Thread: Strong Grass
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Old 01-06-2004, 01:12 PM
Andrew G
 
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Default Strong Grass


"GC" wrote in message
...
I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but I can't find anywhere
else....
I want to repair the grass on the footpath outside my friends house.....

Their house is on a corner next to traffic lights (bad location) and
therefore its all no standing/stopping outside their house so their

visitors
park on the footpath....

It has concrete down the middle, but closest to the road side there is

about
80cms or so of grass before the gutter..... This part is where two of the
wheels go when a car parks there....


If cars park there, it pretty much is a pointless exercise to fix it.
Unfortunately aside from concreting it there really isn't much of a option.

During some heavy rain a while ago, it made the area very muddy and the

cars
that park there damaged the lawn especially in the part where the wheel

gets
turns and the initial park where the car first drives onto the grass....

the
middle part which is like, between the two wheels when a car is parked

there
is ok.... so it seems the grass can handle being driven on (just) but

the
rest has been damaged worse.....


Once the area gets wet, and cars go on it, the mud will be compacted, and
dry hard, not allowing much, or any grass to grow in it.

Now parts of it are lower than the rest of the grass... so when it rains

the
water builds up in these parts...instead of contining to flow out into the
gutter......The soil goes very hard and cracks when the rains stops.....
So what I want to do is somehow build these holes up with soil and put

some
grass seeds in...


Even if you build the soil a foot high, when it gets wet, cars will damage
it.
Drainage underneath would help take the water away, but the soil will still
get too soft in heavy rain for cars.

Bags of soil don't go far in this circumstance, so I was thinking I could
put some blue metal (I think thats what its called...the little gray rocks
that normally gets mixed into concrete) and build up the holes with
that...... then put a layer of soil, put in the seeds, then another layer

of
soil.... Is this the right way to go about it?? I thought maybe it could
make it a bit stronger and hopefully not get damaged as much when it rains

a
lot...


It still has the problem of moist soil, and cars compacting it.
Really it's not worth touching until cars are stopped from parking on it.
Then, the soil can be aerated, perhaps a little sand mixed it, and seed
sowed in it.

Any help most appreciated... I don't want to spend a lot of money on it...
its just the footpath hehe but I just want to fix it up a bit I

know
its probably illegal to park there but they don't have much choice...

Thanks to anyone that can help!


I probably wasn't much of a help, but hopefully saved you time and money :-)