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OMG why? People pay large sums to have rocks hauled to their yards and artistically buried, and they pay extra for rocks with lichens.
Make them part of your landscape and it's ZERO cost, more natural and more interesting.
* lay out the pathways to avoid the rocks
* use the rocks as backdrops for small plants or in front of taller vegetation.
[https://www.nelsonlandscapingok.com/landscaping-with-rocks-and-boulders/](https://www.nelsonlandscapingok.com/landscaping-with-rocks-and-boulders/)
Had a job two summers ago where a neighbor around the corner wandered over and asked us exactly what OP is asking. They'd half exposed it by hand and wanted it gone and asked how much....
Well it's now sitting in our yard waiting to be resold for probably $400ish (350 per tonne ish) after charging the lady a few hundred to finish digging it and yanking it out, and hauling it off the next day.
People who *want* big rocks, will *pay* to get big rocks. And people who *don't* want big rocks will also *pay* to remove them.
If the rocks came from reasonably nearby AND if you install them with the same orientation, they do well.
But I would LOVE to have the problem of boulder outcroppings in my lawn.
Yeah my grandmother was a rock dealer in South Dakota for 30 years. People came from all over the Midwest to buy rocks and gems from her and her husband. People paid a lot of money for the right kind of rocks.
Stuff like this already in situ is perfect for a no lawns scenario. My favorite is serpentine.
Your comment…I read it and said “hey, glacial till is a thing, I wonder if they know what they did there.” Then I realized it said “till til” and the answer was “yes, they’re smarter and funnier than I am.”
I'm all for being reverent with nature, but the location of those rocks is not effecting biodiversity or anything. OP can move them if it makes the yardspace more usable and the no-lawn transformation more enjoyable.
Look at all the lichen on those rocks though. Removing them is taking out at least 2 species in the lichen. And that's assuming nothing makes its home under the rocks, or relies on the lichen in some way.
Abiotic factors like these rocks can have a huge impact on the local ecosystem. A homogenous landscape will result in less biodiversity, because there are fewer environmental niches for organisms to occupy. Adding a path will create new niches... but that's not mutually exclusive with keeping the rocks.
Those large rocks are themselves habitats already. If you really want to move them do but please don’t destroy them. If you look closely you can see they’ve started the work for you in undoing monoculture.
Why would you remove them if you're dying a no lawn? I could see removing them if you wanted perfectly flat turf grass or something. Just make the path wind around them, it will look whimsical and have a great esthetic.
Did soil test in backyard. I’m no geologist but there’s a glacial erratic or a bedrock outcrop (nearcrop?) bigger than a school bus about two feet under one half of the backyard.
OP, you should do a soil test before placing any flower beds. Two foot deep holes at five foot intervals, avoid my parent’s mistake.
I can't tell how big these are based on the photo, but if can't integrate them into the design where they are like another commenter suggested, you're gonna have a fun time with a combination of shovel, mattock, and pry bar to get them out of there. Depending on size/shape, you can leverage them out and then roll them elsewhere. If you dig them out, I'd recommend placing them elsewhere when you're re-designing. People pay good money for big rocks, and you got them for free!
You also have no idea how big these things are. If they’re there naturally that thing could stretch several yards across and deep.
OP: check a geological map of your state to see what’s under you.
Also as others have said, moving these rocks are an insult to Mother Nature herself.
Could it tell you if you’re in an ancient talas bed? This reminds me of basalt talas that’s been covered over by mudslides in an ancient glacier moraine. The kind you find in the Rockies only obviously much older and now at a lower elevation.
Alright, I'll find a way to incorporate as many of these as I can. We really have no shortage of rocks on our property, so I figured getting rid of a couple would not be a big deal... But I'll figure something else out.
Hey Op, I always recommend people check out the wild ones garden designs here: https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/ and I think your yard especially would be perfect for a “strolling garden” design like what you see here. I’m not seeing a location, but *The Living Landscape* is a book I recommend as well. If you’re east of the Rockies, there’s lots of great examples showing native landscaping, and in many cases there’s big rocks in the landscape.
if you want to get rid of it, nothing wrong with doing it. not having a lawn doesn't mean you can't remove the stuff that annoys you. even if other people like it, it's not their land.
I came to the comments also looking for solutions but everyone wants yours to stay 😅 Probably because the zoomed in pic looks like only a small amount in view that should be preserved. If your property is large enough to leave some exposed rocks while removing others that's probably fine, but maybe move on to another landscaping subreddit for suggestions. Either path you take good luck!
