Big hole, Mulch issues?

[CtRick]

Will standing water rot mulch? About two weeks ago I dug out an area roughly 30' long by 25' wide by 12" deep for a playscape area for my daughter. I plan on filling the area in with mulch. The same day I dug it out it rained like heck and the hole hasn't been dry since. At one point the entire pit was filled with water. I made a drainage ditch to get rid of the water, which works well except for the uneven spots. My soil is very hard clay and drains very slowly. I haven't been able to get back in the hole to level it off better because we've had a ton of rain. Has anyone ever put mulch in a hole before? Thanks...

 

[ikline]

I did the exact same thing for my children. About every 2 years I had to add more mulch. A friend of mine did the same thing except filled the hole with 24" of sand. No weeds ever came through. The only thing I did not like about the sand was tracking it in the house. But then again my kids were tracking mulch in the house.

 

[MarkV]

You haven't put the mulch in yet so it may be a good time to lay some drain tile with a silt sock on it. If you can exit the tile at a lower point in the property it might save you a messy playground.

MarkV

 

[tc35dforme]

I used rice stone...a bit smaller than pea. It was washed and I layed it in about 12-16" . It cushions well....the kids love to play with it....the cats hate it /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif....and it doesn't end up in the house...except for the buckets of it they bring in !!! /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Best thing is, it's quick to dry and isn't dirty or muddy !!! I put a pressure treated curb around the play area to contain the stuff, but its so small, I just rake it in to the turf and it diappears.

 

[Rick Jay]

CtRick,

I built a play yard for our kids 3 years ago...the first major tractor project. Anyway, I had to deal with a 3 1/2' difference in height from one corner of the area to the opposite corner.

Instead of digging down, I basically built a "rectangular retaining wall" that varies in height from ground level to about 4'. The size is 36' by 24'...cost about $800 in pressure treated lumber (4"x4" posts and 2"x12" 's mostly) and concrete. Our ground is rock laden clay, so I wanted something "soft" for a base. I brought in sand to cover the ground and level the low end and allow for drainage, then brought in about 12" of wood chips for the play area.

Anyway, even with all that, I have to bring in a couple of yards of wood chips every other year to account for settling and decay.

As far as the materials for the playground cover: sand, woodchips and gravel, I chose the woodchips. I figured the sand would be too messy when it was dragged into the house. I know that if I used stone it would find its way into the lawn and everytime I cut my lawn my neighbors would think they were under fire. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif The wood chips seemed to be the least troublesome. They do find their way into the house on occasion, but they're relatively easy to pick up and they don't cause any damage to the lawn mower.

In your case, I would allow for drainage. It's amazing how much water the clay soil can contain. I'm sure the chips will decay faster if wet, but perhaps more important is they may be apt to harbor molds and such, which you probably don't want in your play area.

Good Luck,

~Rick

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I am a landscaper & have in the past, & am right now installing commercial playground safety surfacing. So I am doing thousands of dollars worth of drainage work for some sites, before the playground mulch goes in. Wood is a bidegradable product, so it will break down over time, and will need to be replenished over time, just like the mulch you may have in any shrub beds etc. (generally every 1-3 years). Having your wood sit in a puddle will break it down a lot faster & create the other problems mentioned, and possibly make the kids get messier than they already can on their own? (Like they need help right? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif)

So as mentioned, you want to do something to get that water out of there. Here are a couple of the cheaper, easier solutions for you. Regrade with a slope in the bottom to direct all of the water to one corner or side, then install drain tile in a way to get it out. Wrap the drain pipe in a layer of stone & geotextile fabric. Another option done often is the bottom will be excavated deeper than needed to allow for a layer of stone to hold the standing water until it filters down into the existing soil (4"-6' or more as needed). With your soil I'd suggest the first option. Either way, you want to put a geotextile fabric layer between each different material (thicker, better quality weed block fabrics will also work & be cheaper). Between the existing soil and drainage stone, then between stone and playground safety surfacing. This helps keep the soil from mixing into the stone or into the mulch, etc. & will help keep the mulch from breaking down quicker by mixing with the soil.

As far as the mulch goes, buy Playground Safety Surface Mulch. There are several companies manufacturing this and should be available in most areas if you search for it. It is designed & built to be safe for kids to fall on, and is also cleaner than regular mulches. Follow their instructions as far as how deep it should be installed in reference to the heights of the playground equipment being used.

 

[CtRick]

thanks for the info, I am going to try and slope the ground towards one corner and put in some drainage pipe. I just need the ground to dry up a bit so I can get in there. Thanks again...

 

[Chief]

Think twice about using sand. When the cats discover it, they will make it their personal feline nutrient residue disposal area. /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( thanks for the info, I am going to try and slope the ground towards one corner and put in some drainage pipe. I just need the ground to dry up a bit so I can get in there. Thanks again... )</font>

Since you're having a water issue already, I think I'd place about six inches of drain stone under the mulch and separate the mulch from the stone with geofabric. Tile out from the stone.

That way, you've a drying layer under your mulch. That should make the mulch dryer and hide some grading sins in the bottom of the hole.

 

[dummy]

Have you seen or tried the "new" recycled rubber mulch? Comes in different colors, etc. Saw it at a home show. Didn't have much appeal to me then, but I didn't think about using it for playyards.