David Hare-Scott wrote:
....
It would take a *very* long time as limestone is only slightly soluble and
in the form of chips there is little surface area so the process will be
slowed down. For agricultural use it is ground very fine, that is the
surface area is millions of times more per kilo, and even then it takes
months to start to work. I am not in a position to work the numbers but my
guess is that if you lived to 100 the pH wouldn't change much if at all.
The breakdown of organics that produce acids might be enough to counteract
the effect and so there would be even less change or none.

Most stone is neutral for gardening purposes, limestone being an exception,
ask your landscape supplier what they have.

and don't skimp on putting it down over the fabric.
the deeper the layer the less weeds will sprout
seeds in it. keep it clear of leaves/debris so
that they do not rot and create organic matter in
the rocks to sprout weeds. when mowing or weed
whacking, edging, etc. make sure the mower is
not blowing grass clippings all over the rocks.
make your edge high enough to keep the mower from
spraying pieces into the rocks. be careful when
moving plants/pots/wheelbarrows to not dump them
in the rocks.

that all said there will still be weeds from
time to time, get them early and it saves a lot
of work later.


songbird