An unhealthy back yard fire pit gets a major remodel – rehabilitating the soil and removing invasive weeds.
When the owner of this property first purchased it, a fire pit in the back yard served as a cozy centerpiece. The 200sqft area served as the perfect location to enjoy the warmth of a small fire and roast marshmallows or sip cocoa.
However, the underlayment of weed barrier and large area of rock coverage meant the soil underneath was choked off from rain, sunlight, worms, bugs, and vital nutrient flows. The only thing that could grow here were invasive weeds, which had outcompeted the climate-tolerant fescue. A nearby tree had in-fact become root-bound due an inability to reach nutrient dense soil. Soon after, the tree died back by more than 75% beginning on the opposite side, and had to be cut down.
The solution was time intensive but simple. Remove the rock and underlayment, and dress the area with a thick layer of topsoil and mulch to rehabilitate it. Important to the owner was restoring the area to grass, minimizing impact on the environment during the process, and retaining the fire pit view.
The process to rehab this patch was a multi-year endeavor. Plus, a focus on sustainability meant minimizing the use of heavy equipment and herbicides. Work began by removing all of the rock and underlayment by hand, exposing a dried, hardened soil that was devoid of nutrients, worms, and vitality.
The rock was moved to the gravel driveway one wheel-barrow at a time to eliminate heavy diesel equipment on the property. The driveway itself had not been leveled correctly and needed additional material to prevent ice/snow buildup where vehicles parked. Using already available rock was perfect to avoid shipping in new product. The underlayment was properly disposed of at the local dump, and a fresh layer of top-soil and mulch was spread across the area to begin the healing process.
Next, invasive weeds were removed at the root by hand to limit regrowth. No herbicides were used in the process. This increased the project time, but saved money by not requiring a licensed professional for application and was more environmentally conscious – an important value for the owner. Autumn had set in full swing at this point, and a yard leaf clean up was included in the project.
Needing time to rehabilitate with full depth and nutrient density, the topsoil/mulch mixture was allowed over a year to naturally cycle through various seasons. After this process was complete, fresh sod was laid which included a regionally appropriate cool-season grass. It happily took root and grew quickly.
Additional work was done that involved the removal of unsightly bushes, clean-out of the garden beds, installation of solar lighting, and over-seeding of the upper border wall to induce continuation of the grass from the rest of the yard. Lastly, a wi-fi enabled smart sprinkler manufactured by OtO was installed. This allows for scheduled watering, using less water than conventional hose timer setups, and improving efficiency by covering a tightly specified area. It also costs significantly less than a full underground system.
The owner was very pleased with the outcome and although the process took some time to complete, the value of the property to the client was greatly improved, as well as the visual appeal and health of the yard. All without the use of harmful chemicals or heavy diesel equipment to complete the renovation!
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