pumice and lava in Minnesota

crust

Everyone,
what is the best value source for central Minnesota,shipping or pickup,for approx. 6cu. feet graded pumice and same in lava.The web directs me to mega companies who need to sell by sem-load or small companies whose shipping is steep.Any help would be appreciated,
Thanks,
Crust

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bonsainewbie221

dont know about the lava but i found pumice at orchard supply hardware for super cheap. i believe they were in 25lbs bags so not sure how much cubic ft that is but u might give it a try. most of which was usable once sifted and rinsed

crust

Orchard supply is a Calif place none near MN.I will try to contact them and see but I suspect shipping so far will be spendy.
Thanks ,
Any minnesotans purchase these products or am I in a cultural void.
Please more suggestions!

bonsainewbie221

sorry about that i had no idea there werent any over there. good luck in your search.

waltr

I haven't been able to find the properly sized lava here in SE PA either. Like Turface its around but not easy to find. The local big box home stores have lava chunks (1-3inch) that could be crushed and sieved.
I did buy a couple of bags of lava from Bonsai Monk last year. The shipping was high but not by too much so I felt it was worth it.

ianb

You could try Shady Side bonsai, they aren't too far away from you. Your also pretty close to the Rosades and Jim Doyles (but I'm not sure if they carry it).

Good luck, I've been using lava for a couple of years now and love it.

__________________
Cheers

Ian

4MAAT

crust

Pa is a long way from Minnesota to be sure I guess that is the way it is.I am suprised that large cities like Minneapolis,MN or Chicago IL don't have shipping centers.

waltr

I had no idea that Shady Side Bonsai was near PA. I've looked at their web site many times but there is no information as to their location. Guess I'll email them and ask.
I am about 10 miles from Rosade's and do go there often. Jim's is two hours away and I'll be going there for the first time this coming April 4th for a workshop with Walter Pall (real excited about that).

On obtaining soil materials: I was suggesting the need to really search all possibilities. Local places to check are any and all landscaping, lawn, turf, nursery companies and suppliers. Some may be appear wholesale but will sell small quantities or a find a smaller company that will order a few bags for you.

If you only need a small quatity then the extra cost of shipping may not be too great.

The other thing I've found is that the supply (of say Turface MVP) can change. I found some once but the next time I went there they had another product that had much more fines than MVP (I got about a 50% yield after sieving) but was claimed as being the same.

Thanks,
walt

crust

Walt,
I called the state landscape and nursery association and they helped me pick some businesses to call from there directory, which I did. Turface is no problem as farm supply out-fits in Minneapolis carry it and I have also bought by the pallet directly from baseball grounds maintenance supply.Misc.things like aged pine bark,coarse perlite and chemicals can be had from nursery supply out-fits that drop off to all the small greenhouses through-out the state,no prob.No one knows of a supply for horticultural"pumice" or "lava".Not at golf-course supplies,farm supplies etc. at least non I know about.The MN bonsai association people seem to have no interest in these products and most seem to get in small quantity or use the only bark ,grit ,turface.I hate the thought of having these products shipped in small amounts especially from out west to out east then to me.Thanks so far but need more sources.
Thanks
Crusty one