Slate Slabs.

[marc206]

I want to put some boxwood and cotoneaster on a slate slab. Now, does the slab need drainage holes? Or can it go without?
The pieces of slate I want to use are 24"x14"

I'm sure most of you know how brittle this piece of earth is.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Slabs generally don't need drain holes. If you're doing a muck wall to contain the soil, just incorporate a few sections of drinking straws at the base of the muck wall for excess water to run out through.

 

[fourteener]

This Tamarack group is on a slate slab. 28 inches wide X about 14 inches deep. The root system of this group is so intact that I could never separate these trees without doing something radical. I did pick a slab that was flat on one side and had the right pitch on the side I have the trees. No water pools because of the rock formation and I drilled no holes.

If you have a good solid root mass it gets less complicated.

 

[tismeisthatu]

This Tamarack group is on a slate slab. 28 inches wide X about 14 inches deep. The root system of this group is so intact that I could never separate these trees without doing something radical. I did pick a slab that was flat on one side and had the right pitch on the side I have the trees. No water pools because of the rock formation and I drilled no holes.

If you have a good solid root mass it gets less complicated.

View attachment 37438

Is there a muck wall I just can't see or did you not need one. Lovelly group by the way.

 

[fourteener]

I did not do the wall because this group was in a nursery tray for about three years. I did go out in the woods and gather some large chunks of moss. I used it to cover the edges. Watering the moss kept the soil from washing away. After two years of moss I pulled the bulk of it off and the soil is not going anywhere. I have always kept group plantings in pots for a few years to get a root mass solidified. It really helps.

As far as the slate coming apart. This piece cost me $35-40. A pot this size would have cost about $400. It'll last a decade before it falls apart. Replacing it will still be cheaper than a pot. When it breaks, I can always find use for a stepping stone in my garden.

I also used the thickest slate they had.

 

[marc206]

Thanks

Slabs generally don't need drain holes. If you're doing a muck wall to contain the soil, just incorporate a few sections of drinking straws at the base of the muck wall for excess water to run out through.

I figured if I made holes in the muck for the water to drain, or stuck the trees on a hill for the water to run down without saturating the roots is just the same. Soo thanks Brian. I love bnut. Best crowd of humans I have ever encountered.