limestone chippings....

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Jez
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Re: limestone chippings....

Post by Jez »

nick,

Excellent, thanks that might be a good option - I can take a bag along next time I am up there (which is fairly frequently). Then I can take a large hammer to it....

Cheers,

Jez

PS - Nick the bulb you gave me.... can't remember the name.... and it has a lovely flower on it now.

Jez

NCSS/BCSS member intermittently since c 1978
Forum member from 08/2006
Collection of mostly smaller cacti and succulents (space limited!) including a variety of caudiciforms..... and I've lots to learn about looking after them.
Guest

Re: limestone chippings....

Post by Guest »

I get mine from B & Q 'SupraMix' you can get plum slate, limestone chips , pink alpine etc, so this should be available nationwide.
Richard
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Re: limestone chippings....

Post by Richard »

Hi Jez,

I use bellest(i think this is spelled right).It is builders gravel it is from any good builders yard.It only costs about ?3 or 4 pounds a bag,i only put in 3 or 4 stones in each pot so it lasts some time.I also use pigeon grit,which is seashells crushed to approx 3mm dia.It is washed and cleaned,my uncle imports it from Europe for his birds.His business is pigeons racing etc.

Richard

Back 3weeks ago from South America,well post some pics of my travels soon
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Julie
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Re: limestone chippings....

Post by Julie »

And just to be sure, pocket a sachet of vinegar from your local Wimpy, and keep it in your pocket... :)

Happy carrier of Forby Disorder - an obsession with Euphorbia obesa.

NB. Anyone failing to provide a sensible name for me to address them will be called, or referred to, as Fred.
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Phil Hocking
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Re: limestone chippings....

Post by Phil Hocking »

Rock crushers beware - an ordinary hammer is not made for bashing rocks and can splinter, sending shards of metal flying. Ideally get a geological hammer but wear goggles anyway, whichever one you use. Your local library should have a geological map of your area. When I was a kid I used to get limestone pebbles from a conglomerate bed near my home, and hammer them with my eyes shut. This was long before the rise of health and safety. I used to crush old mortar too, as that also contains lime.

Somerset Phil
Member of Somerset branch. I have a diverse mixture of small cacti plus a few larger survivors from a previous collection. I also like Stapeliads, Titanopsis, Anacampseros, and various other succulents. Now proud owner of many self-raised seedlings.
Jez
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Posts: 340
Joined: 11 Jan 2007

Re: limestone chippings....

Post by Jez »

Phil,

I would of course take great care and wear appropriate protective goggles and probably steel toe-caps..... while using my road-bashing-grade "spark resistant" long handled sledge hammer. I've used it to smash up paving slabs and have learned from experience what can happen when doing jobs like this, so I fully appreciate the need for care - thanks for the warning.

Cheers,

Jez

NCSS/BCSS member intermittently since c 1978
Forum member from 08/2006
Collection of mostly smaller cacti and succulents (space limited!) including a variety of caudiciforms..... and I've lots to learn about looking after them.
Jez
BCSS Member
Posts: 340
Joined: 11 Jan 2007

Re: limestone chippings....

Post by Jez »

Thanks again everyone for the tips - I may go back to the builders merchant and/or the pet store to see what I can find armed with more appropriate terms. I do fancy the idea of a day on the beach with my sledge hammer though......

Jez

NCSS/BCSS member intermittently since c 1978
Forum member from 08/2006
Collection of mostly smaller cacti and succulents (space limited!) including a variety of caudiciforms..... and I've lots to learn about looking after them.
David
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Re: limestone chippings....

Post by David »

If you cannot get limestone chippings then, as Vladimir suggested, your tap water might substitute. I live at the foot of the Berkshire Downs, and our water probably comes mainly from chalk aquifers. It is very suitable for watering all plants from Mexico and south-west USA, at least. Many of my cacti - such as Escobarias, Astrophytum asterias, some Echinocactus - used to stall and then slowly die off when I used rain water throughout. Now they flourish.

David Greenaway
Oxford Branch

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iann
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Re: limestone chippings....

Post by iann »

Nice try, David, but some of use have soft tapwater. I actually collect rainwater that has run over my concrete roof tiles for the species you mention, it is quite alkaline :)

Cheshire, UK
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