A few years ago I had the front of my home cemented. I told the workers
to leave a 3' x 3' opening for a possible shrub planting. Since then,
every time I tried to plant something in that 'plot', the plant would
die. i suspected a gas leak...but the gas company disproved that
theory. Now, I want to patch up that opening. As of now, it has a low
layer of red mulch on top of the soil that was originally there. I
bought a bag of quickcement, Is there any thing I should know on how to
go about this and trying to match the rest of the cement? Some neighbor
suggested a crossironbar. I think its called. I've seen that being done
whenever I pass a large mason job on some sidewalks...but others say
its not necessary for the little spot that I have. Suggestions?

Anthona wrote:
A few years ago I had the front of my home cemented. I told the workers
to leave a 3' x 3' opening for a possible shrub planting. Since then,
every time I tried to plant something in that 'plot', the plant would
die. i suspected a gas leak...but the gas company disproved that
theory. Now, I want to patch up that opening. As of now, it has a low
layer of red mulch on top of the soil that was originally there. I
bought a bag of quickcement, Is there any thing I should know on how to
go about this and trying to match the rest of the cement? Some neighbor
suggested a crossironbar. I think its called. I've seen that being done
whenever I pass a large mason job on some sidewalks...but others say
its not necessary for the little spot that I have. Suggestions?
----------------------------
New concrete will not "seal" with the old one, hence is the possibility
of water seeping in between. If water freezes, it will expand and
could cause damage to the new concrete (or the existing one)--uneven
expansion will also occur in extreme high tempratures. Here is what I
would do: (1) Dig the 3'x3' area until you reach stable soil--at least
the 3-1/2 inch thicnkess of the slab. (2) Lay a grid wire in the
bottom (or rebars--but this is an overkill). (3) Place (tar-based)
exapansion joints on all four sides. (4) Pour concrete. On the other
hand, if extreme tempratures are not an issue in you area, then you may
use step 1 followed by step 4.

Anthona wrote:
A few years ago I had the front of my home cemented. I told the
workers to leave a 3' x 3' opening for a possible shrub planting.
Since then, every time I tried to plant something in that 'plot', the
plant would die. i suspected a gas leak...but the gas company
disproved that theory. Now, I want to patch up that opening. As of
now, it has a low layer of red mulch on top of the soil that was
originally there. I bought a bag of quickcement, Is there any thing I
should know on how to go about this and trying to match the rest of
the cement? Some neighbor suggested a crossironbar. I think its
called. I've seen that being done whenever I pass a large mason job
on some sidewalks...but others say its not necessary for the little
spot that I have. Suggestions?

Well a good soil test would tell you what the problem with the plants
is. I suspect the soil is too alkali.

If you want to fill it in, the first question is will it be subject to
vehicle traffic? Totally different needs for that.

One bag of concrete mix (not cement) is not going to cover 3x3 foot
unless it is one mighty big bag. :-)

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

Joseph Meehan wrote:
Anthona wrote:
A few years ago I had the front of my home cemented. I told the
workers to leave a 3' x 3' opening for a possible shrub planting.
Since then, every time I tried to plant something in that 'plot', the
plant would die. i suspected a gas leak...but the gas company
disproved that theory. Now, I want to patch up that opening. As of
now, it has a low layer of red mulch on top of the soil that was
originally there. I bought a bag of quickcement, Is there any thing I
should know on how to go about this and trying to match the rest of
the cement? Some neighbor suggested a crossironbar. I think its
called. I've seen that being done whenever I pass a large mason job
on some sidewalks...but others say its not necessary for the little
spot that I have. Suggestions?

Well a good soil test would tell you what the problem with the plants
is. I suspect the soil is too alkali.

If you want to fill it in, the first question is will it be subject to
vehicle traffic? Totally different needs for that.

One bag of concrete mix (not cement) is not going to cover 3x3 foot
unless it is one mighty big bag. :-)

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit

The concrete will make the soil alkali, correct?

dave

The concrete will make the soil alkali, correct?

dave

Probably, the easy fix is vinegar, I pour some around my pine trees and
they get so green it almost black. We are in an area with limestone as
a base, alkalinity rules. I use a lot of acidy stuff to balance it out,
but it wins in the end. The O.P. likely has a "caused" problem, much
easier to fix.

