Major Debacle wrote:
Smitty Two wrote:
In article ,
Major Debacle wrote:

I gotta redo a drive way strip that a redwood tree uplifted. It's one of
those old driveways where there are two strips of concrete about 30"
wide with dirt in the middle.

Some of the roots of the redwood tree are level with the top of where
the driveway strip should be so the lady wants to pour around the roots.
Makes sense to me. She said she talked to someone and all she could come
up with was "hard dirt". Now that don't sound like anything I ever heard
of, but who knows?

I figure, form up around the roots, pour the conc and fill in with
whatever it is she is calling 'hard dirt' around the roots. I don't know
what the hell she might mean, but I guess there might be something out
there to fill the bill.

Anyone got any ideas?
My guess is decomposed granite, aka DG. Are you familiar with it?

I got familiar with it yesterday. Tree guy came out and recommended it.
Got a line on it from American Soil down the road, along with a
stabilizer to mix in.

The decomposed granite worked like a charm! The old gent at the rock
place said that stabilizer wasn't needed. Turns out it's just powdered
seed hulls.

I made a border out of cinderblock-like pieces 5"x2"x24" with one edge
scalloped. I mixed some mortar and spread it along the edge of the
driveway strip and put the scallop side down, backed dirt on the outside
and DG on the inside. I wet it as I layed it down according to what the
old gent said. Compacting was done with a 8 foot long 2x4 and a mattock
handle. It was only about 17 sq feet. The next day I backed my pickup
over it. The bottom 5 feet was new concrete, then seven feet of DG, then
the old concrete section. It was an upslope. I didn't even feel the
transition and the tires didn't leave the least mark.

--
When asked, years afterward, why his charge at Gettysburg failed,
General Pickett said: "I've always thought the Yankees had something to
do with it."