Be Inspired Blog - Arizona
One of the Most Interesting Garden Products is Lava Sand
Unfamiliar with lava sand or unsure of how your garden may benefit from it? No worries, we’ve got you covered…
According to the Dirt Doctor:
Lava sand is crushed scoria, a reddish brown to black volcanic slag with a texture full of holes; lava sand is the most popular rock material. Considered by many to be an excellent source of energy for the soil, lava sand makes soil nutrients more available to plant root. It provides aeration and porosity to the soil and helps retain the right amount of moisture in the soil, is durable and resists degradation.
Lava sand, which has paramagnetic qualities, helps to align the particles in the soil itself, increasing the fertility of the soil. The Garden Guy recommends adding about 20 percent of lava sand to potting soil for raised pots and raised garden beds.
Available in two sizes: Dave Owens, the Organic Garden Guy's, Lava Sand Soil Conditioner - 9 lb. bag, and Nature's Way Lava Sand - 20 lb. bag.
How to Use Lava Sand
Along with raised beds, there are other wonderful uses for lava sand. Here are a few additional ways to use lava sand for gardening success from the Dirt Doctor:
Sick Trees
Use under the trees at 40-80 pounds/1,000 square feet. For more effective results on sicker trees, drill 2 inch holes 12-18 inches deep throughout the root zone and fill with 50 percent lava sand and 50 percent compost.
Roses
Add the lava sand to rose bed preparation at 80 pounds per 1,000 square feet and to the top of roses in pots at a rate heavy enough to cover the soil surface red. Gently work into the top inch; turf broadcast at 40 pounds per 1,000 square feet.
Bed Preparation
Till together with compost and organic fertilizer and use 40- 80 pounds per 1,000 square feet.
Potting Soil
Add up to 1/3 the volume of good potting soil.
Lava Sand Even Offers an Unexpected Bonus
If you have garden creature visitors who love to walk on your garden bed, adding it on the surface is a perfect deterrent. You don’t like to walk on rocks, do you? Well, neither do critters. The lava sand creates a rough, hard surface that will prevent little paws from walking all over your raised or in-the-ground garden.
Are you interested in using lava sand in your garden? Stop by your local SummerWinds Nursery and pick up a bag for yourself today!
