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'Collecting' free rocks
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Posted by ltecato 9 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 10, 08 at 16:48
| I admit I've already done this deed many times, but still I'm wondering: Is it OK to take rocks that just seem to be sitting around on unused land to place in a rock garden? Would that ever be considered theft? (I'm not talking about swiping stones that are obviously being used for landscaping.)
I live in a hilly area of Southern California. Lots of rocks roll off the sides of cliffs or hills. Sometimes construction work results in lots of stone being dug up.
Does anyone have experience in this area? Is it a bad idea to take without asking? Are there any places where it's clearly allowable to remove rocks?
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: 'Collecting' free rocks
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| As long as you aren't trespassing I don't see a problem, because looking down the barrel of a shotgun, trust me, is an unnesy feeling. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Propagating Perennials
RE: 'Collecting' free rocks
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| I'll take your word for it. |
RE: 'Collecting' free rocks
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- Posted by amity 10-S.Calif. (My Page) on
Thu, Mar 27, 08 at 16:12
| We've made "collecting" rocks a family adventure for over 25 years. Back then Mt. Baldy was having a growth spirt so we'd drive the just past the base, see a new home going up and right next to it a huge pile of rocks. The skip loaders were removing the rocks where the home would be built and the pile would get bigger. We asked the company on-site what they were going to do with the rock and the GC replied "Why? Want em? Take all you can. Saves us the expense and time of removing them from the site." We felt like we had hit a gold mine! From that time on when we'd see new construction we'd ask about the rock pile. I created raised gardens over the years with all the stone (like dry stacked stone), no mortar, but last year I decided to make the raised rock gardens permanent. Mortar and a little lifting and configuring day by day and by the end of the summer I had created 4 raised, mortared rock gardens. Every rock, every stone collected by me and my family through the years---lots and lots of wonderful memories within my raised rock gardens. I'd love to see photos of everyone's rock/stone/cement creations in and around their homes because I still have lots of rocks left and I'd love some more inspiration! 
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RE: 'Collecting' free rocks
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| Thanks for clearing that up, Amity. I admit I get a real thrill from finding new rocks. So far I haven't done anything fancy with them. I had a bare patch of dirt next to a driveway, on a gentle slope in the shade. I wanted to create an exotic look, so I put a lot of rocks there, trying to recreate the feel of a "scrub jungle" I once hiked through in Mexico. I've got three dracaenas, a terrestrial orchid, philodendron and lots of shade-tolerant succulents there, plus a few volunteer plants that must have been planted there years ago. I've got a few succulents growing in the mounds of rocks, including a Christmas cactus that seems to be thriving. I have photos but still haven't figured out how to post them here. |
RE: 'Collecting' free rocks
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| If you take without asking first it is stealing. Doesn't matter what it is...better to ask first. Don't try and take rocks from the state or national parks unless you look good in black and white stripes....:) |
RE: 'Collecting' free rocks
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| Ask - if you take it from private land that is stealing. Just because you don't see anyone, doesn't mean someone doesn't care. Last year I found a stranger wandering through my woods collecting deer antlers. What made him think that just because he found them no one else would want them? My kids and I also collect them, but not if this guy finds them first. I would be extremely annoyed if someone collected stone from my property. On the other hand, I have asked farmers if I could take some stone from their property edges, and they have always said "help yourself". But I asked first. |
RE: 'Collecting' free rocks
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Yes , ask first. I have had a farmer say no and two other farmers say yes take them ,take them all .
I now have my eye on three huge boulders and I am going to ask the farmer if I could pay him to help me move them to my yard or if I could do some work for him in exchange for him giving me the Rocks and helping me with his tractor. I see some places that sell multch , gravel stones , ect... also selling small boulders for 40 to 50 bucks each. If I was to buy three boulders off of them (the size I want) it would probably cost me $1500 bucks!!! I figure if I offer the farmer a hundred bucks plus fuel money he might go for it. |
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