Ideas where to go for rocks for my pond in Charlotte?

17 years ago

I had some good luck on this board before (thanks for all the help) so I'm going to go back to the well one more time. Now that I've got my garden and pond somewhat up and running, I need to finish it off with some rocks for a stream & waterfall feature. I don't need a ton of rocks but I am on a budget and I wondering who in the Charlotte/ North Mecklenburg area might sell rocks at a reasonable price. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Justin

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Comments (6)

byrdlady
17 years ago
We got rock from Ponders in Harrisburg. The fellow (Johnny) has won many awards at the spring show for his ponds. I am not sure if they still sell rock. We got ours there several years back as he was the cheapest for the rock and (delivery.)

There is a landscape supply place on Harris Blvd. near I77 that sells all kinds of mulch and rock only I am having a senior moment and can't think of the name.

There is also a rock place in Gastonia. Maybe someone else can come up with names. My coffee is just not working this morning.

Any pics of your project?
wgafaw
17 years ago
I don't know what type of rocks you are looking for but if you are just looking for run of the mill rocks, check at some ot the new developments in your area, usually when they are digging for new foundations they find plenty of rocks and usually don't mind people coming by and picking them up. Just make sure you ask first.

JP
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Personal experience here: even if you do have a clear idea of what you want, and a drawing, if someone else is doing the rock placement you may not get away with only one single placement session. Make sure that whoever you tap to move the rocks understands what you want esthetically, year-round, from the area. That means you need to think through the minutia of each season in this specific area - use, your maintenance tolerance, investment tolerance, etc. It will be tricky to maintain water in this situation year-round because the volume of water will change so dramatically that you'll have a hard time determining the size and power of the pump you need to turn the water over at least once an hour to keep it from going stagnant; you'd have to accomodate the highest water level but unless you've got an adjustable flow pump (and you're meticulous enough to be out there adjusting it every few days) you'll be pushing the water too hard for most starter fish when the level is extremely low. My pond has water and fish year round and rocks stairstepping around the edge, down the sides and along the bottom because I, too, wanted the look to be as natural as possible. It's nearly impossible to prevent the collection of fallen leaves, muck and fish waste under and around the rocks at the bottom, which is just nasty as well as unhealthy, tho they do make organic products (not cheap) that I add at least twice a year which dissolve the yuck. In hindsight, especially in Zone 4, I would recommend going with the non-fish, non-pump method and use mosquito dunks religiously when you've got standing water. You can also utilize filtering plants whether or not you have fish. Keep in mind that all rock placement (not just 'dry stream beds') in nature are imperfect. The only person this project needs to please is you. It's not rocket science or brain surgery. Enjoy!
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Hi all! Just a little warning about collecting rocks on your own from piles...Don't make the mistake I made. I noticed a nice pile of stone in a field, asked if the owner if he would be willing to part with some. He was a nice older fellow, said the stones had been there for a few years and he wasn't going to be using them or working the land anylonger, so take what ever I wanted. Well I took a walk out to the pile and lifted one, yep one rock. Stirred up a nest of yellow jacket wasps! Luckily I moved quick enough and only got whacked by one. So if you're not sure how long the pile has been there, be aware of what is buzzing around the pile. I must have been by the back end of the nest entrance or I probably would have seen or heard the wasps coming and going. Lucky me. I told the owner about the wasps so he wouldn't go near them. He told me to come back in the winter if I wanted the stone and thanked me for the warning. Well, I did go back and collected a few really nice stone for a wall that was going in. the nest was huge! the rock were on top of an old tree trunk which the yellow jackets were nesting in.
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I know what you mean about others pointing fingers. My pond is almost three years old, and I've already done two rebuilds. Just can't seem to get it big enough to suit me! And my family just can't understand why I can't ever be satisfied. I think you have to be a fellow ponder to understand the desire. I don't have a bottom drain either, but if I can ever afford it, maybe I will do that some day. Right now, I have two submerged pumps going to separate skippy filters, and a skimmer going to a waterfall box/bio filter. My pond is 2500 gallons with koi. With goldfish and shubies, you should be fine with the pump you mentioned. Watch out for those online calculators, though. They can be notoriously inacurate, especially if you're planning on having shelves and stone in the pond. The calculations run from edge to edge of the pond, but the shelves literally bring the actual measureable edge farther in. Ponds with sides that are straight down are easier to calculate. Stone and rocks can displace quite a bit of water. When you refill your pond, be sure to meter it in. The easiest way is to record the numbers on your yard meter before and after you fill it (Don't run water in the house, though, while you're doing this. Even flushing a toilet can alter your reading). My meter is in gallons, but some are in cubic feet, so make a note of that. You could use either barrel for the goldies while you're doing the rebuild, but use a good airstone and pump to circulate the water. The bubbles will add oxygen and bring the bottom water to the top, effectively "turning the water over", which will increase the surface area. If you can, drop your pump in and run it to a temporary filter, even a bucket filled with quilt batting would work, as long as the water spills back into the barrel. Keep an eye on the ammonia levels in the barrel. Get an ammonia test kit. The test strips have a reputation for being unreliable, so get the liquid kind with a test tube. I think they're made by Aquarium Pharmacuticals. They're easy to use and more accurate. I'm using one now because my koi are in an Intex pool while I repair a leak -- naturally near the bottom. The silicone is drying, and I hope to have the fish back in tomorrow. Good luck with your project. Your yard is beautiful.
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corneliusncz7
Original Author
17 years ago
The place off of Harris Blvd near 77 might work. I live in Cornelius, so that's a reasonable drive. Thanks for the suggestions.

No, I don't have any pics to post yet, though I've taken pictures as I've gone along. They're on various roles of film, so at some point I'll get them scanned and put on to my computer. I'll make it one of my summer projects. The pond is coming along nicely though. Instead of rocks around the border I've put strips of sod that actually dip into the pond a little bit. It makes it appear much more natural. The rocks are needed for the stream and waterfall that I will have coming from my smaller, original pond. I'm hoping to wrap it up this weekend, but we all know how projects seem to last a lot longer than originally anticipated ;-)
byrdlady
17 years ago
Here are a few pictures of our pond and the flat rocks we used for the border and waterfall. We liked using the flat rocks and moved them with a truck dolly.

CLICK ON THE PICTURE
{{gwi:573766}}
surrealgarden
17 years ago
There is a rock/stone business in Pineville on the Lancaster Highway. Take Pineville/Matthews/51 to where South Blvd turns into Polk. Turn left onto Polk which then becomes Lancaster Highway within a block or so. About a mile up on the left is the Stone Business. If anybody needs mulch, there is a large Mulch business about half a mile further up on the right. Beautiful pond!

To get optional directions, look up the Waldhorn Restaurant on Lancaster Highway. Use mapquest to find it, then just drive about a block further south.
pinecrest
17 years ago
Is the stone place on Lancaster Hwy, Luck Stone? We purchased stone from them for our house. They are good to work with, but not cheap.

They are on the web at luckstone.com.

AJ's Landscaping in Gastonia also sells stone.

Here is a link that might be useful: AJ's

Ideas where to go for rocks for my pond in Charlotte?

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byrdlady

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Ideas where to go for rocks for my pond in Charlotte?

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byrdlady

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