Retaining Wall Drainage Gravel

The soil that you use will absorb and hold water while the gravel or small stones promote a sturdy foundation for your retaining wall.
Retaining wall drainage gravel. The most common usage is behind retaining walls or sub surface drainage trenches running underneath lawns and gardens. Backfill refers to the dirt behind the wall. Retaining walls and other features that require drainage make great use of large gravel to allow water to drain away faster than soil would. Compacted native soil can be used to backfill the rest of the space behind the wall.
Every landscape project is different and may require different quantities and sizes of drainage material. Gravel is necessary for many landscape projects and not just beautiful rock gardens. 4 tips to building the best retaining wall use crushed stone behind the wall loose gravel and stones don t hold water like soil does. Use gravel to support the foundation of your retaining wall and soil to promote drainage.
In order to provide proper drainage at least 12 inches of granular backfill gravel or a similar aggregate should be installed directly behind the wall. For large boulders a gravel drainage trough behind the wall is not necessary only landscape fabric to keep the backfill soil from flowing out the face of the wall. Second a retaining wall must have properly compacted backfill. Lay a 4 6 inch layer of the crushed base material in the trench.
Round rocks such as pea gravel rolls and dislodge under pressure resulting in failure of the retaining wall. This is so that when water gets into the space it does not become bogged down in soil but instead can flow down the wall to the drains or weep holes. Drainage gravel is essentially used in any location where you need water to run freely and with minimal resistance. When building a tiered set of retaining walls position the higher wall behind the lower wall at twice the distance as the height of the lower wall.
Next compact it and level it using either a hand or mechanical compactor. For example if the lower wall is three feet. The wall gets its strength from a sturdy base consisting of gravel. A retaining wall must have the strength to hold back the weight of the soil plants and sometimes small structures behind it.
Plus they usually involve a bit of a setback. Soil holds water so the dirt will expand and contract during winter thus pushing on the wall and eventually toppling it over. When you re doing a diy landscape project it s important to choose the right type of gravel.