To answer your original question, yes drinking holes (quite large, 1.5" diameter minimum, 18" depth give or take, several holes in a line in each rock) and filming with dexpsn will crack the rock. You'll likely still need a jack hammer though to break them out once they are cracked. The dexpan itself isn't cheap though and you'll need to rent a large SDS Max drill.
If they are just bolders though, and not part of the bedrock, then if you can access the area with an excavator that will be much easier and faster (and maybe cheaper)
That's not going to help you if this is the size of a school bus. Look up "glacial erratic" and tell me how many years you think it'll take to jackhammer one into easy to carry pieces?
Are these "buried rocks" or is this just your local topography? If there's no shortage, I'm guessing that's your topography in your area. Might as well live with them instead of against them. Could be bedrock.
Tip of the iceberg syndrome. I have and use a backhoe. One rock that looked smaller than that one almost broke my machine, lifting it out. If it isn't absolutely necessary to rip it out, build up over it. More soil, a raised garden bed, or flower bed. Don't pour concrete over it. It'll crack.
Leave it in if you can, i mean this is /r/NoLawn so i'm guessing you're not pulling it out because it tempers your green lawn. Put something next to it that will crawl over it, some ground covers will do that.
But if it needs to go you need to dig around it. And then get a crane to lift it out, or anything with enough traction/torque. If that is not an option look into 'rock splicing' or 'splitting rocks' to have it in smaller pieces.
We call them $10,000 rocks.. that’s potentially what you’ll spend to remove it (depending on your area blah, blah, blah). There are guys to hire and equipment rent and sometimes permits to obtain.. then you have to fill in the hole fix the grass where the hole was and cover the tracks of whatever machines you used to remove them.. I know what you’re thinking.. why not just break it up? Depending on the kind of rock it’s not always that easy and how much do you plan to spend experimenting? It may just be cheaper and more beneficial to incorporate them into the landscape or to bring in dirt and just bury them deeper.. good luck buddy..
looks like ledge to me (like a vein of granite or whatever type that is)
this can be broken out with;
a hydraulic hammer on an excavator or skid steer
drilling and splitting with a rock splitter and hammer drill (think spinning jackhammee)
drilling and blasting
or using an air compressor with a jackhammer, chipping gun or a rivet buster (the rivet buster is the better of the 3, smaller and more powerful)
good luck. its a lot of work and takes alot of time (and $) to do any of these choices. you could hire an excavation company, but i would leave it be unless i had plans for that part of my property
Leave them. When my parents purchased their home 30+ years ago we tried to remove a few “small” rocks like this. We soon found that what we saw above the surface was NOTHING compared to the size of the rock below the surface! You may be taking on way more than you think if you try to dig these up. Learn to live with it unless you are prepared to dig up a car sized rock.
Man…literally no one answered your question. Instead they all said “this is what I would do with them.” 🙄
Was actually hoping to find out what to do with my rocks too lol
That boulder has lichen on it. People pay up for that stuff.
Have your pathways wind around these boulders and plant lower growing plants around them so you can see them. Sedums, low growing grasses, succulents, and other groundcovers would look amazing.
You've got enough people telling you not to do this but if you do want to, you can rent an electric jackhammer from your local rental and break them up pretty quickly. I needed to remove a rock I found while digging for a deck footing and with the jackhammer it was out in less than an hour.
I don't know where you live, but where I live, when this happens it is often not large rocks, but bedrock. There's a chance the only way to remove this is by blasting, which you'd probably never get permits for and is expensive as hell.
It really depends on the size of the rocks. The one in the back looks pretty large. I worked in landscaping and we moved the 18-24” boulders with a skid loader and bucket. Some of the larger boulders can be 100lbs-200+lbs and require a machine or team with straps to move. The 4ft+ rocks can weigh 500lbs and we loaded those onto forks. It all depends on the size and the shape really. I’d recommend making a pathway out of a “natural” stone, most landscaping yards sell irregular flat stones for paths that would fit well.
Assuming the rock isn't monstrous, you can use a pick and a shovel to get the dirt from around the edges. Then use a tool called a rock bar or breaker bar (it's a 1" think metal rod) to pry between the big rock and a small rock you place next to it. After you can get the rock "free" the next hard part is getting it out the hole. The long but sure way is to dig next to the rock and make an incline to lever it up. Based on the size, it's also possible to use a few people and pry tools to roll it out. Of course then you'll still have a big rock you just get to decide where it goes next.
I've done this plenty of times and I will say that you gotta really want that rock out. There were a few times I "realized" part way through that I don't mind the rock being where it is.
Looks to me like a thin layer of soil with some exposed bedrock. I'd be willing to wager you're on top of a mountain/ridge in the Eastern US, that ain't going away.
Traditionally, farmers would pull them out and stack them up on the property lines to make walls. Could always try that.
