Gardening on the Moon ( GOTM )

Written by Jeff

Rip, Rap, Hooray!

The truck came with the rip rap and dropped it in one big pile in a designated area. We worked from this pile taking a selection of rocks from the sizes available. Following the contour of the natural “valley” these rocks were hand-placed. One might be able to just dump the rocks in the shape desired, but I elected to take the time to place each rock. This had the effect of 1) making for a tighter placement of the rip rap and thus leaving as little space as possible between rocks and 2) making the best use of the raw material. I am not certain one way would provide a more pleasing appearance, but I did move rocks around as they were placed so the form of the riverbed was pleasing to the eye.

PHOTO: Starting the rip rap to the west of the boulders at the head of the riverbed

NOTE: We elected to put down a weed barrier in hopes that it would stop the weeds from growing in the bed and ruining the effect. Unfortunately, we had a plethora of weeds anyway. To combat these unwanted plants, we elected to have the area treated for weeds. I still recommend using a weed barrier to help reduce the amount of unwanted plant growth.

The weeds grew on top of the weed barrier and not through the barrier since we did have to cover the weed fabric with sand to prevent the sun from destroying it and buffering the fabric from some of the sharp edges of the rip rap. This provided enough of a foothold for the weeds to grow (along with any silt that washed in from the rains along with the seeds). Plan on having the area treated for weeds to maintain a clean, crisp appearance.

When placing the weed barrier, we cut it to the contour of the area, keeping in mind where the rocks would be placed. We placed the weed barrier in strips across the contour (perpendicular to the flow of water) of the land. As we moved along, we overlapped the different pieces of the weed barrier by about an inch to inch-and-one-half. Place the newly added section UNDER the previous section so the water flows over the joint and not under it. We used part of the rip rap to anchor the barrier as we worked. Once the weed barrier was successfully placed, we used landscape anchors to secure the fabric.

NOTE: We only placed enough weed barrier to work on at one time because without any covering, the sun will begin to destroy the material. Read the directions on the package for other hints.

PHOTO: The Boulders are just on the other side of the trees (to the left)
As the riverbed developed, the extra boulders were strategically placed to control the water getting entering the structure. These were placed so they would be utilitarian, yet pleasing to the eye. The project went relatively fast because my wife, Mary, brought the rocks to me as I was placing them. That definitely helped the project to go faster. It also provided another set of eyes to evaluate the “look” of the project and to help suggest modifications.

PHOTO: Looking back from the street as the riverbed develops its shape
In a few days, the dry riverbed was finished and it looked as good as we had hoped. Not only does this feature help route the water coming into that corner of the yard, it added a feature which is pleasing to the eye and brings out the natural look of the cactus in the area. We had to wait months for the next big rain, but when it came, the dry riverbed worked perfectly. We see one area where we can gain even greater control of the water flow if we place two more boulders. We will consider doing this over time, but for now, the project is a strategic and landscaping success.

PHOTO: Placing smaller boulders to divert water as we go

PHOTO: Notice final placement of boulders (center) to slow water

PHOTO: Slowly making our way toward the paved street

PHOTO: Nearly finished looking from the trees to the street

Read Control Flooding in the Desert Part I – http://www.gardeningonthemoon.com/2009/01/20/control-flooding-in-the-desert-part-i/

Read Control Flooding in the Desert Part II – http://www.gardeningonthemoon.com/2009/01/29/control-flooding-in-the-desert-part-ii/

Gardening on the Moon, www.gardeningonthemoon.com, originally published this post