Rocky Soil

What to do About Rocky Soil

Depending on where you live, like closer into a city or on top of a poorly planned development where all of the debris from construction is left "under" your yard, you may have lots of rocks, stones, and debris in your soil.

So what do you do?  That depends. Here are two options (which are obvious) with a little advice from experience.

1. Leave it -- I would just leave it and work around it.  Removing bad soil and replacing it with rich soil, or amending the bad soil, is a lot of work and money.  Certain grasses and plants can tolerate rocky soil, so plant those.  Also, take a look around, no matter what part of the US you live in, and you will see plants growing in concrete, roadways, out of top level floors in abandoned structures, or in a basement, with no light and no soil.  Many of these invasive species of plants can grow hundreds of feet tall.  Rocky soil will inhibit root growth, for sure, but it is not the end of the world.
2. Replace or amend it -- If you have the time and money, or the time or money, replacing bad soil will allow you to grow whatever you want without being hamstrung by the roots of your plants not being able to get, easily, where they need to go.  Most homeowners have fairly good nutrient-rich soil.  For those that don't, consider gutting the ground and starting over.

I am not daunted by bad soil, in fact I always encourage homeowners to "challenge" their soil. Plant with larger holes for your plants, plant native species which can usually "submit" the bad soil and grow to the fullest extent.

I hope this helps anyone with rocky soil.  If you have any questions or would like us to take a look (Philly area), give us a call 267 670 0173 easlandscaping.com.