On 22 Dec 2006 09:04:34 -0800, "Eric in North TX"
wrote:

The concrete will make the soil alkali, correct?

dave

Probably, the easy fix is vinegar, I pour some around my pine trees and
they get so green it almost black. We are in an area with limestone as
a base, alkalinity rules. I use a lot of acidy stuff to balance it out,
but it wins in the end. The O.P. likely has a "caused" problem, much
easier to fix.

If he dumps a bunch of vinigar in soil that's alkaline because
of a cement pour, isn't he likely to wind up with a bunch of
salt that will kill his plants anyway? Or are calcium salts
not as lethal to plant life as clorine salt is?

If he dumps a bunch of vinigar in soil that's alkaline because
of a cement pour, isn't he likely to wind up with a bunch of
salt that will kill his plants anyway? Or are calcium salts
not as lethal to plant life as clorine salt is?

Salt is salt, though if I had to choose, I'd take non-chlorine. I don't
think he will get enough salt to kill a healthy plant. He could also op
for an alkaline loving plant. I'm sure we are getting salt build-up,
though it isn't a problem yet. Even watering leaves salt behind, fresh
water has some. I mostly limit watering to drip irrigation, so that
helps, but some full on sprinkler head watering is still required. I've
tried just about everything else in the vegetable garden, with not good
results, soakers, and drips never seem to let the plants get enough, so
I combine purging my water filter with watering the garden for a win,
win, lose.

On 22 Dec 2006 06:05:03 -0800, "Anthona" wrote:

A few years ago I had the front of my home cemented. I told the workers
to leave a 3' x 3' opening for a possible shrub planting. Since then,
every time I tried to plant something in that 'plot', the plant would
die. i suspected a gas leak...but the gas company disproved that
theory. Now, I want to patch up that opening. As of now, it has a low
layer of red mulch on top of the soil that was originally there. I
bought a bag of quickcement, Is there any thing I should know on how to
go about this and trying to match the rest of the cement? Some neighbor
suggested a crossironbar. I think its called. I've seen that being done
whenever I pass a large mason job on some sidewalks...but others say
its not necessary for the little spot that I have. Suggestions?


Dig out 2 feet deep. Remove any rock/stone/clay and replace with
compost/garden soil. You might have a large rock in there. Then
match the conditions (sun/shade, moisture, pH) with a plant that
matches these conditions and your climate. I'm sure there are
numerous ground covers that will work well, although there's more
choices with a sunny location. Or, you can set a potted plant on top
of the mulch.

Phisherman wrote:
On 22 Dec:05:03 -0800, "Anthona" wrote:

A few years ago I had the front of my home cemented. I told the workers
to leave a 3' x 3' opening for a possible shrub planting. Since then,
every time I tried to plant something in that 'plot', the plant would
die. i suspected a gas leak...but the gas company disproved that
theory. Now, I want to patch up that opening. As of now, it has a low
layer of red mulch on top of the soil that was originally there. I
bought a bag of quickcement, Is there any thing I should know on how to
go about this and trying to match the rest of the cement? Some neighbor
suggested a crossironbar. I think its called. I've seen that being done
whenever I pass a large mason job on some sidewalks...but others say
its not necessary for the little spot that I have. Suggestions?


Dig out 2 feet deep. Remove any rock/stone/clay and replace with
compost/garden soil. You might have a large rock in there. Then
match the conditions (sun/shade, moisture, pH) with a plant that
matches these conditions and your climate. I'm sure there are
numerous ground covers that will work well, although there's more
choices with a sunny location. Or, you can set a potted plant on top
of the mulch.



I appreciate the info on how to replant...but that was not the
intention of my post. I want to cover it up permanently.

