Why lava rock

Despite its name, lava glass is not translucent and is more similar in feel, look and use to dark smooth river rocks but with more surface glare. Which would be a less expensive alternative to obsidian and feel free to replace lava glass in any of these ideas with Mexican river rocks for a more budget friendly option. But keep in mind that they are not as shiny. A good general rule of thumb, when dealing with such reflective elements, start out with less at first and then adjust after you see how light moves around it over 24 hours until I get the desired effect at the brightest point.

I set my glass right in front of the warm morning glow of the early morning Sun. Lava rocks, lava glass, fire glass and landscape glass make a bold statement, and this makes them ideal for large set pieces. For example, they can make any plain wall or non-horizontal surface vibrant and textured. Add some running water over them, and you have an exquisite water feature that has a unique textured look. The water blurs the texture even more and integrates the glare in itself.

We are not very fond of the bland slat look of most water features. The clean ceramic look is too similar to a bathroom and should be separate from the garden. We feel the same about pairing stones around water features. Look at rivers and streams, the bottom is either dark and cold or rich and brown in the warmer areas. Conversely, if you go to an oceanic theme, you are met with dark blues, or emerald tones, Nowhere on earth can water be found on an insipid flat white background outside of the human bathroom.

Imagine what a rocky outside shower might look like if you carpet the wall with a rocky layer of volcanic rock? Suddenly the water source becomes a mountain spring, jumping out of pure rock. Think of that central cascade that probably falls over some generic smooth flat blue tiles. Bring it to life, make it go over a rocky surface, make it jump out, dance, agitate and become more than just running water.

In nature moving water is turbulent, almost violent sometimes. Bring that character back into your water features. The red lava rock works great with rich dark green vegetation. Dark lava rocks add a nice background that allows the eyes to focus on even the darkest plants, that pop-up and become more vibrant in comparison. The classic dark lava rock wall is a base foundation for any volcanic, Pacific Islander lush vegetation.

Combine it with my previous point and add a little verticality and paste the wall behind the plants with a black volcanic rock. It just makes the plants step up their visual game and together will create a very believable jungle feel. Landscaping glass, on the other hand, works very well with modern landscapes and provides a good accent for some less impressive bright but beige tones.

This is where the versatility of this bipolar asset comes into play. With a little light and in small quantities the glare effect adds just enough in smaller crowded spaces, where even small beds of landscaping glass make a huge difference. Lava glass, fire glass, and the black lava rock also work great on the other side of the spectrum, when they need to compete with the literal Sun for attention.

In less crowded, but very well lit scenes. Adding accents to a white sandstone scene under the full brightness of the Mediterranean sun in mid-July is impossible with almost anything else.

The matte blacks of dark lava rock are the only other alternative to a bright sun and pale backgrounds. The texture of lava rock makes it absorb light like crazy, and in even the brightest Sun, lava rock will be the only material that will still be dark and broody. This makes a bold statement in places like a pale minimalist Japanese garden, adding contrast to a monochrome scene. The addition of the darker earthier elements complements the light almost washed up earthy tones of Japanese design to great effect even in the brightest of sunlight.

Completing the elemental trifecta, lava rocks work great with fire. Aesthetics are an important component of mulching. If you are concerned about curb appeal for enhancing real estate values, consider that red lava rock may be unappealing to some - and if you don't like how lava rock looks after you've installed it as mulch, it is difficult and costly to remove.

The rocks can also be used by neighborhood vandals to scratch graffiti onto surfaces. Rock mulches don't break down as quickly as organic mulches, but lava rock can wash or blow away if you use it in exposed locations.

New Mexico State University Extension specialists recommend installing lava rock at least an inch below sidewalk level to reduce its movement out of planting beds. Despite being lightweight, lava rocks can damage mower blades if pieces end up on your lawn. Even if they remain where you place them, lava rocks' sharp edges make the material difficult to work around, so it is best used in permanent plantings or other locations where maintenance tasks are minimal.

Tests show that micro nutrients even in these tiny amounts are enough to give many drought tolerant plants all the food they need.

Running water either in a waterfall in your pond , where the water is continually filtered to remove algae, or to remove debris from rain water captured from a roof. You can see more about making a koi pond filter here. It's been advocated to use water filtered with lava rock to water tomatoes, as it's thought to prevent certain types of bacterial blight. Interesting thought Using lava rock or other mineral mulch in wildfire prone areas is recommended rather than flammable mulch such as bark or wood chips to prevent the spread of fire.

Lava rock is found in many different colours, to complement the plants and hardscaping in your xeric garden. Volcanic Rock Types by Mauna Loa. What Factors Cause Mechanical Weathering? Interesting Facts About Quartzite.

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