need HELP - removing rocks from re graded lawn area

[hazmat]

I had a nice writeup, but lost it - so this will be quicker.

Regrading where the pool used to be (lots of gravel & concrete chunks buried shallower than I thought ). Having trouble removing rocks w/ landscape rake. Tilled the area, then raked. Pulled a bunch of midsize rocks out.

Plan A - build screen & process dirt thru it - ~6,000 sq foot area - 55 yards if I go 3". Potentially timeconsuming

Plan B - buy sceened loam & cover. Expensive & still timeconsuming - can't get a truck back there - would have to shuttle loam with tractor.

Plan C - till again to get most of the bigger rocks out. Leave gravel & hope for the best.

Thoughts?

Some pix.

 

[Eric_Phillips]

I wish some more people had responded to your post. My yard looks a lot like yours. I rented a rock hound and I think it mostly scraped off the top inch or so and didn't really make much difference. It was a blast driving the skid steer though.

 

[hazmat]

me too -

I searched a bit here on "rocks" and "rake" Came to the conclusion that it is a very manual process unless you are going to pay big bucks for specialized equipment - harley makes a screen in place machine (different from their rake) other companies offer "rock pickers" which generally require a utility tractor to run.

Here's what I did - I tilled it up again 2 passes. With a little experience under my belt, I can tell by the sound & how high the tiller jumps, how big a rock it just uncovered. I'd make a pass & then go back with a 5 gallon bucket and pick the bigger (potato size & up) stuff out. I've since raked it again. Found the larger stragglers. I've come to the conclusion that the new grass is just going to have to deal with the gravel sized pieces. If it turns out it doesn't grow, I'll order some screened topsoil.

I did buy some hardware cloth to build a screen, but figure it would take too long to try to collect all the soil to screen it. I will screen the dirt/rock mixture I have stacked up.

 

[jbrumberg]

Hazmat & Eric:

I can also relate. I am now starting the arduous process of fixing up my "lawn" after years of abuse, neglect, and more recently compaction. I will probably have to use most of my attachments. Since I still have my tiller attached I will start with it to shallow till the bare spots, take out some minor high spots, and loosen up areas of compaction . I have ~170 yards of fill left over from my driveway project that I intend to use in some low areas on my property. I will probably have to backdrag the FEL or use the box blade to level out my fill areas. I will then have to use my landscape rake to remove the larger rocks and prep/smooth the areas for grass seed. I also see a lot of rock picking with this project . It looks like I had a good early spring crop of rocks this year . Any comments and/or advise would be welcome . Jay

 

[LoganWildman]

Unfortunately, there isn't an easy answer with that small of rock. From the looks of it, I'd guess that each time you'd work it, more rocks would be brought to the surface.
Have you tried angleing your rake and windrowing? That should get some of it, but it won't get it all. If you haul in some screened top soil to cover the mess you have now, all those rocks will work their way up.

The only other way I know of is a rake and bucket, which is very time consuming, but guarentees you pick up the worst of it.

 

[Gryantaylor]

I recently did the same thing to my front yard and pasture (total of ~2/3 acres). I tilled, raked, winrowed, until I was blue in the face. The best I was able to do was to rake the dirt and rocks into a winrow about every 10 feet. Then I went through with a 5 gallon bucket(s) and a hand rake and removed everything over about 1". Then I used the rear blade to smooth it back out. Finally, I went back with the rake and bucket and removed all the rocks that "Appeared" while I was smothing things back out. I planted grass about 4 weeks ago and have been watering every day. The good news is the grass seems to be comming up around the remaining gravel/rocks just fine but the constant watering is bringing up yet another round of rocks that will need to be removed by hand. It's too late for me this year but I'd be intrested to know if anybody has something better.

 

[OldMcDonald]

Do not remove all the stones - ever. If you have only fine soil it will compact much more than if you have some stone and gravel in there and will puddle in wet times. You will then have to go to a great deal of trouble to keep your lawn aerated. Grass will grow almost anywhere and has no objection to stones of any size under the surface. I have farmed a lot of very stony ground in my time, and on Sunday sowed Sudan grass on a bit more than five acres that I have removed several thousand tons of rocks from. Some of it went to making new roads and the rest, with soil included, filled a depression of more than 2000 square yards and averaged a yard and a half deep. That area is part of a new olive grove, and I have corn growing between the trees. Before I sowed the Sudan grass I took off about 2 tons of rocks that were bigger than you could meet your hands around and left a lot more smaller stuff, but I have had three crops of oaten hay off that ground before the sorghum. I will keep finding stone as I cultivate, but you will not be doing that with a lawn, so do not bother to get them out. The grass will grow and then you will have to spend your spare time cutting it. Have fun doing so. Old McDonald.

 

[Lindblom Lawn Care]

2 to 4 inches of loam would be a good start. Hauling with the loader will be faster than messing with the landscape rake trying to get all the rock out of there.

The screen will take some time again would be faster than messing with the landscape rake. Might be cheaper than a truck load of loam. IMHO.

 

[kwolfe]

For the best results, I would bring in a few inches of topsoil. I would not bother with the screen unless you have the time to spend. That gravel doe not look bad at all. I would say throw down some seed and keep it well watered. The grass will hide the gravel over time.

I am in the process of doing to same task and have been continually frustrated that I keep pulling up more rocks. I have raked up the majority of them. The rest I will do by hand, then spread the seed.