Learning how to maintain rock landscaping helps you protect your investment and keep your yard tidy. While the initial impact is stunning, you need to clean landscape rock and possibly reseat it over time to maintain the same effect.
In this brief guide, we’ll look at how to clean rocks in the yard and how to keep landscape rocks from sinking.
How to: Rock Landscape Cleaning 101
A rock landscape is helpful in a drought-tolerant landscape because it fills space without requiring water. However, with more prominent features, cleaning becomes an issue as you cannot simply lift the weight to get into all the nooks and crannies.
These simple recommendations will aid in this task:
- Lay foundation material: A foundation fabric like polyester or linen smothers weeds and reduces pest numbers. However, the fabric only lasts for a while, so check on it each new season. The material makes it easier to clean the rock features.
- Weed regularly: Weeding is not much fun, but it is the best way to prevent a landscape rock stain. It is also valuable for keeping the soil steady, as the roots can break down soil clumps.
- Rinse the rocks often: Washing down the stones to remove moss, algae, and marks regularly will make an annual spring clean far simpler. A pressure washer or high-pressure hose can be helpful in this endeavor.
Do you need further guidance on cleaning landscape rock? We delve deeper into the topic in this blog post.
How to Move Landscaping Rocks
Your ability to move landscaping rocks depends on their size. You may be able to load a small stone into a wheelbarrow and shift it that way, but you may need professional earth-moving equipment for mid to large rocks.
We recommend taking your queue from what your original landscaper did when installing the feature. However, in some cases, it may prove better to hire professionals. If you are unsure, contact our office, and we’ll guide you on how to maintain rock landscaping and move it.
How to Keep Landscape Rocks from Sinking
Larger rocks will naturally settle over time—this is normal. But if it begins to upset the aesthetic, you’ll want to deal with it as soon as possible. If you fail to deal with this problem, it becomes very challenging to sort out. The deeper the installation sinks, the greater the chance of stains and the more difficult it is to retrieve later.
The reason this usually happens is due to a soft foundation like grass or soft soil. You may combat this issue by:
- Spreading out the load a little may help, although it will change the aesthetic.
- Laying a layer of gravel beneath larger pieces provides a firm foundation that prevents subsidence.
- Compacting the earth before the installation is expensive but produces long-lasting results. Compacting helps remove small air pockets that will, in time, compact from the weight of the installation.
- Applying foundation fabric may also prove helpful as it provides a more secure base. The stiffness of the polyester or linen fabric prevents the rock from sinking deeper into the soil.
If you want to know more, we have a comprehensive guide on how to lay landscape rock.
How to Keep Landscape Stone from Sinking
While the question, “How to keep landscape stone from sinking?” seems very like the previous section, there is a subtle difference, primarily in the size of the stone or rock.
When learning how to maintain rock landscaping, it may surprise you that smaller stones also settle over time. However, dealing with this issue is usually as simple as installing foundation fabric.
How to Move Small Landscaping
Learning how to move small landscaping is an integral part of how to maintain rock landscaping. You may need to adjust a feature as your garden grows and plants begin to hide. Like with small rocks, it depends on the size and weight.
A lightweight piece may be unwieldy if it is large enough. We recommend trying to move the item using a wheelbarrow or on the back of your ride-on mower in an emergency.
However, we issue a caveat to be very careful here. While it’s tempting to take on more significant pieces, it may be risky.
If they are too heavy for your mower, they may strain the engine or damage the chassis. In such cases, you’re looking at expensive repair or buying something new. Either way, the cost far exceeds the cost of calling in a professional.
The wheelbarrow won’t cost as much to repair or replace, but dropping a stone on your foot can cause damage. We recommend exercising care here to avoid a costly trip to the emergency room.
Speak to the Landscaping Pros for the Best Results
One of the crucial lessons in how to maintain landscaping is learning when it’s time to call in the professionals. This lesson becomes doubly important when it comes to how to maintain rock landscaping.
Put us to the test, and we will teach you how to maintain rock landscaping correctly. Why break your back with hard labor when we offer such low rates? We have the team and equipment to do all the heavy lifting at an affordable price.
If you have been slack with your maintenance or need more time, call The Lawman Landscapers at (916) 794-8066. Our professional team will walk you through your options and develop the right solutions for your landscaping today.
