Cleaning out Landscape Rocks
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- Опубликовано: 15 окт 2024
- This video shows the method I used to separate the dirt from the landscape rocks around our house. This was by far the best way I found to perform this task but it was still a lot of work.
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Best RUclips video I've seen in years. Quick, effective, to the point, done in about just 1 minute. Great job.
This method works great with one addition. Raise one end of the screen up about four feet so the rocks will roll off the screen and pile up at the bottom. Toss the shovelfuls onto the top of the screen and let gravity do the rest. I propped up one end with a step ladder and put a wheelbarrow under the screen to catch the dirt. Worked great.
I have used this method in the past. Two other great ways to clean the rock are vacuum and blow. If you don't want to move the rock, grab your shop vac and while keeping two to three sections of the hose pipe in the vertical, you will be able to vacuum out the loose dirt and dead matter. The rocks will make it half way up the pipe before falling back to the ground you may have to occasionally reduce the suction to allow the rocks to fall back, but they won't get to the vacuum. I've also taken the dirtiest of river rock in my wheel barrow and spread on the driveway. Hose it down then let it dry in the sun. Run a broom across it for a minute to loosen the dirt off the driveway. Then use a blower straight down to separate the dirt and debris from the stone. Both worked great for me.
I think I need to do both!
That is what will work best. You have to clean the rock otherwise the organic matter left behind will support new growth over top of your newly installed fabric
This is a great idea! Thanks for the video. We built this frame on Friday and did the first chunk of our garden yesterday. It worked awesome. I love stone landscape gardens and ours was filled with old mulch, dirt, and moss. We lifted the frame more off the ground and set it on the front of the wheelbarrow so we could push it right in and save on shoveling. We got rain for a few hours right after we finished. I’m sitting outside this morning drinking coffee and that stone looks BRAND NEW. Thank you for the idea on how to do this.
Good idea! I need another wheelbarrow. I only have one.
I just started tilling my yard and quickly realized that the greatest limitation was all the massive rocks in the dirt. I started thinking about something exactly like this to filter out all the rocks. Awesome work!
I used a powerful shop vac with a chicken wire screen.. get as much dirt as you want up. If weeds grow back burn them with a torch. Much easier work.
That's brilliant!!
I just did this when I was refurbishing my 25+ year old rock garden. The rocks had sunk into the dirt and became compacted. I went a step further though and washed the rocks to brighten them up and get the mud off, the sun and weather will finish the job at bringing the color back, my pressure washer is currently broken so I just have a high power hose nozzle.
I took all the rocks out a handful at a time, and then once I was down to the old plastic wrap bed over the clay that was all rotted, I tamped the soil out and graded it away from the foundation, and then laid down a thin bed of sand, and then landscaping fabric over top of it. Then I took a milk crate propped up on bricks and did a crateful of rocks at a time and hosed them down. Once they were cleaned, I dumped them back into the garden pit. It makes a big difference, as I had photos from the 90s of when the garden was somewhat new and it was a lot brighter and more colorful and the rocks were more "fluffed up" and not so trampled. I found a lot of blueish and red colored rocks and I put those aside to save as a topper to make it more colorful and "pop" without looking too planned out and still randomized.
MrWolfSnack thank you for the milk crate idea, you just saved me a trip to homedepot and finding someone to make what’s in the video.
No prob. Some might flick out of the bin but it's not that bad, and propping the crate on bricks is just so that the mud you are trying to wash off and the water coming out will not get back on them
Omg this problem has been plaguing me for MONTHS. What a great solution.
