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| The home we bought has a retaining wall that was added to the backyard a few years ago. The fill that was used is clay filled trash...broken glass, gravel, boulders, solid metal pipes, crushed beer cans. You get the picture.
It appears it was topped with a better topsoil and planted with grass seed. It looked nice when we bought the home. However, now that the fill has had time to settle and most of the topsoil has washed away, we are left with a lumpy, awful mess that will not support any sort of vegetation. Should we have soil brought in? Perhaps compost? We have about four inches to the top of the top course of retaining wall. Does it need to be tilled? Not sure if 3' retaining wall has drainage but digging a hole and filling with water seems to indicate it drains okay. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by belgianpup Wa/Zone 7b (My Page) on Mon, Sep 5, 11 at 15:46
| You didn't say how much area is involved. I had a similar problem when I bought this place. And since I truly didn't know what other kinds of crap was in the spot, I just took the time to dig it all up, an area about 15'x 4'. I actually made a sifter (24" x24") out of cedar fence boards and 1/2" hardware cloth. Then I cut most of the bottom out of an old plastic garbage can (left a rim around the bottom for support), set the sifter on top and shoveled dirt and debris into it. I kept several 5-gal buckets nearby to drop the trash into. I started digging at one end, where I suspected the trash began, and gradually worked my way along the wall. It took a while. I returned the sifted soil (still some small debris in it) as I worked my way through the area, leaving a clear area to mark what was done and what wasn't, then raked it level and brought in some clean topsoil for the top 4-6". It was a real pain in the derriere, for sure. But once it was done, I didn't have to worry or think about it again. Sue |
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| Belgianpup, thank you for your suggestion. I've often thought about doing just that - digging up and cleaning a small area at a time. Unfortunately, the area is about 13' x 75'. I just get this awful feeling that in addition to the trash, the fill harbors disease and fungus. I wish there were a market for puff-balls. I collect pounds of them each year. Yuck! Anyway, I like your sifter idea. I may try this for an area of the front and side yards. Thanks. Okay - let's keep 'em comming! Any other suggestions? |
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| Regarding the puffballs. There's no need to spend time and energy collecting them. They'll decay naturally and are not doing any harm to your soil. Their presence just indicates decaying organic matter which is essentially a good sign. It is unlikely that the infill below the soil will harbour disease or fungus since the materials all sound as if they are inorganic. The pragmatist in me would probably just add more soil and compost on top and leave the rubbish well alone, as long as it all seems to be relatively inert stuff and you don't suspect asbestos or chemicals in there. And , of course, if it drains ok. |
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| The people we bought this property from some 40 odd years ago apparently buried their trash all over because we still get bits of glass, ceramic things, tins, etc. popping up from time to time and often when a mole burrows through. Fill in and keep coping with that trash because attempting to remove it would be difficult and cost prohibitive. |
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- Posted by novascapes none (My Page) on Tue, Sep 6, 11 at 7:54
| I would only dig out what is necessary for proper root development and planting. I understand there may be a risk involved as to anything toxic but if your not growing veggies that should not be a problem as long as it does not kill the plants. Plants have been growing roots around obstacles in the ground forever. They should do just fine with out having to dig all of it out. Proper planting and mulching should stop the erosion problem. Asbestos is not harmful as long as it is not airborne. |
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