shards in soil we received from landscapers
jak21
3 years ago
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Comments (4)Hi Nieko. Ok so I understand that you’re trying eradicate the weeds first. The whole newspaper, lasagne thingy is a process called mulching or the no dig method. It is one way of trying stop weed growth but in my experience it only provides more opportunities for weeds to grow. Putting something thick like a tarp or large sheets of cardboard over an area would work tho, no light and plants can’t grow, however it would take some months for this to work. Ok if you’re leaving it over the winter tho. Mulching is slightly different in that you’re adding things like newspaper, horse or cow poo (manure), coffee grounds are supposed to be good, straw etc. to improve the quality and texture of the soil for good plant growth. For weed killing, I know it’s back breaking but I pull up what I can by hand then use a weed killer with glysophate (I use the sachets and mix with water in a hand pump sprayer) let that get to work then it’s easier to get the rest. I wouldn’t use this method near precious plants you want to keep tho, instead use Roundup gel. Scrape up the top layer of soil and put in a compost bin or heap. After that you should be mostly weed free but put down some thick material to block the light and prevent more weeds from growing before you’re ready to do any landscaping work. Hope this helps....See Morecheapest landscaping/ patio options?
Comments (42)Hi tani :-) the system will works with any tile as long as it has a rectified edge and is 20mm thick for strength! Tbh they are an added extra but the thought of being able to lift and lay them where ever I liked really appealed to me, plus the extra for the system I can save in labour and do it myself! Pretty easy if your anyway good with your hands and have a good diamond cutting blade....See MoreHelp needed - garden landscaping after renovation
Comments (8)Hi Sally I would agree with Sonia here - your main challenge is to deal with the soil compaction. This will have occurred due to all the traffic over the soil and the storing of materials on it. This causes all the air spaces in the soil to get squashed away. Normally soil is around 25% air spaces. This has two very detrimental effects: 1. It stops water being able to drain away so you get flooding and if you have clay you often get a hard crust on the surface which can be very hard 2. With no air in the soil, all the beneficial bugs and bacteria etc will die making the soil itself dead and not able to support plants. Similarly plant roots need air too, so this also prevents them growing. The other thing to look out for is that digging trenches etc pulls up 'subsoil' to the surface. Subsoil cannot support plant growth either. Looking at the piles of earth in your photos I believe you can see the subsoil on the top - it is usually lighter in colour - often yellowy if clay. You need to make sure that if this subsoil is put back that it goes at the bottom of the holes and that the top 300mm of soil is proper topsoil. Any remaining subsoil should be got rid of. So, as Sonia says a rotivator can be helpful to to break up the soil. Because of the rotivators blade action it can often compress the soil at the bottom, so watch out for that. It is also an ideal time to improve the soil and feed it. I would suggest: If you need to top up the soil then use Multi-purpose topsoil - make sure it is BS standards compliant and buy from a good source. It is pretty cheap in 1 ton bags. You don't need to use expensive potting composts. To feed the soil dig in some form of organic manure. Options include well rotted horse or farmyard manure. I would suggest that you lay a 7cm depth of it over the soil surface and then dig it in with the rotivator. You need a lot to improve clay soil and this may feel like a huge amount; however you will be amazed at how quickly it seems to just disappear when you dig it in. It will feed the soil, help lighten it and improve the drainage. On clay it is also a good idea to dig in horticultural grit (not gravel/pea shingle) as this helps break up the clay and improve drainage. Again I would recommend 25kg per meter sq and dig it in with the manure. If you are planting a flower bed, spread a 3cm depth of the organic manure over the top when you have planted the beds. This is all hard work, but is much easier to do from a blank sheet and should give you a good soil that your plants will love, and is easy for you to work in the future....See MoreUsing 20mm gravel as a landscaping material
Comments (8)Hi George, I agree with Sonia and would use topsoil to bring the level up. You can get them in bulk bags of almost a tone each. Gravel will increase the drainage capacity of the soil above it, which can be good, but it can also make your the lawn on top of it prone to drying out easily during the hot months....See Morejak21
3 years agoSonia
3 years ago
Sonia