Effingham Stone Delivery

Will stone mulch hurt my plants in this climate?

It can in full sun beds. Stone stores heat and radiates it back, and Effingham July afternoons in the nineties already stress shallow rooted shrubs. Use stone around ornamental grasses, junipers, and other tough plants, and keep it out of beds with hydrangeas or hostas. Stone also adds no organic matter to silt loam, so those beds need occasional compost.

How deep should a gravel driveway base be on Effingham soil?

Plan on six to eight inches of CA6 or crushed limestone over a geotextile fabric, more if the ground stays wet. Silt loam loses bearing strength when saturated, and our spring rains plus freeze and thaw cycles will pump thin gravel down into the mud. Fabric between soil and stone is what keeps that from happening.

Do I need landscape fabric under decorative stone?

Yes, and it matters more here than in sandy regions. Effingham silt loam will migrate up into stone voids with every wet and dry cycle, and within two or three years an unfabricked rock bed is full of soil and weeds. Use a woven fabric rather than the thin nonwoven rolls sold at big box stores.

How much stone do I need for a dry creek bed?

Measure the length and average width, then figure four inches of depth for the main channel plus larger accent boulders. A 30 foot bed averaging 4 feet wide at four inches is about 1.5 cubic yards. Effingham yards with real runoff usually benefit from going deeper in the center where water concentrates.

Does stone help with erosion on a sloped Effingham yard?

It does when sized correctly. Small gravel washes off a slope during our heavier storms, so use three to six inch rip rap or larger on anything steep. Set it on fabric and key the bottom row into the soil so the whole mass has something to lean against. Silt loam erodes quickly once water starts channeling.

Will crushed limestone change my soil pH?

Slightly over time, since rain slowly dissolves calcium carbonate from the fines. In practice the effect around an Effingham walkway or driveway edge is minor and mostly limited to the first few inches of adjacent soil. If you are planting acid loving shrubs right beside a limestone path, choose a washed river rock instead.