Thank you for your advice! Right now, I wish I had a handy partner, didn’t have health and back problems, weren’t a perfectionist, 4’ 9”, pushing 70, and didn’t have an issue with what was a beautiful yard in Michigan! I have stone beds that are in an L shape, with really cool stones that have fossils, Petoskey stones, sparkly stones, etc. I realized they were growing weeds, baby trees, and roots were coming out. I started to inspect, and found a mess! There is heavy plastic underneath, but huge roots, like trees, grew from somewhere, and poked holes in the plastic, lifted it up, and now I have two layers of dirt and roots intermingled with stones I need to free (and free the big worms above and below the plastic), sift and clean the stones, build up the dirt, level, replace the plastic or use sand or something to lift it higher. I’m breaking my back pulling everything out and cutting long roots with loppers, cutting little roots, moving the worms, trying to figure out what to fill the dirt in with, and looking on You Tube to see what to do. Now I guess I’ll have to build a sifter, sift, wash, level the dirt, put more plastic or paver sand down, and replace the stones. It will take me until the end of the summer! Oh, boy!
Finished making one of these (or similar) today, and it’s working pretty well! I actually had everything I needed around the house except some good screws, so had to pick those up. I have some smaller rocks that I’m trying to save and reuse, so I’m using the smaller 1/4” square mesh that I had. The dirt falls through easily though and it goes quicker as you get the hang of it. I’m actually using a garden rake to stir and pull the rocks. I use the normally used side to pull the bigger, heavier rocks, then flip it and use the flat top side for cleaning the smaller ones off.
Thank you for the idea!
I did basically the same thing, just a little different. I had a metal framed table that the glass top was missing from. I put expanded metal on top for the screen material. I can put the wheel barrow under it to catch the fines. It saves some shovel work. Good idea and great video. It is a lot of work though. I can save on gym membership for a while!
What’s expanded metal?
@@Tinyteacher1111 It is a screen sort of metal. Here is a picture or you can google "expanded metal" and look at pics. It won't let me paste a pic here.
@@Tinyteacher1111 www.google.com/search?sca_esv=f379c00181bfa713&sca_upv=1&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS809US809&sxsrf=ACQVn0_dvsmeP8ZSZGboevsiiimpjjKXHw:1713409883655&q=expanded+metal&uds=AMwkrPswHTarOwzd-ir83XGqrZnL_OgFbKgq2mFSht_wzp3CoywwGwAvr_yBeogKDqrF0Cd3YBvI-_nr8lxoUdiykxGaSU8sIZlzxK8ABDzZc59MZyzN53gBSz96NTnhpZWoHXmxkxBYev55KVxOZqTatPLrEJq_h8ldYQeE1aU_rPD5Y-h-aoJrldR_Xla7h4wKXyJlfTJKCravMNIwqEyMU77TUWOhIsNJ0rFTIKzuZOxLsNNwABQYHnwZJWuQlVzD87-XbhM-KaTUiBnUrEY9_aPScgUFwJsPJOfA7RexssGmEtSpCvc&udm=2&prmd=isvnmbtz&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=2ahUKEwj25eCb5cqFAxXpIUQIHT0fBr8QtKgLegQIDhAB&biw=1194&bih=672&dpr=3
I need to find some neighborhood kids to sift for me. Thanks for sharing! Maybe I'll hide some gold painted rocks. 😆
I was thinking the same thing as I was pulling out rocks!
Aweosme!!! When you get the dirt out of the rock bed that keeps the weeds from germinating. This is awesome and exactly what I needed. For me every 4 years would need to be done.
This is great, im trying to remove all of the rocks in my yard and this would be a great way to do that without throwing away the soil
This is exactly what I'm looking for. The guy installing a gravel pad for my new barn did a half ass work. He took my money and left tones of work for me to finish. My yard terrain does not level. He used the gravel to form a slop at the lower end. Now I need to build a retaining wall at that spot instead. But first I need to remove some already mixed gravel and dirt from there. Then this tool will be ideal for the next step of separating the gravel from the soil. Thanks.
