the affluent who use the pristine front yard as a symbol saying they are wealthy and can afford to purchase substandard quality and tasteless fresh produce. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img]
Of course turning it into a no maintenance area is another alternative. [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
[img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] After reading about your home in SOCAL, Pat, I am reminded of the time a dentist and family friend asked my dad and I if we could help him get some landscaping rock for a no-lawn motif in front of his dentist office. "Sure" Dad replied, "We can use the winch truck." We had an F-600 Ford with a steel bed, and a model M-5 Braden winch with 300 feet of 5/8" cable. Elated, "Bo" our friend, arranged for us to meet with him at Knight's Ferry, CA, a historic river town just east of Oakdale; where the numbers of lava boulders are only surpassed by the number of rattlesnakes in the 18" tall yellow grass. So we met with "Bo", and drove around a local cattle ranch until he finally selected three rocks, a big one and two liddle ones. We used a system of timbers to build a ramp similar to what the guys did when they built the pyramids, but in the end it was the Braden that did the real work, dragging that big ball of lava onto the truck. It took one person full time to shoot snakes. Bo had the cutest double-barrel .410 shotgun you ever saw. I was the truck operator, and because of all the snakes, I only stepped out of the cab to swing up onto the bed to release the dog clutch on that Braden. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] Snakes, YOW! [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] The big boulder weighed 11,000 pounds, the liddle ones were about 800 each.
The last native rock I brought home via tractor was at my limit. I got under a rock with my pallet forks along the shoulder of the section line that goes by in front of our house. I used the HD box blade for ballast and just barely got it out of the ditch and up on the road. It was so heavy I could not get the hydraulics to lift it as high as I wanted. All the way home (less than a mile) I went slowly and carefully but still with the rear wheels just barely skimming the surface. Turning was a challenge. I managed to get it to my rock pile but couldn't put it on the pile, just drop it by the pile. My maximum lift is under a ton, down around 1500 lbs or so, I think. As I got the long forks they are rated for 1300 lbs or so but if the CG on the load is not too far out I don't worry about that limit. The short forks were rated around 1500 or so and that seems reasonable if you mind the CG and leverage.
Of course there is lava and then there is lava. It matters how much foaming or aeration there was in the lava. The stuff I am after is really not very dense as it is essentially foam rock. Not as light as pumice, mind you, but light as rocks go.
It snowed here today from about 0800 to 1300 currently 1327. Hopefully it is over now for the year. Ground is too warm so no accumulation.
Gotta go check my expectant mothers...
Pat
if lava rocks is not available, go for leca (expanded clay peelets) instead
Never heard of it so I Googled it. I don't think it is what I would want for large expanses of ground cover. It looks too artificial even if you use the various sizes available.
Crushed lava comes in a variety of colors to choose from among as well as whatever mix of sizes you want. You can place lava boulders and then blend in bowling ball size lava rocks on down to gravel for an attractive look. I'm talking thousands of sq ft of coverage not just a small planter or two.
I want to put in some blue carpet juniper as well and it looks good creeping over crushed lava.
Pat
If you haven't already, try these people in OK city.
Seems to me they are qualified and may be able to suggest a superior alternative that is more cost effective.
http://www.minickmaterials.com/index.htm
It depends on how much you want and are willing to buy to meet your needs.
I am in communications with Minick Materials but extracting information is not easy for some reason. They seem to not want to divulge prices till you are more committed to the size of a shipment. The quantity ordered is dependent on price so we continue to dance about trying to get the other guy to show a card or two.
I will get some straight answers or look for other sources.
Pat
Your not in good position to negotiate....maybe this will help.
Better buy before fuel prices go through the roof again.
http://www.coloradolava.com/
I'm N O T trying to negotiate price, I'm just trying to negotiate with them to learn the prices and it seems way too hard to get the info. How can I make an informed decision if they won't give me a price? They mention product, I show an interest in the approx prices vs sizes of say native boulders but after three requests I still have no idea whatsoever what a given weight or size would cost, even a +/- 20-30% estimate. I'd love to buy some at the right price but with no price info at all on boulders I don't think it is prudent to order any.
They gave me a pretty low price on crushed red lava but worded their message ambiguously so I don't know if they were quoting shipping cost or total cost including material. I would commit to a min of two full truck loads and maybe need a third if I knew the total price was what was quoted not just trucking charges.
