What are you using for your heavy use areas? We’re on flood plain with sandy loam soil. The material would go around our two barns, gates, waterers, bridge, etc. The NRCS said dig down 6 inches and put crusher run. Has anyone had any experience with this? Would I be better putting like a 3" base of 3/4" first and then the crusher run? Thanks in advance!
I’d listen to what your local suppliers advise, and also ask them if there are any commercial areas you can visit to see how their suggested material(s) have performed.
We have semi-nasty clay soil, and have done a variety of things. In the high-traffic area we have put down decomposed granite (I"m sure it has different names in different places) but it’s basically the same stuff we put in paddocks and smaller pens.
The DG (decomposed granite’s nickname) gets put down and then compacted, which is critical, or the underlying mud just consumes it. I finally bought a vibrating plate compactor because we rented one several times and really needed one more often for these kinds of projects. We always compact whatever we lay down to make a more firm cover over the sucky mud that lurks below.
So DG, then on top of that, my favorite thing in the world which is bird’s eye gravel. It’s little pebbles, about the size of a pencil eraser, and is wonderful stuff. The stones are rounded, no pokey angles, and small enough to just crunch under the horse’s feet, but not small like sand which could migrate up a hoof.
We had (for us) tons of rain this year and the baby gravel kept everything really nice. It captures and slows down the water if there is such a deluge that it can’t all filter through, but in general, the DG + bird’s eye gravel kept things clean and dry. It’s nice to drive the cars on too- not super loud, but holds up well to the car traffic and keeps dust almost non-existent.
Oh, cars: one more thing we did was in the parking area, we mixed in powdered cement with the native soil before we put down the DG. Our contractor suggested this and it worked well: grade, add cement, get it wet so the cement kind of binds to native soil, then compact all that, and add DG, compact again, and baby gravel over the top.
Yes, it is all a lot of work, but this is one of those things that is worth doing well at the front end so you don’t struggle with it year after year after that.
Talk to your locals- good luck!
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@Miss Motivation Thanks so much for the information. I’m just concerned that I’m being given “one size fits all” advice.
Possibly. Talk to horse owners in the area if you can, and see if there is an agriculture extension agent nearby- they are supposed to be the local experts and there have been many COTH folks that have had success with them.
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^^^This:)
My county AG agent has an office at the extension of a local university. He has been a tremendous source of common sense information thru the years. Everyone should have a AG agent like that:)
Also, if you have a county Co-Op, their folks might be another good source:)
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Our Co-Op extension office is great! I also know the soil guy for the county, but he works closely with the NRCS, so don’t want to burn any bridges. Thanks so much.
Depends on what they mean by crusher run. If they mean something like 1" rocks with fines mixed in, personally I would put some clean rock underneath it. But, I don’t have the same kind of soil as you. Nor the same kind of rock classificiations, in my quarry crusher run is 6" rock down to fines.
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I would add the use of geotextile fabric for under whatever you add. Fill often just sinks into nice soil under traffic, like at gates. The fabric is lightweight, easy to handle, prevents the layers from mixing.
I would NOT suggest the use of rounded stones for a couple reasons. Call them by any name, any size, they have not been good here for anything except covering drain tile before putting dirt over it. The first is that round stone never settles into firm surface, which can be ankle twisting on humans and horses in suitable depths for draining. Second is how it travels in horse hooves. They pick it up and walk off with it here. Both with clean hooves and muddy hooves. Third, is that it can attract snakes for the heat it holds on hot days, and is the exact coloring of some Rattle snakes! You don’t see the snake until too late! Ask me how I know this!! Perhaps you have no such snakes in your area, so that would not be a problem.
We have used crushed asphalt over fabric for our trailer parking area, just love it. It is a deep layer, at least 6 inches, more in some parts as we got it level. That area floods a bit spring and fall, but the trailers stay dry, no shifting of that fill. Drains fast after heavy rain. It seems to firm up in the heat, then stay solid for drIving/parking on.
Same with using crushed concrete for the main driveway. It must be smoothed nicely when laid, then it packs down well with use, stays pretty well even when very wet. Not sure if it is a local recipe from the gravel guys, but it looks like sand. Tan color not grey, no chunks of concrete even the size of a couple inches. Guess they really mean crushed! It is “rougher” than regular sand. Abrasive is what husband calls it. We only have it in the gateways over fabric for mud, not in paddocks with the horses. It has stayed put, not packing in hooves, no mud in the gateways.
You also might ask about adding drain tile to remove water faster, in seasonal rains. It has helped us a great deal, just changing runoff, directing the excess water to a low spot we reserved for that purpose. It is a small wooded area, trees don’t care if they have wet feet.
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