Mulch Path

by Rocky Top Resources of Colorado

Our goal was to demonstrate the effectiveness of DirtGlue as a binding agent to build a mulch pathway at a landscaping show. The mulch used was Colorado humus. We grind the humus and sift it through a 5/8" screen and call it 'Rocky Top humus.'

The biggest problem to contend with was the temperature. The show was in February. DirtGlue cannot be allowed to freeze. The show was inside a horse arena. The management of the show said they would guarantee a temperature of 33 degrees F or above. However temperature overnight was a risk.

The solution was 3 parts water to 1 part DirtGlue. We used a cement mixer for the humus / DirtGlue mix.

The humus was 10% moisture content - very dry and dusty. We adjusted our dilution up and added extra gallon of water to every 21 lbs of humus, and then added another 64 oz to our 3:1 cut.

We made it like a dry concrete, almost like a grout so that it would dry due to the time constraints we had.

We put it down 3" thick, rolled it, and let it sit for a day and a half in average temperature of 45 degree F. We applied on a Wednesday night and were done at 7:30 that night. It got the rest of that evening, and all day and night Thursday to dry and begin curing.

We arrived at the show at 10AM Friday morning. At that time it was still tacky to the touch but didn't stick to shoes when walked on. The bond was excellent. When the day was done, we lost a coffee can of humus at the most.

We had 3 large triangles as you can see in the pictures. To demonstrate the DirtGlue/humus path vs. humus alone, one pathway was left untreated. The paths were about 3' wide and a total of 60' to 70' of path length.

You could tell the treated vs. untreated pathways. When people walked on them, the DirtGlue treated path left no footprints. Even when someone went over the treated path with a wheelchair, it left no impression, which impressed us the most. Normally, if someone were to go over an untreated humus path with a wheelchair, it would leave a deep track impression.

People at the show were impressed.