I used a piece of hardware cloth to clean the rocks in a small area and it worked well. Decided to do the rest of the yard in 3/4 stone ... very pretty. But imagine my surprise when the 3 tons was dumped on my driveway and it was covered in sand and coarse sediment ... it was unrecognizable. At first I did your big NO and tried hosing down the pile. ... doesn't work: the pile was too high and water didn't penetrate - like you said. Then I spread it out on the driveway and washed it with the hose. Didn't work: so much mud and sediment accumulated under the rocks, and the rocks just go roll away. And it was really a chore to sweep all the scattered stones into a pile and shovel it into the wheelbarrow because there was so much mud underneath. I was so frustrated so I used a large household sieve, filled and sprayed with hose. It only takes about 10 seconds to clean each fill bu the the but the mesh was tight and some of the coarser sediment wasn't washed away. Just because it was SO tedious, I timed it. It took 30 minutes to fill a wheelbarrow half way. At 2 inches thick, it only covers about 2.5 square feet. I have 330 square feet. Today I will build a similar hardware cloth frame but I'll elevate it so I can just push the washed stones into the wheelbarrow and deal with the mud as it accumulates. LESSON LEARNED: make sure if you are buying bulk stone, see if they wash it! And if they don't, set aside a many, many sunny days when you could be kayaking instead but hey, think of the muscles you'll build up dealing with the mess!!!.
This works well for dry matter. Can you suggest an efficient way to follow up with a power washer or other washing step to remove caked soil from rocks previously embedded in soil? The cleaned rocks will be put back in top of a landscaping fabric to prevent this requirement in the future.
I use a similar method, but I made a box out of 2x6's that fits on top of a gorilla cart dump wagon with pegs that hold the box to the wagon, the shifter box has handles to lift and 1/2" steel mesh, works to shift product or screen dirt.
So simplistic but genius, I love it 😁 I'll probably try this out now that I can finally get back to landscaping and gardening. Thank you
I've built something similar to do the same job - only difference was really that it was at the same height as my barrow - means the dirt sifts straight into one barrow, and the rocks fall into another - saves double handling.
Nifty little rig you made there.... Yeah lot's of work, I just filled in several elaborate flower beds around my house with decorative rocks about the size of various potatoes for mulch. They came from the ditches out by the street that were brought in by the first home owner, so much fun picking each one up by hand let me tell you...
I placed down two layers of weed mats and I am spraying with a solution of white vinegar, salt and roundup as a weed preventative. Yeah they're rock gardens now LOL... No more weeds in the flower beds and I can now just simply mow the ditches when I mow the yard.... I hate weeds...
You made my life much easier. I just knew someone out there had a better idea then I had. Thank you thank you thank you!!
I love this! I will be copying your design. This is exactly what I needs I don’t have as much rocks as you, just in the front in mostly just one section, and I just can’t see repurchasing the same rocks when the rocks looks good, just crowded with weeds.
Honestly, brilliant. I have been using a griddle, it takes SO LONG.
Most of the work seems to be figuring out how to make a sifting contraption out of the cage wire and wood to do this. That's the part I'm struggling with right now. Has anyone figured out a site where you can buy something to staple the fencing onto?
This idea isn't talked about enough and it's exactly what many people need to do. Thank you for making this video.
Oh MANNNNNN now I have to build on of these now that I've seen it's genius implementation, THANKS, ugh giving me work to do. haha, thanks for this video, I was wondering what I would need to do to clean up this xeriscaping
Nice work. What if instead of building this you had a big blower constantly running while you scooped up the rocks then let them fall back into the bed? It seems the biomass and dirt would just blow away and leave clean rocks behind.
I'm going to use the same method but i will be laying a tarp underneath so i can drag the dirt away when im done.
I didn't have the materials to build the frame out of wood. So I ziptied the landscape fence to the top of an indoor dog kennel. And hosed it off. I let it dry and the wind blew the debris away. I had to pick out a few things by hand but not much.
That’s some hard work. Good job.
