10 quickfire questions

[k13wjd]

nice and easy. 2 gardens, both 7m long 5m wide.

front garden is simply going to get a granite cob border 1m in from the fence, outside filled with japanese pebble, insidw filled with compacted whinstone grit and fake grass ( the good stuff)

rear garden is getting 15.3m of black/blue limesone in an L shape, rest is again fake grass.

here come the 10 questions:

1weed membrane for the front garden, under a layer of sand, and dug into a trench for small foundation to support the cobb ??

2: rear garden. i hear a million different specs for the base when using limestone. i currently have a good few inches of 20 year old stone chips with mud though them. do i just mix the stones with some granite sand and compact with a whacker, or fire in type 1 ???

3 : full bed under the limestone - if so, what ratio, and how thick ?

[mickg]

1 - can you repeat the question changing the words accordingly as it does not make sense

2 - remove the existing stone chips with mud as its not good enough for the sub base for your new patio, you need to install a minimum of 75mm - 100mm MOT type 1 sub base and compact using a vibrating plate
this depth depends on the ground conditions, if the ground is soft clay or soil then you may have to remove more and install additional depth of a sub base

3 - full bed of sharp sand and cement 4:1 - 50mm depth minimum, that's 4 parts sand and one part cement

[mickg]

OK got it you was talking in short hand

cobb = cobble border

you need to lay a sub base for the artificial turf in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations as each one specifies different depth of MOT or no MOT even

1 yes correct

[k13wjd]

Cheers.

1 : front garden 7m by 5m. i'll be marking out a rectangle 1m in from the border ( hence 5m by 3m) which i'll be laying granite cobb stones on. inside of that area ( 5x3) i'll be filling it with whinstone grit and compacting it to lay fake grass. the 1m outside border is to be filled with pebbles or stones.

I've leveled the entire area out, and want to cover it in 2 layers of decent weed protection. my only issue is that i'll need to lay those granite cobs into a bed of mortar. perhaps i should dig a small trench to lay the bed of motor for the trench ????

[mickg]

yes correct

one layer of a geotextile membrane is enough, you don't need to install a second membrane

[k13wjd]

fake grass seems to vary between 4 inches of type 1, 2 inches of compacted sand on whinstone, OR, and i quote !

right over the old grass.

the guy i'm getting it from has laid it on everything from concrete to foam, and he's telling me 2 inches of sand or whinshone quickly run over with a vibraplate will do the job nicely. the paving i just lifted had been there for 20 years, and was flat as could be !


Thanks for the input towards a noobie guys, i know how these things go. if any of you need advice about rope access, ask away !

[mickg]

yes the specification varies from one manufacturer but with out a doubt you need to remove the existing grass

I personally would install it on a minimum of 75mm MOT type 1 or similar with 25mm of sharp sand compacted and screed flat prior to rolling out the artificial turf, you need the MOT for drainage otherwise in a heavy shower the water cant soak a way fast enough

[k13wjd]

old grass is well gone. weed infested and out of control. removed a good ton of soil with it too, quite clay heavy soil.

I'll be happy to provide pictures in due course.


i'd love to do the grass on 75mm of type 1, but thats a whole load of work for 1 man with everything else going on. whinstone compacted down will suffice, its only 20m2. should have mentioned that there is 50 feet of shale below the foot of soil on my garden

anyhow, thats not overly important right now, as the grass gets sorted after the paving. need to work out how to do my walkway too, its paved just now, but usual 900x600 "council" slabs. have not looked to see whats under them, but im guessing just a good bed of sand. If so i'll dig that out, and use the sand as ballast for my grass

[henpecked]

I waiting for the other 7 questions

[k13wjd]

oh they will come in due course.

here's another one.

Whats the best weed killer. I mean i want NOTHING to ever grow on this land EVER. spray or rake in prior to paving/landscaping.

farmers must have some decent chemicals that do the job surely ?

[mickg]

there are some strong commercial weed killers that only professional gardeners can obtain because you need a valid PA1/PA6 licence to be able to spray

[k13wjd]

I provide a free pest control service to many farmers in my local area, and as such im sure they will give me any chemicals i want. i just need to know what to ask for.

litterly i want NOTHING to grow, grass, weeds, plants, shrubs...

i would add it is my land, and i'll only be treating land which water flows back towards my land if you know what i mean. i'll refrain from killing my neighbours shrubs

there must be a product on the market designed for pre treatment of land prior to land scaping to kill any exsisting weeds/grasses etc.

im raking the land as much as i can, even removing clumps of soil/sand/clay thats got roots woven through it. i want a 100% maintenece free garden. I WILL post this as a project with pictures as i go.

100kg of salt instead of sand might work well