Product Descriptions

Screened Material

When rock is crushed, it produces a dust or fines product in addition to the rock itself. When you buy a screened product, it may contain as much as 20 to 25 percent crusher fines. Customers sometimes refer to this as dirt in their rock, but it is NOT DIRT. It is the powder and smaller rock particles that make it through the screening process. This means that if you buy 10 tons of screened material, it could contain as much as 2 to 2.5 tons of fines. The softer the rock, the more prevalent the fines will be.

Minus Material

The same screening process is used to make minus material. In minus material, the fines can make up as much as 75 percent of the product, meaning the crusher fines and small pieces of rock will represent a higher percentage of the total. In a 10-ton load, 5 to 7.5 tons of the material may be fines, with the balance made up of larger pieces of rock, depending on the size you’ve chosen. This type of material packs much more tightly than screened rock, and some people feel it looks more like a natural desert. It does not drain well and tends to wash out if installed in an area with heavy runoff.

Rip Rap and River Rock

All the bulk rock products we sell are screened to size. For most standard decorative rock, this is pretty straightforward. With rip rap and Salt River rock, however, the end product can change dramatically. When you have a screen size of 2 to 6 inches, whatever passes through that 6-inch square hole could measure eight inches across, and sometimes up to 12 to 18 inches in length. Do not assume that when you order 3″ to 6″ rip rap or Salt River rock, the pieces themselves will measure 3″ to 6″. If a rock falls through a 6″ square hole, it falls into the size range that’s stated, regardless of its other dimensions. Make sure you look at the products in our sample area prior to purchasing so there’s no confusion about what you’re receiving.

Top Soil

We often have people ask about our topsoil, since it seems sandy and not what most people are used to. Because Arizona doesn’t experience the natural process of nature creating rich mulch and topsoil over time, the topsoil we sell comes from the riverbed and is naturally occurring, with low salt and clay content, as well as being weed-free. It is a good base for growing plants, with the exception of cactus, but most people add mulch or a supplement to create a better growing medium. We do offer a 3-way mix, which has mulch already added to it.

Weed Block

We do offer weed block to place under rock for weed control. It is not a permanent solution, so to make it more effective, you must make sure the area is weed-free and pretreat it prior to installation. Because of the area we live in, dirt and debris will blow in over time, which can still allow plants to grow on top of the weed block. It still requires maintenance.

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