On 22 Dec 2006 17:19:01 -0800, "Anthona" wrote:


Phisherman wrote:
On 22 Dec:05:03 -0800, "Anthona" wrote:

A few years ago I had the front of my home cemented. I told the workers
to leave a 3' x 3' opening for a possible shrub planting. Since then,
every time I tried to plant something in that 'plot', the plant would
die. i suspected a gas leak...but the gas company disproved that
theory. Now, I want to patch up that opening. As of now, it has a low
layer of red mulch on top of the soil that was originally there. I
bought a bag of quickcement, Is there any thing I should know on how to
go about this and trying to match the rest of the cement? Some neighbor
suggested a crossironbar. I think its called. I've seen that being done
whenever I pass a large mason job on some sidewalks...but others say
its not necessary for the little spot that I have. Suggestions?


Dig out 2 feet deep. Remove any rock/stone/clay and replace with
compost/garden soil. You might have a large rock in there. Then
match the conditions (sun/shade, moisture, pH) with a plant that
matches these conditions and your climate. I'm sure there are
numerous ground covers that will work well, although there's more
choices with a sunny location. Or, you can set a potted plant on top
of the mulch.



I appreciate the info on how to replant...but that was not the
intention of my post. I want to cover it up permanently.


Metal deckplating, then.

Goedjn wrote:
On 22 Dec:19:01 -0800, "Anthona" wrote:


Phisherman wrote:
On 22 Dec:05:03 -0800, "Anthona" wrote:

A few years ago I had the front of my home cemented. I told the workers
to leave a 3' x 3' opening for a possible shrub planting. Since then,
every time I tried to plant something in that 'plot', the plant would
die. i suspected a gas leak...but the gas company disproved that
theory. Now, I want to patch up that opening. As of now, it has a low
layer of red mulch on top of the soil that was originally there. I
bought a bag of quickcement, Is there any thing I should know on how to
go about this and trying to match the rest of the cement? Some neighbor
suggested a crossironbar. I think its called. I've seen that being done
whenever I pass a large mason job on some sidewalks...but others say
its not necessary for the little spot that I have. Suggestions?




Thanks again, but it would be helpful to some of us who are ignorant in
terms of cemment among other tasks, to know what is "Metal
deckplating"? I did a search and all I got was something referred to
those large semi's trucks. What is it, and where can I get it if I go
that route?


Dig out 2 feet deep. Remove any rock/stone/clay and replace with
compost/garden soil. You might have a large rock in there. Then
match the conditions (sun/shade, moisture, pH) with a plant that
matches these conditions and your climate. I'm sure there are
numerous ground covers that will work well, although there's more
choices with a sunny location. Or, you can set a potted plant on top
of the mulch.



I appreciate the info on how to replant...but that was not the
intention of my post. I want to cover it up permanently.


Metal deckplating, then.

Anthona wrote:
Phisherman wrote:
On 22 Dec:05:03 -0800, "Anthona" wrote:

A few years ago I had the front of my home cemented. I told the
workers to leave a 3' x 3' opening for a possible shrub planting.
Since then, every time I tried to plant something in that 'plot',
the plant would die. i suspected a gas leak...but the gas company
disproved that theory. Now, I want to patch up that opening. As of
now, it has a low layer of red mulch on top of the soil that was
originally there. I bought a bag of quickcement, Is there any thing
I should know on how to go about this and trying to match the rest
of the cement? Some neighbor suggested a crossironbar. I think its
called. I've seen that being done whenever I pass a large mason job
on some sidewalks...but others say its not necessary for the little
spot that I have. Suggestions?


Dig out 2 feet deep. Remove any rock/stone/clay and replace with
compost/garden soil. You might have a large rock in there. Then
match the conditions (sun/shade, moisture, pH) with a plant that
matches these conditions and your climate. I'm sure there are
numerous ground covers that will work well, although there's more
choices with a sunny location. Or, you can set a potted plant on top
of the mulch.



I appreciate the info on how to replant...but that was not the
intention of my post. I want to cover it up permanently.

Well you can still use the first part of the advice. Digging it out at
least two feet, is the first step of putting down concrete that will not
sink move or breakup in a short time. However stop there and used crushed
stone compacted well in a few layers to make a good foundation for the
concrete.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia 's Muire duit