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The Professional Gardener

RR ties rot faster in the ground?

17 years ago

I wanted to use cedar timbers but they were $7/ft so I bought RR ties at $1.1/ft and now my wife says they look too bulky. If I dig trenches and set them below grade, won't they just rot faster? I was just trying to save us a few bucks and didn't find any other border material that I wanted to use but now I feel I have a bunch of RR ties that I don't really need.

Brad

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Comments (4)

Embothrium
17 years ago
They're also ugly, stinky, sticky and toxic. Staple roofing paper or other recommended covering on them to separate them from the soil - and you.
laag
17 years ago
They were made to be on the ground. They do rot faster in the ground than high and dry, but they last a relatively long time. ... longer than cedar.
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anya_101
17 years ago
Especially if one was to put some gravel under them for drainage.
mdvaden_of_oregon
17 years ago
The ones in Portland, usually began to disintegrate at about 25 years in the landscape - since they were used to begin with.

I'm using the treated 4" x 6" timbers with the clean crisp edges. The lumber people told me that the ones local to here, do not have the arsenic in them now.

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