Removed above ground pool; what to do about the ground?

September 21, 2015 5:30 PM

Just removed a 16x24 foot Doughboy pool. Underneath is 2-3 inches of sand and some very fragile black plastic sheeting. I would like to add some soil and till all that stuff into the ground. May I, internet? I'm in Central Texas and my soils is rocky and poor.
posted by kristymcj to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

The sand won't hurt, but I would try to remove as much of the plastic as you can.
posted by mewsic at 6:56 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

Plastic is bad for soil. Sand can actually be good for it, depending on what kind of dirt you already have, and what you want to plant there; it improves drainage. Remove the plastic. Till the sand in. Add good topsoil to the top.
posted by BlueJae at 7:29 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

Remove the plastic. I haven't run into it myself, but I've read about cases where plastic under the ground later catches the water and causes weird surface features including bubble like pockets of earth that seem like waterbeds.
posted by bswinburn at 8:00 PM on September 21, 2015

As long as you're going to be using a tiller, you might want to go ahead and improve the soil as much as possible. Yes, remove the plastic (it could be kind of fun if you have kids available), and you could add some nice compost. Heck, you could make it a nice garden spot, with a little rocky path and some distinct planting areas.
posted by amtho at 9:22 PM on September 21, 2015