Here's a tip that may help your awesome design. I did something similar and had a wheelbarrow underneath but was still doing what you did with the hoe to sift everything. After I'd had enough, I strapped a reciprocating saw to the side, drilled a couple holes in the saw blade, then put bolts through the holes and attached it to the wire. Turn it on and it'll *shake* *shake* *shake* *shake* *shake* it for ya! :)
I did the same thing two weeks ago. But It would have took too long. So i just took my backpack blower and cleaned out the rocks in place. Came out great. Same thing
Im wondering if you just throw the rocks where you want them will the rain just do the job over time?
omg i have rock all around my whole house, and I have been thinking about this for 15 yrs. omg what a task
Yeah, say that to your back
Where do you put the old dirt?
I was doing other lanscaping so it just got mixed in with that.
Just what I needed, Thanks!
Well, it worked and it was cheap. Got bonus points with the neighbors. Good going. 👍
GREAT IDEA AND VIDEO
Came for lasers... and coincidentally confirmed a plan for what I'm doing tomorrow. Made my sifter last week.
Thanks for the video. Will be building one based on yours.
Great work! Thanks for sharing this. You're clearly a hard worker, I'm surprised your weeds got overgrown. Wouldn't weeding regularly even with a torch or round up spray have been easier?
The answer is no, after a few years the biomass just build up from dust, wind, leaves etc
How about putting a screen over a large storage bin?
I have a similar project I have to tackle...going to tackle it the same way
Using water to clean/separate the rocks might be faster & more thorough. Not sure how exactly to deal with the "clean" mud & silt, but, I'm sure it's feasable.
I have tried water in the past. I did not find that water worked well. For small quantities it might be great otherwise water/mud management becomes an issue.
Great design! I'll have to build myself one.
best method ive ssen so far
Stroke of genius mate👍
damn that looks like a lot of work. I think i'm feelin the flame thrower instead. Put why wife on water hose duty.
how about mine just put on the ground concrete already when you need to clean just put some water
and thats why china is winning
Excellent idea. I already made a 2"x3" frame 20 years ago that I shake on top of a cart to capture the good dirt. Now that I see that one can make a huge frame, I should consider it. I would save a lot of effort and time. BTW why are you putting rocks back? They are your source of problems in the first place. (My rocks were put in by some previous owners in the 70s)
If you prop the screen on an angle and give it sides it'd take less work as the rocks would just roll off.
cool you should make the bottom like a wheel barrow that way it's easier to move
+Summers Woodworking
Yes, wheels would have been nice last week when I carried it
two blocks to a friend’s house. It is light for the first half block then it starts to get heavy. ;)
This is also a VERY good example of why using weed barrier "fabric" is pointless. Dirt and weed seed just get blown in by the wind, they settle ON TOP of the fabric, and grow there instead. Within one year you have the return of weeds, and you are out 100s of dollars.
Weed barrier fabric is good for one thing, and one thing only: preventing stone used in pathways from settling into the soil.
It compresses the soil underneath of it, heats up the ground, prevents nutrients from getting to your plant's roots, and it suffocates your plants. Use mulch or rocks instead, like this fellow. ;)
As a side note, I absolutely feel your pain. I spent almost a year digging red and white lava rock and old landscape fabric out of the top 4 inches of soil in my front yard, and yes. I did sift the rocks from the soil. Using a hand sifter. It has held up really well! But your way is SOOO much more efficient than mine! Very ingenious!
Will pressure washing the rocks work?
It sure does take a long time. 👍✌
Out of curiosity, how long did it take you to do it all? How many days a week did you dedicate to this? I have a big project ahead of me but I think I can do 2-3 times a week for it. Thanks in advance! My rock garden bed is 33 ft x 6 ft.
I honestly don't recall. I did not keep track but it took a long time.
Oh, boy! I have a big job ahead of me!
I need to make something like that, I have a lot of sharp rocks in my backyard and my Greyhound keeps cutting his paws on the rocks. It is taking forever to remove them by hand .
3 years after you post this video, are you still on the same job?
No, but when I was on the middle of it, it felt like it might take that long.
Genius!
Awesome-thanks!
