Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Pittsburgh
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 09-07-2010, 02:58 PM
 
408 posts, read 991,763 times
Reputation: 146

Advertisements

I am guessing I am not the only one in town with a steep slope with rocky soil? What do you guys do with it? I have been pulling weeds off it all summer and though some kind of ground cover would be nice instead..

Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 09-07-2010, 03:22 PM
 
Location: S.W.PA
1,360 posts, read 2,951,310 times
Reputation: 1047
Thats tough. I have some hostas and bark-mulch on mine, but I need to replenish the mulch every year.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-07-2010, 09:09 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,657,658 times
Reputation: 5163
Daylilies could be an option. I read this recently and found it surprising but could be fun if you like them. If you plant daylilies dense enough they eventually won't even allow most weeds through, and they hold up the hillside really well.

Quote:
Their vigorous growth enables daylilies to choke out
most weeds, making them an excellent, low-maintenance groundcover when
planted in mass. Daylily roots also hold the soil on steep slopes.
Quoted from this newsletter (PDF) http://www.reillyssummerseatfarm.com...Newsletter.pdf

I'm not sure if there's a limit to how steep the slope can be; that might be the only issue.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-07-2010, 09:52 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
6,327 posts, read 9,154,568 times
Reputation: 4053
Maybe a few small trees that will eventually grow.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-07-2010, 10:42 PM
 
20,273 posts, read 33,018,179 times
Reputation: 2911
A groundcover is one option. You could also think about some inexpensive terracing.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-08-2010, 07:28 AM
 
408 posts, read 991,763 times
Reputation: 146
ahh.. terracing.. good idea!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-08-2010, 07:53 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
29,745 posts, read 34,389,499 times
Reputation: 77099
The slope next to my house gets partial sun, so I've been loading the hill up with perennials. The sunny part has daylilies, black-eyed Susans, ornamental grasses, perennial salvia, etc, and I planted hostas on the shady part.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-08-2010, 08:07 AM
 
Location: Hooterville PA
712 posts, read 1,971,412 times
Reputation: 304
Quote:
Originally Posted by tranceFusion View Post
I am guessing I am not the only one in town with a steep slope with rocky soil? What do you guys do with it? I have been pulling weeds off it all summer and though some kind of ground cover would be nice instead..

Thanks!
Get a bulldozer and a dump truck and remove the uppermost rocky soil and replace it with some nice top soil and level out the bad spots so it isn't so steep and level out your lot as much as possible.

At times, builders will build anything anywhere to make a buck, then when the new property owner buys the property - they soon realize that the bargain that they bought really isn't a bargain. It sometimes takes real work to develop a area that was previously thought to be undevelopable.

Pulling weeds by hand sucks, just think what you would have went through - had we had a rainy season this year instead of a drought.
I would spray the whole area with Round Up and kill those nasty weeds.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-08-2010, 08:16 AM
 
Location: Hempfield Twp
780 posts, read 1,384,950 times
Reputation: 210
Terrace it out and plant a garden. Depending on the size, you can make two or three separate terraces and plant one or two in veggies and one or two in flowers. You can go on the cheap with railroad ties, a little more expensive with 6x6 treated lumber or, go all out and get some stonework done to support the terrace levels. You can even add stairs for easy access. The only thing limiting you is your imagination and your wallet....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 09-08-2010, 09:14 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh area
9,912 posts, read 24,657,658 times
Reputation: 5163
Mainly the wallet.

Railroad ties don't last forever, though. I'm removing railroad ties from around my driveway, and the ground contact parts are heavily rotted. I don't know how long they've been there. Maximum of 27 years, but quite probably less than that. The 6x6 treated ties that form a retaining wall up near the house are looking decent and seem like they have a better chance of lasting longer.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Pennsylvania > Pittsburgh
Similar Threads
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 03:43 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top