LIVE SAND how to tame it?

escavader · Oct 2, 2007

Now i got your attention

I just built a long tractor path that encircles 3 sides of an acre using whay locals call live sand.To describe it when you put your foot on it it moves under your feet when its dry.It packs well when wet,but during dry spells it loosens up again,and my lawn mowers and such spin it up on the grades.It was cheap enough,the road has about 60 yards of it in,gravel was much more.My rear rake smooths it east,but i was wondering is there any way to stiffen it up?Will lime mixed in do any thing?HOW ABOUT WOOD CHIPS? How about a little loam or clay?I really dont want it muddy though. I know the proper answer is top it with gravel,but my wifes having a hissy fit over all ive spent on dumptruck loads of materials all over the property this year.thanks for all input
ALAN

orezok · Oct 2, 2007

escavader said:
Now i got your attention I just built a long tractor path that encircles 3 sides of an acre using whay locals call live sand.To describe it when you put your foot on it it moves under your feet when its dry.It packs well when wet,but during dry spells it loosens up again,and my lawn mowers and such spin it up on the grades.It was cheap enough,the road has about 60 yards of it in,gravel was much more.My rear rake smooths it east,but i was wondering is there any way to stiffen it up?Will lime mixed in do any thing?HOW ABOUT WOOD CHIPS? How about a little loam or clay?I really dont want it muddy though. I know the proper answer is top it with gravel,but my wifes having a hissy fit over all ive spent on dumptruck loads of materials all over the property this year.thanks for all input
ALAN

Out here in the desert (we know a little about sand) we use a product from Soiltac

It's a polymer that penetrates into the sand and in the right concentration gets as hard as concrete.

MikeD74T · Oct 2, 2007

escavader, I saved this site Soil-Cement Pavements and Applications | Portland Cement Association (PCA) from an old post. I used to mix portland cement & loam to lay flat stone walkways. Looked like dirt but didn't get muddy. MikeD74T

RonMar · Oct 3, 2007

Scrape it up to make a sandbox somewhere and put in gravel?

You could mix in Portland Cement or some other such bonding agent, but getting the mix right will be a little tricky with it already out on the ground. If right, it will be concrete for a little while, but will break up eventually, perhaps unpredictably into possibly very large chunks depending on how deep the sand is.

Good Luck

Redbug · Oct 3, 2007

Hi Alan,

You need to dump a load or two of clay onto your sandy spot. Then take your disk and till the clay into the sand. The clay will act as a binder and the sand will not shift around as much. You need some rain to add some moisture and that will help with packing and making it firm.

I live on a sandy dirt road, and the county DOT does that method occasionally when a portion of the road becomes too rough to drive on. That's how I know.