Alternately, put up a 'free for the hauling' add online and see who wants them.
Lol. A backhoe and possibly a crane. For all you know that "rock" is a boulder or even a glacial erratic that is the size of a car. Feel free to try but don't come crying when you need a few dump truck loads of fill dirt for the massive holes you're about to make.
Some rocks I’ve run into like that are easier to dig around and readjust it’s positioning with a couple pry bars and burry it instead of removal. It also saves from having huge craters around your yard. We have so so many rocks and people telling you to incorporate them likely don’t have fields / forests of stone. Yes we live with 9.5 acres of untouched stone, but there is a section around .5 acres we want cleared for vegetable gardens/ animal pastures. We don’t have a tractor so we’ve done this by hand/ back. Some of these iceberg stones are unmovable so pick and choose your battles to preserve your body.
Bro you are on the wrong path. Kudos for starting a no-lawn but those rocks have likely lain there since the last ice age. Why move something that's natural? That's the whole purpose of no-lawns the way I see it. Work to incorporate the rocks instead.
Jack Hammer rental or borrow, get the biggest one you can run off your house power ( this will be the fastest). Or drill holes and use feather and wedges. Split off big chunks. Probably cheaper then dex and you can just sell them after. Or go Amish and use a hammer and rock chisel. Don't bother with a hammer drill with a chip function, you'll be better off with the hammer and rock chisel.
I live in Central Texas. Here, that rock would either be as big as my car, or would be solid bedrock. I would just leave it or build a mounded flower bed over it.
Well my contractor said to me, I can pull them out with the backhoe unless it's part of Canada.
I've painstakingly dug around and fished my winch cable on my atv to pull out. Some were ok to do and some plain miserable. The front of my property was a minefield for my lawn tractor so I hired a contractor and was glad I did at the end of the day.
Honestly, I've removed a few sixty pound rocks that were relatively small compared to yours. With a lever and shovel, it was a workout. Everything is heavier if it's in the ground! If you really dislike them, my thought would be to have some dirt shipped in to cover them. Might be less expensive and less hassle.
Personally, I'd call a landscaper. They have the tools, experience, and hands to make it a simple job. They can also move them to a new artful location in your yard or if you really don't want them, they'll gladly take em to use in some client's yard.
An excavator would is what you’d need to remove them, but you could end up digging up a slab the size of a Cadillac. If you’re dead set on removing them, you could rent a jack hammer to chip away enough of the rock to lay some soil and seed level with the rest.
I paid a lot of money for rocks like these! Why would you not incorporate into the landscape? Just a thought! If you really hate rocks (we could never be friends!) then offer them for free on craigslist or your neighborhood site and there will be takers.
If you want to get rid of it the best way is dig around it as much as you can. Build a fire and get that rock real hot. Then pour a ton of water on it quick. The rapid cooling will crack the rock. I’ve removed a lot of rock this way. Be careful when dumping water on it hose is good too.
If you can’t do fire. Get digging. It might be a tiny rock under ground our might be a monster.
Are they buried rocks or the earth? I have ‘rocks’ in my yard, but they’re bedrock that’s part of the Canadian Shield. I think they’re cool. Don’t know why you’d want to go through so much trouble.
Just make them part of the scaping. They're natural and beautiful... have the paths wrap around them. We should be curving to the environment, not having the environment curve to us.
I'm also in the "Own it and incorporate it" camp. And the cool part is, you now have an excuse to rent a trackhoe. Or you could call a landscaper and see if they've got some guys they want to train on a trackhoe.
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I wish I could post pictures here because my dad owns land in Missouri with rocks that look just like this.
What you’re looking at in this picture is almost definitely one rock, not two. It’s just exposed in two places. If you dig down between them I would bet money you wouldn’t get very far. If there are several like this you are likely sitting on some sort of old rock formation.
If you’re comfortable sharing what state you’re in I could look at some geological maps to confirm. If you knew the type of rock it is and the geological history of how it formed you may find new appreciation in them.
If this is an old farm sometimes they would bury money in jars and mark them with rocks or fence row polls. Be sure to pay attention while digging these up or having someone else dig them up.
given that there is lichen growing on them... theyve been there a loooooong time. Given old lawn culture...every previous owner has probably wanted them out too, they might be there because they Cant be taken out...Even if you want them out, it may not be possible if thats the tip of a car sized rock!
Your local geology is highly relevant, where are you located? At first glance it appears to be granite or basalt boulder, potentially bedrock.
I have seen some intense landscaping work before with rocks like with that turns out to be really nice. Can you afford a digger ? Basically drag that big boy outta there and set it on top, the hole left behind is now a new water pond or pool. Unless you can also afford the topsoil to fill the hole in and pay to have a boulder hauled away.
