dochockin
Member
I'm a complete greenhorn when it comes to stuff like this, so I'm hoping to pick the brains of my betters. I have a Kubota B29, a FEL a boxblade, a toothbar, a chain harrow and other assorted attachements I can't imagine being of use in this case. The area in question is shaped a bit like an upsidedown letter P and slopes down towards the house, with the tail of the P going up to the road. It's not large, tight parking for 4 medium size cars and the tail of the P is about 40 feet long. The driveway continues downslope past the house (imagine the back of the P keeps going past the parking.
The whole area is surrounded by big old conifers (sequoia, cedar, pine, fir) and there is lots of needle drop and cones. It's been neglected for a while, but the base seems solid (it's 1/4 inch gravel, I'm not sure what the technical term is). The problem is more the top layer which is full of needles, and is developing a layer of soil mixed in with the top layer of gravel. There are also some weeds growing in spots, due to the soil buildup. I just gave it a raking with a leaf rake, lots of the surface needles came up, so did a bit of gravel. The deeper 'soil' in the top layer didn't budge much. I did dig down a couple of inches in spot and the base was just gravel and beige gravel dirt/dust/sand.
I'm not open to using conventional herbicides. I would consider using vinegar. I'm also not really able to buy a new implement, unless it's incredibly cheap (prices in Canada are at least double US prices and I'm not close enough for a cross border shopping trip). I'm ok with bringing in and spreading more material if needed, but don't want to build up the level too high.
How can I DIY rehab this? My finesse with a boxblade is pretty lacking, so I'm hesitant to just jump on and carve big ditches across my parking area. Is there an easy way to deal with this as a weekend greenhorn? Should I be bringing in an expert? If so, what can I do to prep/finish to cut down costs?
Thanks!
The whole area is surrounded by big old conifers (sequoia, cedar, pine, fir) and there is lots of needle drop and cones. It's been neglected for a while, but the base seems solid (it's 1/4 inch gravel, I'm not sure what the technical term is). The problem is more the top layer which is full of needles, and is developing a layer of soil mixed in with the top layer of gravel. There are also some weeds growing in spots, due to the soil buildup. I just gave it a raking with a leaf rake, lots of the surface needles came up, so did a bit of gravel. The deeper 'soil' in the top layer didn't budge much. I did dig down a couple of inches in spot and the base was just gravel and beige gravel dirt/dust/sand.
I'm not open to using conventional herbicides. I would consider using vinegar. I'm also not really able to buy a new implement, unless it's incredibly cheap (prices in Canada are at least double US prices and I'm not close enough for a cross border shopping trip). I'm ok with bringing in and spreading more material if needed, but don't want to build up the level too high.
How can I DIY rehab this? My finesse with a boxblade is pretty lacking, so I'm hesitant to just jump on and carve big ditches across my parking area. Is there an easy way to deal with this as a weekend greenhorn? Should I be bringing in an expert? If so, what can I do to prep/finish to cut down costs?
Thanks!
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