Having difficulty sourcing pumice where I live, was looking for a work around?

[Perrin6363]

I am going to cook my 1st batch of living soil soon. I am going to follow Coot's recipe and I've got Malibu BU compost. I've got enough compost and castings to cook about 15 yd³, I was going to fill a 2x4x 18" bed. I did find lava rock at a local landscape supply place and I can crush it up by hand but I would need roughly 5 ft³ worth and that's a lot to crush by hand. I know there is vermiculite and rice hulls but I've never used them. I've never used lava rock either though, for that matter. What would you use in my situation?

 

[mysticepipedon]

Your lava rock probably isn't pumice, or they would have sold it as pumice. How about substituting perlite instead?

 

[Perrin6363]

Your lava rock probably isn't pumice, or they would have sold it as pumice. How about substituting perlite instead?

I thought perlite eventually all floats to the top.

 

[TSD]

I thought perlite eventually all floats to the top.

In soil? Not in my experience... it's pretty well trapped, especially with roots in there... would need a flood to dislodge it I think.

 

[Perrin6363]

In soil? Not in my experience... it's pretty well trapped, especially with roots in there... would need a flood to dislodge it I think.

That's the only time I've ever seen it work is way to the top, but it seems like it's not used in living soils too much. Pumice also floats so the same principal should be at work but everyone uses that. I wanted to get some ideas of what other people like to use for aeration. I'll prob use some perlite now that you brought up that point. If I'm using blumats my soil should never be drenched enough to float perlite to the top.

 

[ezenzyme]

BA SA LT!!!!!!! Worry not my friend your in luck, the lovely landscaping rock basalt can be had for as little as 30 bones a yard!!!! You just need to find a rock yard, do you have to crush it? not if you dont want! If your in a rice growing or grain in general the hulls are cheap and easy but will degrade. Crusher fines are the smallest generally sold and come with a healthy dose of basalt rock powder!

 

[mysticepipedon]

BA SA LT!!!!!!! Worry not my friend your in luck, the lovely landscaping rock basalt can be had for as little as 30 bones a yard!!!! You just need to find a rock yard, do you have to crush it? not if you dont want! If your in a rice growing or grain in general the hulls are cheap and easy but will degrade. Crusher fines are the smallest generally sold and come with a healthy dose of basalt rock powder!

Lots of rocks can be formed from volcanic action, but their characters are very different. Pumice is so light that it can float. Basalt -- not so much.

 

[TSD]

That's the only time I've ever seen it work is way to the top, but it seems like it's not used in living soils too much. Pumice also floats so the same principal should be at work but everyone uses that. I wanted to get some ideas of what other people like to use for aeration. I'll prob use some perlite now that you brought up that point. If I'm using blumats my soil should never be drenched enough to float perlite to the top.

I use it in my holes outside, we get some torrential rain storms here in summer and I've never noticed it washing away, maybe the bit near the very top... but it's still there when I pull up my root balls after harvest.