How long are landscaping timbers

This causes the blockage of their stomata, leading to impaired gas exchange and photosynthesis. Consequently, the plant will die. Apart from that, pentachlorophenol and creosote emit an offensive odor. Before , chromate copper arsenate CCA was used to treat landscape timbers to increase their life span.

But arsenic, one of the chemicals used for making the preservative, is highly toxic to plants and humans. Landscaping timbers treated with CCA mixtures should not be used near plants for human consumption. Since some of the chemicals can leach into the soil, they may be absorbed into the plants.

The amount of chemicals that leach into the soil depends on a variety of factors. Long-term exposure to these toxic chemicals via edible plants can pose serious health risks. However, you can still use CCA-treated timbers for any outdoor structure like gazebos, decks, and fences.

But you should not use it in a vegetable garden. It is best to avoid using treated landscape timber in your garden completely. Nonetheless, if you intend to use timber treated with CCA close to a vegetable garden, ensure you line the soil with a waterproof material before you install it.

This will prevent the wood from directly touching the soil and keep the chemicals from leaching in. There are other landscaping timbers you can use safely in your garden. They include untreated wood like redwood, cedar, and juniper. These alternatives are better for your garden since they are naturally resistant to weather and pests. You can also try non-wood landscaping timbers.

These are made from metals, plastic, and wood composites containing recycled wood fibers. Cedar, redwood, and cypress are ideal choices for landscaping. All of these timbers are 8 feet long. Timbers are available in special sizes. Some companies offer lengths up to 20 feet, although 8 feet is standard, and longer timbers may require special orders.

Bob Haring has been a news writer and editor for more than 50 years, mostly with the Associated Press and then as executive editor of the Tulsa, Okla. Haring holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri.

Accessibility: Raised beds made of landscape timbers reduce the amount of weeding that needs to be done while allowing for an extended growing season and easier access to the plants. Paint the Timber Another great way of preventing your landscape timber from rotting is to paint it. Whether you use actual paint is up to you. You can also use protecting spray, waxes, varnishes, or quality oils to essentially waterproof your timber.

While pressure treated poles can stay up to 40 years without any signs of rot or decay, decks and flooring might only last around 10 years. Most of the landscaping timbers currently sold for use in the home landscape are treated with less-toxic solutions that contain copper and boron, such as ACQ, which stands for alkaline copper quaternary.

An untreated softwood will last for between three and five years if it sits on the ground, whilst treated softwoods can last between 20 and 30 years if they are maintained correctly. Full sawn lumber is the nominal size.

For larger, almost square sizes, the width and depth might be averaged. An eight-by-eight full-sawn landscape timber -- 8 feet long -- is really 9 inches deep, 7 inches wide and inches long, so it's close to standard railroad tie size. Landscape timbers come in a variety of sizes other than the original railroad tie size. Three-by-three landscape timbers are available, as are four-by-four and six-by-six. Sometimes landscape timbers have square corners, and sometimes the corners are rounded.

Rounded corners make them look more like logs or poles when they are stacked or used as fence posts.