Where to get pumice in Phoenix?

[tudedude]

Hi, Just moved to Phoenix and am looking for a nursery that sells pumice and perhaps scoria and decomposed granite. Somewhere not too far from downtown. I had to cut down my collection drastically and want to make sure I get my mix right for the few plants that remain.

Thanks.

[PrickPrickBloom]

Hi there I just got a huge bag at AZ cactus sales in Chandler, my new sneaky favorite nursery they have some great stuff and are priced very well compared to a lot of other nurseries. Easy to get to off the freeways.

[PrickPrickBloom]

Here is my recent score there just went for pumice came home with this. Ewing Irrigation also sells MVP turface

[tudedude]

Here is my recent score there just went for pumice came home with this. Ewing Irrigation also sells MVP turface

Wow, nice haul. I'll try to check them out. Thanks!

[tumamoc]

Ask your local cactus nursery where they get their pumice. Chances are it will be local. In Tucson, the owner of B&B's Cactus Farm told me they get theirs from Acme Sand and Gravel. Turns out that is only a couple miles from my house. I can get a load that fills the bed of my pickup for about 30 bucks.

[tudedude]

Turns out that is only a couple miles from my house. I can get a load that fills the bed of my pickup for about 30 bucks.

nice!

[DaveW]

Problem with potting materials in most countries I think is not always their basic price, but transport costs if you cannot pick them up yourself locally. If you look at the prices of most plants or potting materials on EBAY they look quite reasonable until you add in the postage/transport costs which often exceed the item itself. Buying in bulk cuts these costs, but few of us need large amounts, that is unless you can get together with other local collectors to buy a bulk lot and divide the transport costs between you.

[kuni1234567]

I agree that shipping costs of pumice can be very high. I live in Los Angeles and a large bag costs $9.00 and I could drive to the desert and fill up a truck for very little. I would contact a local nursery and also try buying some on eBay.

[cosmotoad]

Here is my recent score there just went for pumice came home with this. Ewing Irrigation also sells MVP turface

I wish I had some garden centres around here with that kind of selection. Usually it's just the same old glued on fake flower cacti, moon cactus, and the regular Home Depot type stuff. Sometimes there's astrophytum ornatum but never Asterias or myriostigma, and definitely no obregonia denegrii. I was happy to find a melocactus one day but when I posted it on cactus identification it turned out to be parodia concinna, mislabeled I guess. There's one local business 'Fabulous Fat Plants' though that some stores carry, they've got some interesting stuff (mostly succulents rather than cacti). At least there's a few sources for pumice I was lucky enough to find. Anyway good luck with your search

[DaveW]

Your local cactus club is usually a good source of information and plants and potting materials. There are some in Canada Cosmo, but how close to you I don't know? I guess the advantage of little old Britain is we have quite a few local branches of the BCSS, but don't have the American or Canadian type distances to travel to get to them. But often belonging to one remotely, or even internationally can help with information etc.

http://www.cactus-mall.com/clubs.html

However I did travel about 140 miles a week or two ago to see an overseas speaker give a talk on Mexican cacti at a convention and will travel about 60 miles in the opposite direction to another convention at the months end to see Graham Charles on Matucana in habitat and cultivation. It often depends how much you are prepared to travel for your hobby and what is available within a reasonable distance. Along with friends I have been to three or four of these this year, plus the BCSS three day Convention. You may find there are dealers within a reasonable driving distance you can visit. Depending how organised you are locally, you can often get cactus friends to share a car and split the transport costs. There are quite a few mainly American and a few Canadian nurseries:-

http://www.cactus-mall.com/nursery/nlistusacan.html

We also do have some Cactus Marts around the country where a BCSS branch or club finds a hall and invites half a dozen or more cactus dealers to put on trade stalls. Not quite up to the size of the international ELK Cactus Mart but the same principle of bringing a number of cactus dealers together in one spot for the benefit of collectors. Obviously these would not exist unless some club or person originally starts them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2om7yY2UkM

[cosmotoad]

Thanks again, DaveW. I'll do some research for local stuff going on. There is the Van Dusen Botanical Garden cactus show/sale which I stumbled upon completely by accident this year, I was just going to tour the garden and by some ridiculous chance it was cactus/succulent day, so I'll try to attend next year too. There was a good amount of rare and interesting plants there, mostly for showing but there was a few vendors too. I don't have a vehicle or a driver's license or any cactus friends so I won't be travelling any great distances any time soon, but Van Dusen is just a couple buses/skytrain away. Also there's a nursery in Comox that I've ordered from many times, so if I ever take the ferry over to the island I might try to visit in person. A few years ago I went to a relatively small cactus event at a nursery that's only 20 minutes away, not a huge selection but there seemed to be a fair amount of fellow cactus people there. Might have to keep an eye out for that event again, if they're still hosting it.

Anyway I complain about there not being enough cacti to buy when really I shouldn't be getting too many more, I've got thousands of seedlings in the works and my greenhouse is pretty stuffed already.

[cosmotoad]

Huh, after clicking your link I quickly found the Desert Plant Society of Vancouver, meetings held on the 4th Thursday of the month at Van Dusen Botanical Gardens, every month except for July, August and December. Looks like exactly what you were talking about. I suppose I'll end up going some day but I'm kind of shy, plus I'll probably be the youngest one there. Actually the guy I bought a couple succulents from on the cactus sale day looked no older than 15 or so, and I'm guessing he's probably a member. Not that age makes any kind of difference.

Anyway, great info and links as always. Thanks!

[kuni1234567]

I have been to several deserts in the Southwest United States and never saw cactus growing in pumice. I collected some soil and brought it home to plant some of my desert cactus. The soil contained very little organic matter, some sand, small rocks and very little clay. I know that pumice is good for most cactus and succulents but I have grown cactus in native soil without pumice. I would try to purchase pumice online or use a substitute like perlite. I have been growing cactus as a hobby for more than fifty years and still lose plants and still feel like an amateur gardener.