Utility buried crushed stone in my yard
Joe B-zone 7a Washington DC
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Hi everyone--this summer I had a gas and water line emergency that required the utility to dig up my front yard. The line was about 4-5 feet down. Before I realized what was happening, and without asking, they filled in the repair hole about 6' long x 7' wide with crushed aggregate/rock and then plopped clay fill on top.
So now, there is clay fill/soil for the first 9" or so, and then under that is this ridiculous rock.
I would like to grow a shrub that gets maybe 6' high and wide in this area, like a viburnum. I'm considering whether to dig up this hole down to about 18" and replace with clay fill (I don't want to go down all the way to the gas line.)
My question is, how deep do the roots of a typical deciduous shrub of that size typically go? Should I go to the large trouble of digging this hole, or can I leave it as is? It occurred to me the rock might provide some drainage benefits.
Thanks!
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
5 years ago
PROYardvaark
5 years agoRelated Discussions
Crushed Stone Path and Patio
Comments (7)I've used crushed stone many times for hard surfaces such as barns and parking pads. I have not used it for anything that needed to look nice. I agree with annz, in that you will want to accent in some way if used. Even the crushed stone will turn up if your dog gets into it. It is quite literally as hard a concrete as long as the surface stays intact. Once you break the surface though... ... the important thing to do is moisten it up and tamp it as soon as you see it starting to open up. If I knew how to put pictures in here, I would let you see my situation. There were a couple yards of pea gravel left from construction (drain fill because it won't compact) and I decided to use it as filler in a walk area and expanded drive until paving could be done. Even with the big white pavers on top, I'm constantly sweeping the stuff around and my yard has basically become 50/50 grass/ pea gravel. Even the existing asphault has become completely infected with it. I think long term crushed stone will be best all the way around. Certainly if you can afford to put some stepping stones on it soon. The big bonus is it will be there when you are ready to lay down the paver walk later. I don't know if annz is refering to the same post or not, but within the last couple days there was a big discussion on pea gravel for a patio. Look it up for a lot more opinions. Good Luck!...See MoreWhat to do with lots of crushed stone?
Comments (4)What kind of stone is it? If it's limestone, it will raise the pH a bit just like lime would. Here in MO we have nothing but limestone, and we call that stuff quarry fines or lime sand. It's what comes out of the crusher at If it's something else like granite, you could probably use quite a bit in your soil mix. Maybe 10-25%? What kind of soil are you mixing it with? Sand, silt or clay? If it's clay, adding sand/gravel can create a concrete effect so you want to stay low (10%) or high (40+%). Of course it won't provide any organic matter so make sure you add enough compost to the mix or use a high organic soil....See MoreBananas and Buried Utilities
Comments (5)Just got back from the Gulf Coast today and had stopped by to visit someone near the Gulf who had about hundred banana plants scattered across their property, among large palms and other tropicals.You guys are fortunate to live in such a warm zone. Try to plant your bananas in a mound. Dig a shallow hole and build up a mound of rich mulch/ compost. I believe your bananas will thrive near the top of the ground and avoid deep growth that may interfere with your utilities. This is how I have planted all my bananas and they do very well. I add to the mounds throughout the year and build up as the bananas grow. I have nothing but hard clay and it appears to me all my bananas are basically growing up ( the corn ) instead of down. I have four nice groves of Basjoo, single Ice Cream, Black Thia, and new Saba planted this Spring. All doing great in a top of the ground type set up....See MoreDid you ever find anything interesting buried in your yard?
Comments (33)Double digging in one section of my yard uncovered a tirod, a hub cap, and various jagged car parts. I've also dug my fair share of boulders from the garden beds. We use them for borders and edging. Twice during our ownership of the property we discovered a micro-sinkhole. Both gobbled up their unsuspecting victim like quicksand because of how saturated the areas became. I now landscape to prevent these problems from happening again. Digging up larger, unknown objects can spark a chain of events in the garden's evolution....See Moretoxcrusadr
5 years agoJoe B-zone 7a Washington DC
5 years ago
davidrt28 (zone 7)
5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
reesepbuttercup SLC, Utah 6b
5 years agotoxcrusadr
5 years ago
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