Labor saving suggestion. Rather than hauling rocks to the Shaker... What if you made the shaker on wheels. Catch the debris on a tarp. Then you'd only have to haul the leaf debris?
Yup - I need to to this. thanks for the video!
Thats awesome. Cost 20 bucks to build in 2016? Would probably cost 80 bucks in 2022!!!
Thank you so much for the inspiration. I made a similar one and it works like a charm..... I love it.
word of advice get rid of the rocks, those are a paint to keep up with once your fabric can't stop weeds and grass from poking through...
I agree. At my house he rock gives a nice look but It does nothing but that. I would prefer natural wood mulch.
However, I got bitten by a tick and now have Lyme. Rocks don’t house ticks!
Excellent idea - thanks!
thank you - this helped me make my design - appreciate it!
Just what I needed!
I'm writing this to try n get a machine made that picks up and cleans landscaping rocks that have filled in with sand and dirt. Currently there are no machines that so that job. Cleaning the rocks from landscaping in front of most businesses. No one has a machine like that. Why, I don't know why. It's a problem for all landscaping companies. Removing and replacing the rocks that have filled in with dirt. Now and have been allowing the growing grass and weeds that grow out of the dirt. So much it fills in between every rock so much that now they look like dirt. No more does it look like rocks for landscaping. Look like dirt only. Filled in completely to look like ground to help weeds to grow. I hope I've explained my self well enough so inventers know what I'm talking about. To me it's easy to see the problem that NO-ONE has a machine like that. Please make one for the landscaping industry.
I actually just shovled up the rock and picked out the weeds and then dumped them back. Took forever.
Thank you
Hope after all that work you put down some weed barrier fabric
Holy bejeesus that's a lot of work. Nice idea but ...
Great job
Or use a wire shelf. It's rigid so it doesn't need 2x4's.
Good idea. I don’t know if I have any, but I did. I’ll have to look. Thanks!,
This is awesome! Did you make this setup yourself? Could you tell me how I can make a set up like this if so PPPPLLLLLEEEAASSSEEE & THANK YOU! Great video!
Why not just spray round up?
Still gotta pull dead weeds out, seeds, and other debris.
I hope there is an easier way 😅
I need to do my mom's house!!
I would just spray the weeds instead of moving all that stone but it looks good either way
wood mulch is easier, you add fresh wood chip mulch. you could have washed in a few bucket of water. organic material floats away, sand will sink to bottom. you can mix with a garden fork.
Explain this better
yeah I prefer mulch, it is great. rocks suck, I will have to clean a bunch that I have because my HOA doesn't allow mulch in the front yard
Why the hell doesn't your hoa allow mulch
Mulch that is dry can burst into flames on a hot day. All it takes is a cigarette. Once you learn that fun fact, you want it nowhere near your house. A mulch bed far away from the house works just fine. Rocks are perfectly inflammable.
I am going to do this in reverse in that I want to sift big rocks out of the dirt I am digging up so I can use it for my garden. This will work best because it has a large surface area and I can use a hoe to do it.
Yep that should work well. Earlier this month I used mine in a similar way. I had rocks and chunks of sod to separate out of a pile of dirt.
i hauled a huge load of river rock today.talk about a tough and hard job,not fun.tip: use power washer to clean off dirt,i do.
Just put down 2 tons of river rock myself.. I have used in the past a shop vac to get all the pine needles up.. the bigger river rock does not get sucked into the vacuum
You should try a weed burner.
you should sell these!
maybe add a motor vibrator
turn it upside down. the stones will not fall of.
Put the frame thing on the wheel barrol 😂😂😂🤦♂️🤦♂️
Would you mind sharing your design with me?
It is a couple of 2x4s screwed or nailed together to make a square with mesh nailed or stapled to it. I descrbed the mesh in the video. I am not sure what other details you would want.
What does your mesh area measure?
Similar technique without the frame: ruclips.net/video/flwWZ1qmKxA/видео.htmlsi=tGYcdR2k_GyAfBYc
Good video though! Good method for large area!