Rowlands mix

[stoker]

I have seen several mentions of this stuff on the forum,however,a google search only led me to some 'orrible music!

What is it,how does one make it,please?

[philipy]

Rowlands Mix is a mixture of whatever grit/chippings you use for track ballast, plus cement powder, plus sieved peat. The idea being that the cement holds it all down and the peat encourages moss growth.

There are many variations on a theme for the proportions, which to some extent depends on the corseness of the grit, the coarser it is the more cement its likely to need to bind it.

I just did a google search for "rowlands mix" and the first 4 hits were relevant, before getting the horrible music! I then searched this forum and got 41 hits, so there is plenty info around.

[stoker]

Thank you,Phillip.

I've almost finished renovating our retirement bungalow,so using cement is no novelty!

No question is silly/daft,when one does not know the answer!

As the weather improves,my next task is to tackle the rear garden,described by the estate agent as '...a delightful south-facing blank canvas'.....or more accurately as an overgrown disaster area...I have still,12 months after moving in,to find the bottom boundary!

[TonyW]

I use 2 parts sharp sand, 2 parts compost (cheaper and more sustainable than peat and the missus has a load over each year after growing spuds in it), 1 part cement. I then add enough water to make a good runny slurry. The mix is poured over the correctly-laid track and persuaded in to shape with a handbrush. Then I sprinkle horticultural grit over the top, pat that down with the brush, sprinkle with a watering can and walk away. Next day, it is still soft so I use a wire brush and the handbrush to remove the excess, clear flangeways, etc. Two days later it is set solid.

Newly laid and still wet...



A few months old on the left, with the rest a few years old...



It is pretty weather proof...