Cleaning up your yard is not always easy with all the rain that falls every season.
In fact, you may be finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a proper landscape due to the amount of rain that we get.
What’s worse is that it often seems like no matter what you do, the ground ends up either muddy or dusty.
Heavy, immoderate rain and muddy soil not only cause you problems, but they also make it difficult to compact your gravel and hold together. On the other hand, when the rain is light and gentle, you can easily compact your gravel.
It is vital for your landscape maintenance to be as efficient as possible because one way it could work against you is by taking a long time.
The best thing in the world is to get your job done easily and effectively.
This is what many homeowners want from their landscape maintenance crews.
Here, we will take a look at whether it is possible to lay gravel for the driveway or patio when it’s raining.
Table of Contents
Does gravel need to be compacted?
Carpeted sidewalks, mowed lawns and trimmed bushes are the norm in front of the house today. For many homeowners, this is a privilege that shouldn’t be taken for granted.
While it’s relatively easy to maintain these features outside of your home, some might not consider the value of their own landscaping.
If you’ve ever had to mow your lawn or trim the hedges on a rainy day, you’re well aware of how quickly a large lawn can get muddy and messy.
The same can happen with small rocks or gravel that are present around your house.
The perfect way to ensure that no voids will be left when the material settles is to ensure that they remain intact and do not collapse. In order to do this, you need to make sure that the gravel is compacted and not loose using a compaction machine.
Compacted gravel is exactly what it sounds like: material that has been compacted and becomes rock-hard by being forced into small pockets at the bottom of a pile and on top of subgrade layer.
Whether you have a large or small property, you have to consider the fact that gravel can be a mess if not used correctly.
Oftentimes, homeowners continue to put it wherever they please, which in return will only cause them issues later on.
When the materials are compacted and tightly packed together, you’ll find that the pieces of gravel become much more durable and much less prone to deterioration.
Can you compact gravel in the rain?
Lawns, driveways, and patios are made out of gravel.
There are different types of gravel depending on the type of stone or ore that makes up its origin. Some gravel is made out of granite while others are made out of limestone or sandstone.
Gravel and rocks comprise an overwhelming amount of our outdoor spaces.
Synthetic, manmade materials have emerged as being more aesthetically pleasing than their natural alternatives, but there’s something about organic material and its finely textured physicality that is hard to beat.
In heavy rain, gravel won’t pack down that much or the way it should. Muddy floods can make you feel helpless. Water-soaked soil can make your lots unsuitable for construction and even make them impossible to use. After a storm, you may have to rip out your entire front yard and rebuild it from scratch.
However, light rain that barely reaches deep into the ground can be enough to keep your hardscape in tip-top shape. By utilizing the drizzling rainwater to compact your gravel, you can make sure that your driveway and its surrounding patios retain their defined property lines.
Never underestimate the power of a good rain.
Running water has the capacity to keep your gravel in check.
As long as you wait for a light drizzle to fall, it’s possible to get your land back into shape in no time.
