Will Sand fix mud?

[blooba]

I have a lowspot in a dirt path = mud. Its not car swallowing or "usually" not even boot swallowing deep but still a pain. I have tried landscape fabric and mulch but this area floods every year and the mulch/fabric washes away. Gravel isn't an option since this path is mowed over and wouldn't blend into the landscape. I have tried landscape stepping stones but they get swallowed by the mud. The creek is full of sand so I was thinking of adding about an inch of sand and see what happens. The only other thing I can thing of is building a permanent "boardwalk" but this would really be a pain(mowing and constructing). Anyone have any ideas?

[NCLee]

No, mixing a little sand with it really won't work. It'll disappear faster than the stepping stones that you mentioned.

Maybe you can put in a French drain (google for info) to solve the problem, if it's a small one. That'll solve the mowing problem.

Can you move the path to skirt the wet area?

There are some other possibilities, but without knowing more, it's hard to speculate on the best option. Can you post a picture, so we can see the lay of the land?

Lee

[blooba]

No, can't move the path, there is a raised garden on the side of it. Was thinking french drain although its in Communist Maryland and they restrict what is done to the creek very much. Would take pictures but most of the area is still covered in snow so that wouldn't help much

[ronbre]

try to build up and round off the low spot so that the water runs away either way from it..or even build up the entire area..

if it is a well used path..you are only hurting yourself if you don't raise it up..eventually you will end up having to do that..you could also put in some concrete steppers so you have a solid footing in that area of the path and mow around them.

we have done that in an area that was far too low for us to build up at the time..money wise and time and material wise...but eventually we will

you CAN grow grass over gravel..we have done it here..it eventually will fill in and hide the gravel..so don't count it out

[Wolf mom]

Put 2" gravel in the hole. You may have to do this a couple of times over a period of months to build up a good solid base as it gets munched in to the dirt. After you have a good base, put 1/2 inch or pea gravel on top.

Treat the hole as you would build a road. It must have a good solid base, then the topping. If you just throw topping on without the base, you'll eventually loose it.

If the hole is too shallow - dig it out deeper in order to get the base material in or you'll end up with a bump.

[fishhead]

Crushed rock works great and the grass will hide it.

[artificer]

As others have implied, there are at least three or more ways of dealing with the problem.

1. landscaping to eliminate the low spot, no more mud

2. drain the water from the low spot by allowing a quick easy path with the french drain

3. get rid of the most of the soil that makes mud, replacing it with gravel. They make plastic grass saver tiles that provide firm footing, and allow grass to grow through it. Mostly used for vehicle traffic over grass, but could be used in this case.

4. build a bridge. It doesn't even have to be exposed. dig out two trenches to lay long 4x4's in, and cover with the landscape pavers. (the big ones... 24" square) Maybe something like StabilGrid.

Getting the water to flow is the best longterm solution. Either the french drain, or the landscaping to eliminate the lowspot. The french drain doesn't even have to be visible. Upslope side has gravel to allow good drainage, and the downslope side has another gravel filled hole to allow the water a place to go to, until it soaks away down hill.

Michael

[blooba]

Yea, good advice to treat it as a road. I wish grass would grow but its heavily used and shaded = not much grass. I think I will try to get some gravel compacted into the mud then sand on top. That will raise it up a little too.

Artificer, that bridge idea would probably work but its a curved path and not sure how long of 4x4's i could use. I guess I could cut and bolt some together though. I'm trying to avoid building a bridge or wooden walkway but might have to do that if nothing else. This is a heavily "park like" landscaped area so I'm trying to keep it "beautiful" but functional. Preferably keeping it dirt or some natural looking stone.

I called the gooberment officials here and they said any drain set to drain into the creek will need to be inspected. I don't want to have them back here since I have done some modifications since their last visit and I'm sure they'll find something else wrong since the last flood.

[rambler]

A layer of 3 inch rock first, then gravel. Just gravel will dissapear as well. The rock will spread the weight around.

--->Paul

[artificer]

I don't think you mentioned how close the creek is. More than 10'? Whats the elevation change from the path to the creek?

You don't have to drain into the creek, just further down the slope from the path. If its so close to the path that you can't install a french drain, then landscape it. The only reason landscaping wouldn't work is if the muddy spot is lower than the creek.

Photos would be helpful.

"Long 4x4's" can be as short as 4' and still be useful. The shorter they are the more base material like rock and gravel they need, but like snowshoes, they'll let you cross the mud.

Michael

[Joshie]

You could either make the walkway into a pond or try using a french drain.

Actually, could you make a dry stream with a bridge? If you dug down a bit deeper than your path and put some 1" gravel in the low spot you could make yourself a dry creek bed. You could plant flowers along the side so the government and neighbors just see landscaping. You could put a bridge over your dry creek. Of course, your dry creek wouldn't be dry during rainy times.

You could also put a small pond in a spot lower than your path. This would allow the water from the path to drain into a small pond.