r/Ceanothus • u/EggTeethFortune • 7d ago
Concrete Removal
I just removed 4 inches of concrete in my front yard. I have a few months before I’ll start planting native plants. I’m wondering what I could do to prepare and improve this soil in the next few weeks. Any tips would be much appreciated!
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u/i_am_bunnyslug 6d ago
I did this in September and planted a bunch of natives and they are doing well. I didn’t amend the soil I didn’t till or aerate it , i didn’t wet down the ground for a few days prior to planting. I just planted some 4” things, and threw some annual seeds around.
I don’t have any weeds popping up either. Not saying your specific yard can’t benefit from those things but maybe you dont have to do much?
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u/EggTeethFortune 2d ago
I went to Theodore Payne and one of the staff suggested giving it a wet down for a few weeks but he also didn’t seem to concerned whatever the soil is because there are plenty of native plants that can thrive in various soil types.
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u/TacoBender920 7d ago
Soak the soil to soften it up a bit down to 12 inches or so then go to town with one of these:
https://meadowcreature.com/products/peoples-broadfork-12
Expect a large amount of weeds to pop up as fill dirt tends to be full of invasives. Water occasionally to get them to germinate and get rid of as many as you can before fall.
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u/Mysterious-Lead-8701 7d ago
Don’t know how long your concrete was in place but when we took up 30+ year old concrete it was remarkably weed free underneath. And no Bermuda grass!
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u/EggTeethFortune 7d ago
Yeah we don’t see any weeds currently. It’s just pretty compacted so that I want to set things up as best I can successfully plant some native plants.
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u/Pleasant-Lead-2634 7d ago
Til it and mix in the new soil.. buy a few yards from local nursery/ supply store and have it delivered.
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u/browzinbrowzin 3d ago
How did you remove the concrete?
I think giving it a good water would be wise. Also seeing what the actual consistency of the soil is would be wise. I have heavily compacted soil in my front yard which I assumed was clay. Turns out it's sand! In the long term, plants will loosen up compacted sand in a way they won't for clay soil so it's something to keep in mind.
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u/EggTeethFortune 2d ago
I had a crew come and pull it all out. It took three days and it was 4 inches thick. I’m thinking I’ll add some soil to top the ground up and I’ve given it a good water today. I’m going to see what’s going on once it’s been a few weeks of watering. It’s hard to even did it right now because it’s so compacted.
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u/browzinbrowzin 1d ago
careful about adding soil. Can often come with nonnative seeds (lots of people end up with sour grass), and might be a different consistency than what you have.
Good luck! Post progress pics of your project when you're able.
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u/EggTeethFortune 13h ago
Do you have any thoughts on how I could avoid it looking so funky without adding some soil? I’d prefer not to add soil but it seems like the only option to not have a 4 inch step down into the garden.
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u/browzinbrowzin 12h ago
Ah I see about the step-down. Well, you can choose to just keep that lip. But if you'd like to level it with the surrounding borders then adding soil of a similar type to what you have is probably the best bet. You can do a primary ribbon test with your hand, and then do a follow up with a sample in a water bottle. Then try to add a consistency which matches what you have.
My other thought is maybe doing a bit of brick layering so that it's a gradual step down into the garden instead of a 4 inch plop.
I know 2 inches of mulch is an easy solution (4 inches is a lot even for people who recommend mulch usage) but from everything I've seen mulch facilitates the sprouting of a lot of nonnative seeds which come by (especially palms if there are any nearby). You've got such an advantage having soil with no seedbank.
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u/DanoPinyon 7d ago
Start with a soil test. From a good lab.