Granulated, cooled lava provides home and garden owners with a versatile natural product. Lava granulate is at the beginning of a steep career as a powerful soil additive, revitalizing substrate component, reliable filter medium and creative design element. This guide informs you about recommended purchasing sources and practical application options. Benefit from useful tips & tricks about a superlative natural product.
What is lava granules and what is it used for?
Lava granulate is a versatile natural product made from cooled lava that is used as a soil improver, substrate component, filter medium and decorative element. It is breathable, permeable to water and does not rot. It is available in hardware stores, garden centers, building materials dealers and online shops.
Where can you buy lava granules?
Lava granules have rarely been found commercially as a single substrate. The majority of home and garden owners know this natural product as grit and as an additive in high-quality potted plant soil for cacti and Mediterranean plants. We looked around the local and virtual market and found the following shopping sources for you:
- Hardware stores: Obi, Hagebau, Hornbach, Bauhaus
- Garden Center: e.g. B. Rosenhof Schultheiss (Bad Nauheim), Dehner (more than 100 locations)
- Substrate dealer: e.g. B. Interbims (Eifel)
- Building materials dealer: e.g. B. Kieskönig (Anh alt-Bitterfeld), Kies-direkt (10 locations throughout Germany), Mobau (NRW)
- Online retailers: Amazon, Ebay, Manufactum, Vulcatex
The best chance of buying lava granules in local stores is in late fall and winter. Since s alt has been banned as a gritting agent in many municipalities, regional retailers have increasingly been integrating lava into their product range as an alternative. Savvy hobby gardeners purchase lava granules in larger quantities in big bags or as bulk goods at a significantly reduced price. Buyers who can drive up to the local provider with a trailer for transport have a clear advantage. A numerical example illustrates the price advantage: a 25 kg bag of lava granules with a grain size of 8-16 mm costs from 11.50 euros (0.46 euros/kg). 800 kg Big Bag lava granules grain size 8-25 mm costs from 135 euros (0.17 euros/kg) plus 99.90 euros shipping costs.
What use is lava granulate suitable for?
Lava granulate is used in the garden, among other things
Born in the hot core of our planet, lava granules impress with their tangible properties. When cooled lava is crushed, a natural product is created with a wide range of useful application scenarios. Porous lava rock has impressive attributes. The inorganic material is, among other things, breathable, water-permeable and resistant to rot. The following table shows you how to use lava granules skilfully:
| Garden | Plant Care | Pond/Aquarium | Gritting material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bed cover | Potting soil aggregate | Planting substrate wet zone | Spread s alt replacement |
| Road paving | Weed suppression | Decorative element pond edge | Gritting agents on snow |
| Soil improvement | Drainage for pots | Filter medium | |
| Design element | Moisture storage | Soil in the aquarium |
Lava granulate fulfills the tasks set brilliantly if you mix different grain sizes between 2 and 16 mm. The lava stones tilt and fit together more tightly on their own. This simple trick optimizes its use in the bed, as a filter medium, as a substrate or as a spreading material.
Problem solvers in the garden
Lava granulate is the ace up the hobby gardener's sleeve for tackling numerous tasks and a variety of problems. The natural product is wear-resistant, water-permeable, breathable, long-lasting and has an insulating effect on the floor. Compared to sand, gravel, chippings and gravel, lava mulch is lightweight and easy to spread. Lava maintains a harmonious coexistence with all plants in the garden without conflict. The following list provides an insight into common areas of use for lava granules in the garden:
- Weed suppression in beds, under hedges and trees, in lawn pavers
- Soil loosening as an additive in compacted, waterlogged soil
- Planting base for roses, shrubs, conifers, vegetables, flowers, perennials
- Ground fastening for access routes, driveways, work routes, seats
- Heat storage releases stored heat at night to neighboring plants
- Erosion blocker Prevents soil erosion during heavy rain and thunderstorms
In summer, lava granules as mulch reduce the premature evaporation of irrigation water. This keeps the garden soil moist and cool for longer, which your plants really appreciate. Lava granules convincingly demonstrate this benefit when the natural product is used as mulch by cacti and other succulents. The floral survival artists can manage their low water supplies better because the valuable liquid does not evaporate so quickly. Excessive amounts of water quickly reach deep soil layers because the drainage function of lava gravel prevents harmful waterlogging. In return, lava gravel effectively buffers severe frost so that roots in the ground do not freeze.
