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I've never done decomposed granite, so I can't help you out with how to install it, but I would definitely recommend putting down the weed barrier. My yard is small river rocks, and the weeds had no trouble at all coming up between the stones, so I had to shovel them all up, put the weed barrier down, then shovel the rocks back on top. Definitely easier if you can do the weed barrier first before the rocks go down! (unfortunately I didn't have that option--the rocks were already in place when I bought the house)
We had a contractor put a decomposed granite path on a hillside garden. It has "switchbacks" to help take the steepness out and is wide enough to take the riding mower down to the lower lawn. Contractor didnt put down weed barrier. Said the granite would slip around on it. We've had a few weeds to deal with - no major problem. We've also had to work on drainage because a couple of gullies developed after a 6 inch rain. Overall we're pleased with the look and the functionality of the path.
weed barrier comes in a variety of qualities , just like the soil that you plan to lay the path down on.
If you have a soil structure that is relatively fertile or loamy in stature you will want to lay down a high quality weed barrier cloth ( double bonded felt weave ) and then top dress it with the d.g.
Depending on your surrounding environment and climatic conditions you may wish to have a 'stabilizer' mixed into your d.g. to aid in it's long term structure.
If your soil statrure is heavy clay mixed with natural d.g. then you can eliminate the need for a weed barrier base.
The steepness of a grade can also contribute to your choice of whether or not the fabric should be used.
It is very rare that we install a d.g. path or patio without the added stabilizer here in N. California.
It assists considerably in the winter time ... that is.. if the d.g doesn't completely get washed away by day after day after day rains.
This late spring , if spring ever gets here, is going to bring lots of d.g. business to landscapers due to many many d.g pathways washing out / and or washing away.
Mary,
Sorry to say that the forces of water is just too great , and no amount of stabilizer with secure a decomposed granite surface in place.
What the stablizer does do is 'bind' the d.g. granuals together more tightly.
I've had two d.g. paths, side by side . One had stabilizer mixed into the body of the d.g. and the other did not.
When the d.g. was wet , after several days of rain, the path with the stablizer did not act like goopy mud .The other path that did not have stablizer mixed into it could suck your boots right off your feet is was so goopy.
Having a secure border around the d.g. helps in maintaining it in place, especially if it is on a hill.
Erosion will happen, in various degrees depending on the grade, the amount of water, how the water is washing across the dg path and if the water is oozing up from the water table below.
If you are really looking for stability , cost effectiveness and easy long term maintenance you might consider a colored concrete path.
By the time you have the stablizer mixed in with the d.g. and do all the neccessary prep work, a basic colored concrete path can be more cost effective in the long run .
Of course you have to weight in other stuff like context, aesthetics, short term and long term budget, climate, environment , how you plan on using the surface,ect...
But you might be surprised at how inexpensive , in the long run, that a colored concrete path can be in contrast to d.g.,
If you go the colored concrete route and like the natural color of d.g. you might find the DAVIS COLOR called Palamino an excellent color choice.
below is a project where we used d.g. with a stabilizer around the bocce ball court and on the path leading down to the putting green.
We added stabilizer to the d.g.
All the flat surface areas are fine, but the hillside paths need dire attention after this rainy winter season.
about 2 yards of d.g. washed down off of the stair case down to the lower landing.
Now that the rains have tapered off , we will be going back in, scooping it all up, remixing in the stabilizer and resurfacing the stair way.
In a normal winter we probably would not have this problem, but this job was brand spanking new as soon as the rain came so didn't have a chance to really become settled despite us viberplating the d.g.
You have probably aready done your thing but I wanted to ad that you can also buy something from some cement or gravel companies that is a mixture of DG, broken cement and sand and when it gets wet it kind of hardens up because of the concrete and it doesnt dissapear too fast but if you use the area as a foot path all the dg stuff is dirty and trails in on your shoes and stains your pants if their too long. I liked crushed gravel.
I live in the metro Phoenix area and want to have a 2 foot wide garden path made with stabilized decomposed granite. Since we are in a desert, I don't have rain problems.
How difficult is this job? Will a gardener with 20 years experience be able to do this? What kind of tools are needed?
Not difficult at all, it is just a matter of delivery of the dg and a wheel barrel to spread it where you defined it to be path. It is like sand too, you can pack it down and put flag stone or pavers on part of it too, if you like.
