Lets talk rocks

Hi Jennifer

We dont want to hijack the other thread now do we

home for lizards.. lizards will find their own way to a rockery in time, same as frogs will find a pond
heating- what colors-- dark attract heat, lighter ones reflect
watering, - i think the heat from the rocks collects water vapour from night air,condences it and it rolls off, it also works as mulch holding water in ground
size.. any size you like
protection from lawnmowers? - youv'e got me there
rocks can also supplt minerals to the soil

Lawnmowers, either a deranged man on a mower or a flock of geese for example.  Might not take much of a fence around the top to keep mini horses off. 

The rocks I have actually soak up water.

Learned that when I dug up around a whole lot of beauties and laid a waterproof base and filled.

2 hours later went to view my lovely creation. Water gone!

Too funny for those who already knew they soaked up water..... 

I love natural rockeries. Easy way to get into beds and plant or whatever..... natural stepping stones. Nice way to terrace down-slope naturally. Hidey-holes for lizards and geckos. The snakes are also welcome mostly, when not puff adder. Those that soak up water keep the soil below moist far longer. All good.

Chelle

Cyara
do you know what type rocks they are, sandstone, limestone for example, could be good knowlege if you do know and handy as well

Jennifer understand the deranged man, but have little know how about horses, so you'll have to sort that one on ya own

Just thinking a 36 inch high rock planter would hold out a 32 inch mini horse, rabbits, or geese.  I am making a no mow plan, I have better things for my old man to do.

your going to end up with those beautifull old stone fences like the old English country side if your not carefull

Bird wrote:
Cyara
do you know what type rocks they are, sandstone, limestone for example, could be good knowlege if you do know and handy as well

True. Need to know. I am fascinated with Aquaponics and would like to use the pebbles sifted out for the growbeds.... but if too alkaline... problem keeping pH adjusted down. Although my plants in the ground do really well in this soil. And the fish I use are best adapted to this hard water. Will see. 

Known locally as Pelindaba rock ...... or Elephant Rock cos so hard and weathered looking in places like the skin of an elephant. Is actually a mix of chert (the hard part) and dolomite (the soft part).

Chert and flint are cryptocrystalline varieties of quartz. Chert is usually gray to white; flint is dark brown to black. Chert and flint are very hard and break with a splintery fracture. Chert is usually associated with dolostone and limestone and occurs as lenses, irregular layers, and nodules, but some rock units are composed almost entirely of chert....

on file

This description leads me to believe there is some flint too..... have the greys and dark browns to blacks too within the rockwork striations. Is beautiful.

Chelle

Bird wrote:
your going to end up with those beautifull old stone fences like the old English country side if your not carefull

I love building with rock. Looks so solid and enduring. When I first realised how much rock there really was here I was a bit daunted.... but now see them as a blessing. So useful. Can always say I farm rocks....  

youv'e done it now, mentioning aquaponics will bring Tclynks and Jennifer looking to pick your brains and share info, both are very inyo the same subject

Bird wrote:
youv'e done it now, mentioning aquaponics will bring Tclynks and Jennifer looking to pick your brains and share info, both are very inyo the same subject

I have never met Jennifer.... but TC knows tons more than me! It would be the other way around. 

Bird is right.  I would loove to hear all about what you are doing and see photos.  Tclynks  knows way more than I...I am at kindergarten level myself.  I have some seeds started (and growing) in rafts in my fishtanks is all.  A nice indoor winter project.  My house-mate says it is "like 4-H, but without the badges" around here.  She is learning so many new things.

yep i recon tc to be the resident xspert, supprised there isn't a aquqpoinics link in critter care, not hinting or anything but one may bring out the closet fish farmers, hopefully not stories of the ones that got away

Jennifer Smith  "listenstohorses" wrote:
Bird is right.  I would loove to hear all about what you are doing and see photos.  Tclynks  knows way more than I...I am at kindergarten level myself.  I have some seeds started (and growing) in rafts in my fishtanks is all.  A nice indoor winter project.  My house-mate says it is "like 4-H, but without the badges" around here.  She is learning so many new things.

I have only got to design stage and laid the initial slab with AP. I have some SketchUp pics of my design somewhere if interested. I am very concerned about getting water-proofing right before I invest more time and money....because it is quite a big system. I already have the tilapia and have been testing sustainable feeds on them.... cos don't want to buy in if possible.... and love working with fish. So that part will be easy. But I know I still have some learning curves ahead.

I have gotten distracted with getting my Food Forest going when Spring arrived (Summer here now) so that I would have a sustainable food supply for the rabbits I am also interested in getting..... French Angoras.... wool and meat. And want to get that moving until winter sets in again.... Establishing Moringa trees especially. And am practicing on small ponds to see best way to waterproof... don't want to use plastic liner. I have now bought a product called Coprox... an additive that is supposed to waterproof the cement. When I know what I am doing after building a few ponds through the Food Forest .... and bought a cement mixer... then I will carry on with the AP system. But fascinating stuff.

i went to a village in th e mountains of marrocco were they had some sort of volcanic stones on their roofs i think they were said to hold water, their job was to keep the house cool.
  agri rose macaskie.