Should You Remove Stones from Your Soil? How to Decide

Stones in the soil have pros and cons. For example, some stones help with filtration, drainage, and weed prevention. On the other hand, having too many stones will prevent new grass from sprouting and limit the water and sunlight from reaching the soil.

You should remove stones from your soil because they stop grass and other plants from growing. The stones block water, sunlight, and oxygen from getting to the roots. Remove the stones with a hand shovel or with a manual sifter to filter the rocks out of the topsoil.

In this article, I’ll explain whether or not you should get the stones out of your soil, what some people use them for, and how to get rid of them for good. Enjoy!

Should I Take the Stones Out of My Soil?

Removing stones from the soil can improve the drainage, but having a few of them in the dirt could be a good thing. So, how should you know if you need to take the stones out of the soil? Review the handful of questions below to know what you should do next.

• Do you have new grass seeds growing in the soil? SFGate explains some stones can prevent new grass from growing. The germinating seeds can’t spread their roots because they won’t receive enough sunlight, oxygen, and moisture through the rocks.
• Are you growing flowers, hedges, trees, or grass? I suggest removing the stones if you have grass or flowers that you don’t want weeds in and around. However, these stones aren’t too bad when they’re around trees and hedges. In fact, stones often stop weeds from growing in the bare soil.
• How established are the plants and their roots? New plants have a difficult time growing through the stone-covered soil. That being said, a few stones won’t harm most grass, flowers, and other plants if they’re established and healthy.
• How big are the stones in the soil? Large stones are often used as decorations. These stones should be placed around trees and hedges. Small stones are great for patchy, bare soil that you don’t want weeds to grow in or around.
• What else is in the topsoil? Topsoil has weed seeds in it, as well as microbes, healthy bacteria, and many additives. It’s best to filter out the weeds by removing them once they sprout. However, it doesn’t hurt to sift the rocks and seeds with a technique found later in the post.

As you can see, it’s almost always a good idea to remove stones from the soil. However, some people leave them in the dirt because it prevents lawn maintenance. You don’t have to mow the lawn as much if it’s mostly made of rocks. People often lean toward xeriscaping for a more eco-friendly yard.

How Do You Separate Soil and Stones?

To separate soil and stones, follow these instructions:

1. Use a hand shovel to remove small stones from the soil. The Zuzuan Garden Tool Kit comes with three tools you can use to remove small stones and weeds from the yard. It has a transplant trowel, a hand shovel, and a hand rake.
2. Try a large shovel to get rid of large rocks in the dirt. Scoop the rocks out of the soil and fill the holes with topsoil. Too many holes in the yard can lead to erosion, flooding, plant displacement, and poor grass root growth. You can rake the topsoil to blend it with the yard.
3. Create a DIY sifter to separate the soil from the stones. Use a thin mesh sheet between a wooden square to sift the topsoil. You can use it with new batches of topsoil or scoop heaping shovels of soil and stones into the sifter to remove the rocks.
4. Rake the dry grass to remove rocks, thatch, and other debris. Raking loose soil will undoubtedly remove pebbles and stones of all sizes. Use a plastic rake if you have grass seedlings and a metal rake for healthy lawns, bare soil, and the dirt around your trees.
5. Consider placing the topsoil in a spreader with a fine mesh roller to prevent the rocks from getting into the soil. Many topsoil spreaders have a mesh door that drops the soil onto the lawn or garden. This mesh filters a lot of stones, helping you tackle two jobs at the same time.

Watch this helpful video to learn how to make a DIY sifter to remove stones from the soil:

Are Stones Good for Plants?

Stones are good for some plants on sloped surfaces because they encourage drainage and prevent flooding. However, too many stones or stones that are too big will keep the plants from growing. These stones block essential nutrients from reaching the plant roots.

Here’s a list of benefits stones can provide for your garden:

• Stones can be used to hide sprinkler systems, watering globes, and other irrigation devices.
• Some stones can filter particles out of the soil.
• Large rocks prevent footprints from denting the dirt.

On the other hand, here’s why some stones are detrimental to the soil:

• Stones stop fertilizer and compost from reaching the roots of your grass.
• Too many stones in a close proximity can limit the drainage and flood the soil.
• Stones often prevent small seedlings from growing through the surface.

Some people put sand in their topsoil for similar benefits. For example, sand can help with water retention and soil density. Adding a bit of sand to the topsoil can prevent weeds from growing while loosening the soil to encourage grass growth. You can spread the sand on top of the soil, but I suggest mixing it with the topsoil beforehand for the best results.

If you’re thinking about putting stones in your soil, I suggest only using them as decorations. Small stones mixed with the soil are rarely beneficial. While they can be used for drainage, they pose a bigger threat for grass and other plants. Use the large stones around walkways and over bare soil to prevent weeds, and remove any rocks from the soil where you want to grow grass.