Thanks for the second source I will look into that.
I had thought of developing a lead out west and finding a trucker looking for a backhaul to make some $ on the way back through here headed east. I'm not all that far from OKC (I-35 and I-40 intersection is about 50 miles.
Pat
Their website has a contact email. Send them an email as if your were a GC (general contractor) trying to put together a quote using a quantity similar or larger than you need. Ask them to quote it with no shipping as you will be sending a 14 yard truck. Be sure and give them dates and times that you will be needing material. If they don't respond you probably don't want to do business with them anyway. Their number (price) will serve as a benchmark, it will give you a good idea of your cost at any rate.
I guess lava rock is pretty light weight, so you may be able to get a decent price from Colorado, if you buy a large quantity.
Maybe when your neighbors see what you've done you can sell them what's left of the pile, seeing how it's so hard to acquire in those parts. I understand it makes better mulch (keeps the ground cooler and more moist than wood) than wood chips, and doesn't attract as many pests.
Well, In addition to lava boulders and crushed lava I wanted some native red sandstone boulders too. A friend's nephew just hired a dozer to clean up 40 acres he bought and they discovered serious quantities of rocks at or near the surface. I took my little 'bota and dump trailer over and got 5 loads (so far) and will go back today with bucket instead of pallet forks to get some small ones. There are 5-6 or more I can't lift with the FEL but will devise a plan to get them on the trailer.
Here is a picture of one of the larger rocks holding my tractor on three wheels due to FEL overload. I couldn't lift it any higher and had to leave it behind. If the trailer was empty I could have loaded that rock.
Pat
Here I am dumping the 4th (last) load of the day (my birthday.) The last load was generally smaller rocks. Many of the first three loads were right at the max I could lift with the FEL. Now to go back with the bucket to get a load or two of smaller ones and then to figure a way to load the ones I can't lift.
I might winch them up the ramp or some such. Maybe a half day rental of something to pick them up. Timbers and gin pole plus winch to lift them into the air and back the trailer under them. We'll see.
Pat
Looks like you had a rockin birthday [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
Those are some nice rocks, they look huge. One could do a lot with all of those.
Post some pictures of the finished project with something to scale it with.
Be careful
RB
Some folks have to spend a lot of time and effort to get rid of the rocks on their place and other folks spend just as much time and effort huntin' rocks to move onto their place. I still say humans are the dumbest critters on Earth. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
Well, "Happy Rocky Birthday" [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img]
Egon
[img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] Egon, another odd human trait is that we tend to fill up whatever space is available. I generally think only humans do that, but maybe packrats come close. [img]/forums/images/icons/laugh.gif[/img] I know it makes no difference how big a shop or barn I have, I fill it. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]
I got all the rocks that the 'bota could lift, 8-10 loads (I didn't keep a count) and some it couldn't lift. A friend of the owner came over with a BIG JD tractor with FEL that could lift larger rocks (at least one end) and get them into my dump trailer. There are still a few nice big ones there but beyond the lift or push up a ramp capability of either tractor. I may try some variation on an inclined plane and the one ton Dodges 24,000 lb winch capability.
Pat
You say Socal was easy to find....I need boulders...Not finding...Any leads...I live SOCAL...Camarillo to be exact. Ventura county
Thanks for any leads,,Got some free but those got used fast.
What is curious to me is you were in the middle of nowhere and what the heck do all these snakes eat. I know the desert is full of desert is full of life but this seems like a nightmare to me. And too , why were they there? What an adventure!
Just a thought.
Jessie
Are these light weight like the pourice LAVA ROCK? Also where do you find it in socal.?
Wow just saw date on your post...Don't think you will answer. Glad I saw term pumice Trying to look for this without terminology is sure hard...I am looking same thing. Trying to find who hAS IT IN SOCAL, CA
Pat/Robert/All Others,
This is Patrick from Minick Materials. I happen to catch this thread and thought I'd jump in to see if there is anything I can help with. Sorry you had a challenge getting prices from us. If you can give me some more detail on what you are looking for (Even thought this was back in 2009) I'll see what I can do for you. If you already solved it I'd be curious who you ended up going with.
Let me know if I can help.