Excursus
Distinguish between lava granules and lava mulch
The main difference between lava granules and lava mulch is the grain size. The trade offers grain sizes between 2 and 8 mm under the name lava granulate. Grain sizes between 8 and 32 are referred to as lava mulch. However, the boundaries are fluid. Sometimes grain sizes between 8 and 16 mm are offered under both names. Lava sand with a grain size of 0 to 2 mm is rarely found on offer. The fine-grained material is suitable as an alternative to road s alt in winter or as quartz sand to sand the lawn.
Natural contribution to plant care
Lava granules store water and release it to the plants when needed
If lava granules come into play as a substrate component, plants and gardeners alike benefit from numerous advantages. Potting soil becomes loose and airy when you add a few handfuls of lava granules. If you occasionally forget to water, the porous grains release stored water to the plant roots. Accidental overwatering does not result in harmful waterlogging if there is a layer of lava granules on the bottom of the vessel as drainage.
Use lava granules in grain sizes of 2 to 8 mm as an additive for the substrate of your balcony and house plants. A proven rule of thumb for measuring the right amount is: 4 parts potting soil, 1 part lava granules. Before planting, cover the bottom of the flower box, pot and container with a two-finger-thick layer of lava granules. Ideally, you should cover the drainage with a water- and air-permeable fleece. This gardening trick prevents substrate crumbs from getting stuck between the lava grains and destroying the drainage effect. Furthermore, the inorganic natural product stays clean, so you can use it again after repotting.
Tip
A good edging is mandatory if lava granules directly border the lawn as ground reinforcement or bed cover. If lava grit gets between the rotating blade bars, the dilemma can cause serious damage to the lawnmower. A stable and sufficiently high construction is recommended, comparable to a gravel bed border.
Beneficial for water worlds
Standing and bubbling water remains crystal clear with lava granules. As a filter medium in ponds and aquariums, lava grains piggyback on hard-working cleaning bacteria so that the water stays clear and clean. An indoor fountain bubbles with immaculately clean water while a layer of lava at the bottom catches even the tiniest of contaminants. Aquarists on a tight budget use lava granules as an inexpensive substructure for the substrate. This trick reduces the need for expensive aquarium soil as an upper substrate layer to the last few centimeters.
Non-slip on ice and snow - lava granules as grit
Lava granulate is also used as a spreading agent
Slippery paths and slippery driveways are a thing of the past when there is a bag of lava granules in the storage warehouse in winter. As a spreading agent, the natural product impresses with its immediate slip resistance on ice and snow. Furthermore, lava grit is frost-resistant. Therefore, the grains do not dissolve, as is common with road s alt. Thanks to a porous structure, lava granules absorb melt water, significantly reducing the dreaded freezing wetness.
As an alternative to road s alt, lava granules are also a good choice because neighboring plants do not suffer from consequential damage. Seeping road s alt leaves a look of misery on hedges, trees and shrubs when it gets into the ground in large quantities and upsets the ecological balance. As a result, s alt as a gritting agent is strictly prohibited in many regions. Buy lava granules with a grain size of 2 to 4 millimeters if you want to use an all-round useful and environmentally friendly grit in the future.
Frequently asked questions
What is lava granules?
Lava granulate is a purely natural product, created from solidified lava. The outstanding properties include low weight, good water permeability and a high mineral content. Furthermore, lava is completely odorless and does not rot. These attributes make lava granules the ideal soil improver, potting soil additive and winter gritting agent. The material is very popular as a filter medium for ponds and aquariums. Last but not least, colorful lava granules are useful in creative garden design for natural soil consolidation.
How do I correctly use lava granules for weed suppression?
The competent use of lava granules against weeds is based on a combination of correct grain size and appropriate layer height. A grain size of 8 to 16 mm has proven to work well in the garden. Spread the mulch in the bed 6 to 8 cm high for effective weed suppression. Coarser grains and thinner layers leave dandelions, groundworms and critters too much room for growth.
Why is lava granulate so suitable as a filter medium for ponds and aquariums?
The porous surface of lava granules serves as a welcome settlement area for millions of hard-working cleaning bacteria. These bacteria make a valuable contribution to keeping the water in the pond or aquarium clear and he althy. For this purpose, the filter basket is filled with lava granules. Grain sizes between 8 and 32 millimeters are suitable for use. If necessary, lava can be crushed with a hammer so that it fits into an aquarium filter.
Tip
Lava granulate is well on the way to displacing classic bark mulch as a natural soil reinforcement. The natural product does not rot, is odorless, non-slip and does not release any nutrients into the soil. A wide range of warm colors makes lava mulch the ideal design element if you are planning a front garden, creating a prairie garden or cottage garden.
