Cutting through paving to get to soil

[Martin Pentreath]

Hi,

A few years ago I got someone in to lay some paving in my garden to make a patio. It's stone slabs (something imported from India, probably very unethical, I've forgotten the details). Beneath it I know there is a fairly solid base (I remember lots of talk of "type 1" and "type 2" at the time, different sorts of aggregate I guess?).

The paving goes up to a wall which I want to grow climbers up. I could just put the climbers in pots. But probably the neatest and most easily maintained option would be to put them in the ground by getting a grinder and cutting throught the slabs and excavating the base a bit until I hit soil, and then filling the resulting hole with compost.

What do you reckon? My main concern is that by disturbing the base and providing a hole through which water and frost can get in I'll cause the paving to start breaking up. Having done my excavations should I make good with some sand and cement?

Cheers!

Martin

[Andrew Mawson]

getting

Get a cheap screwfix SDS drill and core bit of the 100mm variety and take out a plug of the stone, then scoop out the aggregate before planting your climber.

(this assumes your wall isn't big enough for climbers likely to grow greater than 100 mm diameter

AWEM

[The Natural Philosopher]

No worries about the slab breaking up, but you will have to go deep.

Big angle grinder with a diamond stone cutting blade and a cold chisel and boslter will deal with the sandstone.

I am more concerned about the limestone sub base..that will need pulling out and it may be nicely compacted by now.

[Martin Pentreath]

Thanks, I like this idea better than the grinder route, mainly because it will look neater and should take less time (I'm planning on four strategically placed climbers). I'll hire a core cutter plus beefy drill, but I was going to hire the grinder anyway.

[Dave Fawthrop]

|!> A few years ago I got someone in to lay some paving in my garden to |!> make a patio. It's stone slabs (something imported from India, |!> probably very unethical, I've forgotten the details). Beneath it I |!> know there is a fairly solid base (I remember lots of talk of "type |!1" |!> and "type 2" at the time, different sorts of aggregate I guess?). |!>

|!> The paving goes up to a wall which I want to grow climbers up. I |!could |!> just put the climbers in pots. But probably the neatest and most |!> easily maintained option would be to put them in the ground by |!getting |!> a grinder and cutting throught the slabs and excavating the base a |!bit |!> until I hit soil, and then filling the resulting hole with compost. |!>

|!> What do you reckon? My main concern is that by disturbing the base |!and |!> providing a hole through which water and frost can get in I'll cause |!> the paving to start breaking up. Having done my excavations should I |!> make good with some sand and cement? |!>

|!> Cheers! |!>

|!> Martin |!>

|! |!Get a cheap screwfix SDS drill and core bit of the 100mm variety and |!take out a plug of the stone, then scoop out the aggregate before |!planting your climber. |! |!(this assumes your wall isn't big enough for climbers likely to grow |!greater than 100 mm diameter

It will take many years before say a climbing rose grows big enough roots to disrupt your paving. Thinks that year old rose with 6 inch trunk which I am supposed to move this year.

[hzatph]

Plants don't do well usually close to walls and you need to think about how it will get water. Once established it will be OK but until then .... You may need to dig out a lot of space to provide soil/compost and ensure that the surrounding material is soil and then water a great deal. A tub may be easier all round.

[Martin Pentreath]

I'm planning an automatic watering system for the garden, so I thought I would tee off and provide each climber with its own dripper.

[Stuart Noble]

You probably won't need to. IME climbers do very well with their roots under slabs. Make sure you don't get a stray hollyhock seed in the hole. I had a stunner that grew to 14 feet and, when I took the slabs up to dig it out, the roots were running right on the surface in damp sand with no obvious source of nutrients.