I've come up with some methods of caring for my St. Augustine lawn that don't hurt the environment around me.
Landscaping -- Why Expensive Marble Chips?
The first home I owned in SWFL was in Northport, FL. It was a real fixer upper including the once nice landscaping. There had been a nicely curved garden along the driveway and walkway to the front door. It was so overgrown by the St. Augustine grass and weeds we didn't even know it was there until we started to work pulling weeds. Then we found the black landscaping edging and realized someone had put a lot of money into some kind of stone mulch. They had chosen a multi colored river stone. But it was so mixed with soil and roots that we felt we had to get more to keep a thick enough layer to keep weeds down.
But when we priced this stone the cost was just amazing. Marble chip (a commonly used stone) is $120 per cubic yard and we figured we'd need about 8 cubic yards to do what we needed all around the house. So we went to Murdock Stone in Port Charlotte to see our alternatives.
We found a stone which is common locally. Its the same stuff you often see as in front yards as a big landscape focal point. A kind of limestone/shell mixture. Well they use the same thing, only sorted for size to about 3/4," for septic fields. Its called "Septic Stone" and at Murdock Stone they call it "Septic Stone No. 5", there is also a smaller size.
Compare the cost of marble chip for our project (8 yards) $960.00 versus 8 yards of Septic Stone No. 5 at just $45.00/cu. yd. -- $360.00. Wow, we used the septic stone. A savings of $600.00.
As you can see from the photo the stone looks great. We were warned about the change in PH the stone would cause but I asked a few experts on some of gardening websites and was told this PH change would take so long I wouldn't see it in my life time and then it would be simple to control with a one time addition of an acid booster commonly used for many acid loving plants.
You'll also notice in the photo that there are a lot of shells. The septic stone does have shells in it but I think they are actually fossilized shells and that is NOT what you see here. Every time we go to the beach we pick up 2 plastic grocery bags of shells and toss them on top of the stone. You'll be surprised how far they go to give the impression of a lot of shells in the landscape. It is also pleasant to stroll the beach in the early morning picking shells and casting a lure.
Estimating Cubic Yards
To know how much stone to order you must measure the area you want to cover (round it to the nearest foot). Say you have a strip that is 10 feet long by 3 feet wide. Multiply 3' x 10' and you have 30 square feet. Usually you need to have at least 4 inches of stone to keep weeds down. To turn 4 inches in feet you divide 4 by 12 (12 inches = 1 foot) and you get .33 feet. Multiply your 30 squre feet by .33 feet to get 9.9 cubic feet, NOTICE this is FEET not YARDS.
To change cubic feet to cubic yards you divide your 9.9 cubic feet by 9 (3'x3'x3'=1 cubic yard) and you need 1.1 cubic yards. Since you can order the stone by 1/2 cubic yard increments you should call your stone store and order 1.5 cubic yards. Ask about the delivery charge.
I've had them dump it at the top of my driveway so I can still park my car towards the bottom. This way you have plenty of time to wheelbarrow it to where you need it and you won't kill any lawn under a pile of stone. I've had as much as 5 yards delivered at one time with no ill affects to my driveway or yard.
But be careful. 5 yards of stone is a huge amount to move by shovel and wheelbarrow. If you're not used to thiis kind of work start with a small area and see how you do. You'll get stronger as you work and you'll be able to handle bigger loads. Then you can stop paying that monthly fee to the gym and you can eat more too!
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