Disadvantages to Landscaping With Volcanic Rock
Lava rocks are black or red volcanic rocks used as mulch in gardens. While there are benefits of landscaping with lava rocks, such as a long life, there are also some disadvantages of using them in your garden. Does this Spark an idea?
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Cost
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Volcanic or lava rocks cost a considerable amount more than organic mulches. A bag of cypress mulch is $1.49, whereas lava rock is $2.99 per bag as of October 2009.
Features
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Volcanic rock is lightweight, making it easy to blow away or crush. Bright dyes used on black and red lava rocks can run, causing stains on concrete in surrounding areas.
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Prevention/Solution
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Use a fabric liner over top of the soil and underneath lava rocks to prevent weed growth at the mulch level. This will prevent lava rocks from sinking below the soil, allowing weeds to grow.
Considerations
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Planting new plants and removing volcanic rock from your garden can be cumbersome. If you have more annuals than perennials, lava rock will be extremely hard to work with each year.
Warning
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Light-colored inorganic mulch such as lava rocks can reflect light, causing the temperature around your plants to be higher. Make sure your plants can tolerate the extra heat before using light-colored materials.
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