Pave the way with decomposed granite

DO THE MATH

How much decomposed granite do you need? Multiply the length of the area to be covered, in feet, by the width, in feet, which gives you the area's square feet. Then multiply the square feet by 0.25 feet (representing a minimum depth of 3 inches, converted to feet), which gives you cubic feet.

Landscape stone is sold by the cubic yard at rock yards. Therefore, divide the total cubic feet by 27 to get cubic yards (27 cubic feet equals 1 cubic yard). The result is how much decomposed granite you need to order.

At Home Depot, decomposed granite is sold by the bag or by the pallet. One pallet of decomposed granite weighs 3,000 pounds or 1.5 tons. One ton covers 70 square feet, 3 inches deep. One bag covers 4 square feet, 3 inches deep.

Instead of a soft, velvety lawn in the back yard, why not try what landscape designers call hardscape, an expanse of reddish, tannish decomposed granite where the grass used to grow.

Decomposed granite is being used more and more as an eco-friendly paving surface for garden paths and driveways. Landscape architects like it in contemporary garden designs as a ground cover, and European garden magazines show its application in cutting-edge English installations and at rustic country houses in Provence.

Decomposed granite, called DG in the trade, is granite broken down over millions of years into pieces from pebble-size to grit. It is available in several colors, depending on the location of the quarry.

While Home Depot sells DG in small bags, it's more economical to buy it in bulk. Some rock yards and soil suppliers carry DG, but it's possible to buy a 3,000-pound cloth "basket" on a pallet from Home Depot and have it delivered. Because the delivery cost is almost half again the cost of one basket, it's smart to check and double-check your math so you get enough material in a single delivery to complete the job.

The standard application process is to spread about 1? inches of DG, water it thoroughly, wait a day to allow it to settle, then repeat the process -- and sometimes repeat it a third time. A 3-inch layer is considered the minimum depth for stability and to keep Bermuda grass from growing through the DG. How-to instructions also recommend using a heavy roller or a vibrating plate compactor to hasten compaction.

A proper DG surface does not move underfoot like sand or gravel, but its porosity allows water to penetrate to the soil below. That aspect makes DG a good paving material around trees.

The downside is that, even compacted, grit particles can get tracked into the house and scratch hard-surface floors. Also, Home Depot's supply can contain a fair share of "granite rocks," not pebbles. They can be crushed with a hammer.

Finally, once you rent a tiller and a mechanical compactor, not to mention the considerable labor involved, hiring someone to do it might compare more favorably. Just make sure you or the contractor do the math correctly.I like the look of the even surface, and the brown color is earthy, natural and appropriate in a garden. My husband loves it because it does not have to be mowed or watered. I also like the scritch-scrunch it makes under my garden clogs. My mother, 98, wondered how I would ever get grass to grow on it.

The garden hens are appalled. They loved the process, because freshly tilled soil reveals lots of tasty morsels. The tiller made the clay fluffy, giving the busy hens new territory to scratch. But when they were released from their coop after installation was complete and made their usual beeline down the garden path, they came to a screeching halt when they reached the northern boundary of the decomposed granite.

It was funny to watch, at first. They gave the foreign matter wide berth, ducking under rosebushes in flower beds, hopping from mossy boulder to mossy boulder and flapping from there to iron garden chairs in succession until they reached familiar territory.

But when they started flapping from planted container to container, squashing blooms, I started some flapping of my own.

------ Do the math: How much DG do you need? Multiply the length of the area to be covered, in feet, by the width, in feet, which gives you the area's square feet.

Multiply the square feet by 0.25 feet (representing a minimum depth of 3 inches, converted to feet), which gives you cubic feet.

Landscape stone is sold by the cubic yard at rock yards. Therefore, divide the total cubic feet by 27 to get cubic yards (27 cubic feet equals 1 cubic yard). The result is how much decomposed granite you need to order.

At Home Depot, decomposed granite is sold by the bag or by the pallet. One pallet of decomposed granite weighs 3,000 pounds or 1.5 tons. One ton covers 70 square feet, 3 inches deep. One bag covers 4 square feet, 3 inches deep.