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clueless_gardener

White Rock Mistake

19 years ago

Hi! I'm newbie at this site as well as being a new homeowner. Our backyard started as uneven patch of dirt and rocks. The dirt is so hard, almost clay like that my husband and I ruled out putting lawns since neither one of us knew much about gardening, and hauling all the rocks out seemed like a daunting task. Professional help is out budget wise. We thought putting white rocks and covering all the dirt with it is the solution.

Problem: We underestimated how much rocks we need because of the uneven ground. We initially thought 2 cubic yards of rocks are enough, but we are now at 6 cubic yards and counting. Besides the rising cost, our back and muscles are screaming in protest!

Is there any potential problems I'm facing because I just dumped all this white rocks in my backyard? I started reading the forums, and I'm already concerned about weeds growing on top of the rocks. Also, I never realized those rocks are sooooooo bright I can barely look at them. However, the dirt underneath is red....will this cause the rocks to be discolored?

Any comments and suggestions are appreciated. Thanks!

Comments (16)

  • 19 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Did you put down landscape fabric?

    If not you may have weeds growing through from the bottom.

    Getting the leaves off in the fall can be a pain.

    I dont think you will have a problem with the stone discoloring.

    Just think with all the work you were doing, you could have hauled in topsoil instead of rocks

    Regards

  • 19 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Hi! Yes, I did put SOME landscape fabric. However, I didn't cover all the areas so there's open spaces here and there. I thought all the rocks' weight will just kill all those weeds. (Like I said, I'm clueless)

    Yeap, I initially planned to put a lawn but I got someone to estimate it for me and they wanted $1000 bucks to do it. I thought I was getting ripped off so I went with the rocks instead. I ended up paying $700 for all these white rocks. For $300 more I could have had a lovely lawn without the backpains (sigh).

    Hope someone can learn from my mistake ...

  • 19 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    I heard a professional gardner say once that he never uses lanscape fabric. He said that while it does a good job of preventing growth from it also allows debris (dust in the wind, rain, snow etc)to build up on the top of the fabric, and especially with stones as the covering the debris turns to dirt and allows weeds to grow ON TOP of the fabric. We all know how tenacious weeds are LOL. So I'm not so sure fabric is a good choice for everything as it is. Only time will tell I guess. Good luck.

    Oh, and his first choice to prevent weeds is just a good covering of mulch.

  • 19 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    a) Advertise to have someone who wants white rock to come haul it off for you--you might be able to get a little $$ for it
    b)sell home to someone who likes white rock, sometime before your white rock becomes a maintenance mess.

    Actually, it doesn't get as messy as long as you don't have trees or other vegetation nearby to drop leaves, twigs, blooms etc on it. Your biggest problem is that usually it doesn't look very restful or inviting or "tasteful" when it's finally done, and you have to decide if you are potentially able to "stop the madness" now and just eat the cost, or are already done and will live with it and see how it goes, or need to swim deeper into the abyss to finish covering your yard. If you have a means to confine it to a defined portion of the yard and do something else with the remainder, I would.

    ...Frankie ( who has been gradually removing white gravel from her yard for awhile now)

  • 19 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    white rocks + little fabric= big mess

    When it rains the red clay will stain the rocks, the rocks will mix with the mud, and debris will still collect.

  • 19 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Get a little more rock in a slightly darker color and mix em up, that may dull the glare. The landscaper that did my yard didn't use any fabric and I don't get many weeds at all. If you are getting dirt through your rock it may not be deep enough. Roundup will keep any stray weeds at bay. Good luck

  • 19 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    Question number one: do you like this rock or not? Sounds like you want a lawn. If so, you made a mistake - we all do. I had to redo my hellstrip about four times before I got it right; my neighbour was teasing me about it being an annual ritual. So back off, and get the solution you want right, rather than getting the solution you don't want right. Get rid of the rock - use a rock rake (Lee Valley) or a sifting screen or whatever. Either sell it, give it away, or make a little section of the yard in white rock and leave the rest open for your lawn.

    You should be clear too on what lesson you learned: you were after a quick cheap fix and wanted to avoid the work of levelling the soil. In landscaping, there are no cheap quick fixes, and if there's hard work to be done it has to be done. You either do it, or pay someone to do it, or you regret it. Well, unless you just plant a rampant groundcover and let it go, and never plan to use the yard...

  • 18 years ago
    last modified: 10 years ago

    FYI-- Mulch is a good food source for Termites especially if used close to the foundation of stick built structures. Even through a house is built on a slap and with block there is bound to be wood that comes in contact with the ground. That's what the home inspector told me when I purchased my FL home. Very sandy terrain -- and a lot of noticeable damages can be done by those little critters.

    Best of luck with whatever you decide

  • 8 years ago

    wow...what a story of information!

  • 8 years ago

    After that, we have to see a picture!

  • 8 years ago

    Holy cannoli! Did anybody actually read all that?

    Just a side note: I had someone recently tell me that there was a hidden meaning concerning the use of white landscape rock - they said it is used as an identifying marker for homeowners who, shall we say, participate in a particular extramarital activity.

    Disclaimer: I am in no way implying that this is true! It's just what I heard, and it was certainly news to me.

  • 7 years ago
    Can anyone tell me how to post a new question?
  • 7 years ago

    Scroll to the top and click on Gardening with Stone. Then when the page comes up, click on Start a Discussion.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Hermitonthehill, what excellent advice; written by a true artistic landscaper!

  • 6 years ago

    Do not use roundup, every exposure is significant; hope it is off ALL retail shelves by the end of summer and the farmers can leave it behind. Research it! Be wary of chemicals, we are the test subjects!