Do Landscape Rocks Help With Drainage? 5 Facts

Landscape rocks are often used for decoration, but they can influence your soil’s drainage. Too many landscape rocks will prevent your soil from properly draining. It can stop your grass, trees, and other plants from growing.

Landscape rocks help with drainage because they prevent too much moisture from soaking the same spot. The rocks also push the water toward nearby plants, ensuring they get as much water as possible. Too many landscape rocks will cover the soil and prevent growth, though.

Throughout this post, I’ll explain why landscape rocks can help with soil, the best rocks for your soil’s drainage, and whether or not the rocks absorb water. I’ll also cover a few drawbacks of using landscape rocks.

How Do Landscape Rocks Help With Drainage?

Landscape rocks help with drainage because they regulate the water, limit evaporation, and prevent weeds from growing. Weeds can take the soil and nutrients other plants need to survive and grow. You can also use landscape rocks in sloped yards.

Let’s jump into the five facts about landscape rocks and soil drainage below.

1. Landscape rocks help if you have a sloped yard. Sloped lawns and terraced yards often have drainage issues because the water flows down too quickly. Placing a dense layer of landscape rocks can slow the drainage and maintain healthy hydration in the soil.
2. Some rocks divert water to nearby soil and plants. If you have too many rocks, you’ll have to remove the stones from the soil. Overloading the dirt with rocks will divert too much of the water. However, the adequate amount will send water all over the yard.
3. Dense landscape rocks prevent excess evaporation. The rocks allow water through the soil, but it can’t evaporate through the rocks. You’ll end up with hydrated soil that won’t dry or crack. Furthermore, it’ll preserve the soil if you want to use it later.
4. Many rocks stop the soil from sinking. Sinking soil causes small divots and sinkholes that keep grass and other plants from growing. The rocks don’t let high amounts of rainwater into the dirt. People often use sand in the soil to prevent sinkholes, too.
5. Some landscape rocks let water through without allowing plants to grow. Small, porous rocks let water from the rain, sprinklers, and hose through the soil. However, they won’t let weeds and other plants grow. Many landscapers add fabric under the gravel for added protection from weeds.

There are many reasons people use landscape rocks to promote optimal drainage in their yards. These rocks range from various river rocks to gravel and so on. Choosing the right landscape rocks can make a world of difference. In the following section, I’ll cover the top rocks for your soil.

What Is the Best Rock for Drainage?

The best rock for drainage is gravel. It’s dense enough to prevent water from evaporating and weeds from growing, but it lets water through from the rain, hose, and sprinklers. Place a two or three-inch layer of gravel on top of landscape fabric for the best results.

The Arqlite Smart Gravel is specifically designed for drainage. You can use this gravel in pots, topsoil, and more. It’s three times lighter than most gravel, which makes it easier to lay and much more likely to promote optimal soil drainage. This soil can also be used in garden plots.

Tigard Sand and Gravel claim pea gravel is one of the best rocks for drainage, too. This gravel is fine, lightweight, and dense. You can layer a couple of inches of gravel with an inch or two of pea gravel for quick results. It’ll also help you enhance your yard’s appearance.

If you’re in a pinch, feel free to use crushed stones. While it might not look as good as pea gravel and traditional gravel, it gets the job done. However, not all rocks are great for soil drainage. In fact, some of them can cause adverse effects.

Some of the worst rocks for drainage include:

• Crushed rocks or sand (small amounts of sand are fine, but too much sand compacts)
• Clay soil with rocks (clay is horrible for drainage)
• Lava rock is good for drainage, but it shouldn’t be used under heavy structures.

The quickest way to know if rocks are good for drainage is to check if they’re porous, lightweight, and easy to pour water through.

Place a handful of rocks in a bucket, poke a hole in the bottom of the bucket, and pour a cup of water over the rocks. The water should quickly drip through the hole to know if they’re worthwhile.

Do Landscape Rocks Absorb Water?

Landscape rocks absorb water if they’re porous enough. For example, lava rocks are extremely porous and chalky. They absorb plenty of water, which can make them a bit more brittle than other landscaping rocks. However, absorbant rocks are great for dry climates.

If your lawn has holes in it after it rains, it might be because there’s too much water in the soil. Sparse rocks become displaced from the rain, leaving holes all over the dirt. It’s essential that you place enough landscaping rocks when covering loose, wet soil.

Lumber Jake suggests using river rocks if you live in a rainy climate. They’re perfect when it comes to preventing excessive amounts of soil drainage. Regardless of which rocks you use for your landscaping projects, I highly recommend putting fabric or plastic under them.

Try the ECOGardener Premium Garden Weed Barrier. This 3′ x 50′ sheet prevents weeds from coming through the landscape rocks. It also stops the rocks from sinking into the wet soil, which keeps them level and sturdy. The fabric comes in multiple shapes and sizes for all yards.

You can use various landscape rocks to help the soil’s drainage. Not only can you customize the yard’s appearance, but you can also prevent weeds from growing. Always level the soil and use fabric or plastic to create an impenetrable barrier that lasts for many years to come.