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We are in the process of building a home in lower HPP. We decided to rip the lot which is turning out to be kinda problematic. Anyway, so far we put in a gravel driveway, house pad and septic. We now want to fill in the back part of the acre with cinder so we can get out there to mow or weed whack as the jungle is growing back to 12 feet as I'm writing. We want to plant a small orchard in the back and will have a dozen holes dug when we have the equipment there spreading the cinder. My question is about the difference between using red versus black cinder for this job. I watched some youtube on horticulture in Puna and the farmer said that red cinder should only be used for walkways and driveways not where you will be farming as the red cinder has too high of a PH and too much iron. However, black cinder in quite a bit more expensive than red. Can someone out there inform me on this matter. Thanks
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What you wrote is correct as I understand it. Black for planting, red for fill. But I have also planted where there is red cinder with no ill effects. I dig out a hole and put (black) cinder soil in there and by the time it spreads out a foot to the red cinder it seems to be fine.
Certainty will be the death of us.
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I second what K said: in fact, the trees growing next to our red cinder drive--starfruit--have to be pruned yearly and excess fruit raked up and composted! The cacao there also grew quickly and produced fruit early. Don't worry about red cinder inhibiting your plantings.
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Mahalo for your responses! Your experience and info is very helpful. I'm sure I'll be posting again with more questions along the way.
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I don't really need to say this but will anyway. As time goes on you will be one able to respond with experience and help others.
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The bigger concern is that you will track that cinder into your house, scratch up your floors, curse when you step on it barefoot, etc...
You might consider drain rock instead.
Also, if your ripped and rolled lot is fairly level, the dump truck driver should be able to do most of the spreading for you, no equipment needed. Just confirm they are sending a driver capable of spreading when you order, or use Jim.
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According to Puna Rock, red cinder is significantly heavier than black cinder. So when you say that black cinder is more expensive, is that by weight or volume?
Their cinder soil blend contains both red and black cinder, so maybe it's the best of both worlds? I've read that black cinder is best for situations where you want moisture retention, and red cinder is best for situations when you want better drainage. I've also read the exact opposite, so I don't know who to believe. The composition of cinder is complex and can vary just a few miles from quarry to quarry. Color is maybe one of the least significant components. When I lived in Oregon the only cinder available was red cinder, and it was used decoratively like bark dust.
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Sorry to hear you didn't save your lava. That said, cinder is horrible. Like others have mentioned, you just end up tracking it everywhere. Your clothes, the house, the car, etc. It's just a mess all around.
I used 1 1/2 inch drain rock (clean) from Sanfords. Get Ross as a driver and he'll spread it for you. He may even drive over it a couple of times if you're nice. Drive over it as much as you can yourself. Eventually it will pack down to a nice walking surface. Weeds will grow through anything you put down, but that's another issue. The upside is, it won't get stuck onto everything that touches it and it stays in place. You'll be dragging a hose around to water your plants right? That's a mess with cinder.
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I'll second the drain rock suggestion. Chas has it on the head.
Secondly, yes, the weeds will come up through it, BUUUUT if you are diligent about using one of those propane torch weed killers, they should taper off. The new seeds won't germinate worth a damn on top of the rock, and once the seeds/weeds underneath are all pau, the task of keeping it clear will get easier and easier.
If you intend to use said torch, don't let the weeds get so thick that you'll start a fire that can sustain itself. If you let guinea grass grow 3' tall, for instance.
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Oh yeah, thought I should mention that red cinder will RETAIN moisture better than black cinder. That's why our lawn has so many earthworms. And guess what likes the earthworms, and bananas, and...
Da pigs!