So...if you do decide to dig... triple check with a call to water telecom gas authorities BEFORE breaking ground or else you could cause a local catastrophe with services.
Your county may also have additional rules regarding breaking land on your lot. So it also depends if youre on an acerage or in town, as well. Quadruple checking all this annoying stuff is worth it lest you cut a fiber optic or fuel line by accident!
tldr; just leave it, people pay tons to make rock gardens and youve already got a headstart with these 😉
Those look like they are there to stay. Don’t even attempt digging them out. Like other people said, incorporate them into your walk way design. It adds a natural element that cannot be recreated.
Just rent a jackhammer. You don’t need to remove the whole rock. 6 inches below grade should suffice. Or you could go old school, heat it with fire and dump water on it repeatedly but be warned the spalling could be dangerous. Saw my grandfather do this as a kid and he removed a humongous boulder this way on the farm.
I dug up some about that size on my property to build a nice boulder wall. All done rolling , rocking,and my daughter’s old KIA. those things are hundreds of pounds a piece.
Rent an excavator and dig them up. Just remember to locate all your utilities before you dig so you don’t accidentally electrocute yourself or blow up the neighborhood
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If it were my lawn, I'd incorporate them into my design rather than removing them. They'd make a beautiful natural feature.
I’m over here adding rocks
My uncle sells rocks.
I like that boulder. That's a nice boulder.
Not now, donkey.
THE BOULDER THANKS YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST. BUT THE BOULDER IS IN A HAPPILY COMMITTED RELATIONSHIP.
Ah so this is a committed boulder not a publicly traded one.
That’s not a boulder, that’s a rock
Well, it *could be* the very tip of a buried mountain, and it only chooses to reveal itself as a rock.
It's a large boulder the size of a small boulder
You knew I'd like that boulder
I’m not looking for that kinda rock.
Easy, Hunter.
I have too many rocks. I need to sell some.
In Florida we pay a shit load for rocks.
I’d upvote you, but you’re at a nice number already
Don’t be greedy; give the redditor their dues.
These look awesome. I'd also keep and design a rock garden around them. Sedum and thyme work great.
He want to get rid of the whole yard and go city concrete.
Same
I mean, they want a walk way, so adding more rocks to make the walkway sounds awesome
This guy rocks!
Agreed. My neighbour has a really large flat rock (like 2m across) in their front yard and it's such a cool feature that they've planted around.
I'm likin the lechen on them rocks!
This is the way.
OMG why? People pay large sums to have rocks hauled to their yards and artistically buried, and they pay extra for rocks with lichens. Make them part of your landscape and it's ZERO cost, more natural and more interesting. * lay out the pathways to avoid the rocks * use the rocks as backdrops for small plants or in front of taller vegetation. [https://www.nelsonlandscapingok.com/landscaping-with-rocks-and-boulders/](https://www.nelsonlandscapingok.com/landscaping-with-rocks-and-boulders/)
Had a job two summers ago where a neighbor around the corner wandered over and asked us exactly what OP is asking. They'd half exposed it by hand and wanted it gone and asked how much.... Well it's now sitting in our yard waiting to be resold for probably $400ish (350 per tonne ish) after charging the lady a few hundred to finish digging it and yanking it out, and hauling it off the next day. People who *want* big rocks, will *pay* to get big rocks. And people who *don't* want big rocks will also *pay* to remove them.
You are my kinda capitalist. I'll dm you when I need big rocks with extra lichens
And lots of people pay to *melt and consume* smaller rocks.
OP, what he is saying is someone will probably come take it off your hands for free!
You could put up a FB marketplace or Craigslist ... FREE ROCKS, YOU DIG AND HAUL ...
Paying extra for rocks with lichen seems silly since it's unlikely the lichen would keep growing once the environment changed
If the rocks came from reasonably nearby AND if you install them with the same orientation, they do well. But I would LOVE to have the problem of boulder outcroppings in my lawn.
Yeah my grandmother was a rock dealer in South Dakota for 30 years. People came from all over the Midwest to buy rocks and gems from her and her husband. People paid a lot of money for the right kind of rocks. Stuff like this already in situ is perfect for a no lawns scenario. My favorite is serpentine.
Serpentine is gorgeous.
I get that but OP seems like he doesn't want a rock.
The whole point of r/nolawn is to find a way to live more harmoniously with the environment. Those rocks are meant to be there. Don't take them out.
Glacial till til the day I die!
Your comment…I read it and said “hey, glacial till is a thing, I wonder if they know what they did there.” Then I realized it said “till til” and the answer was “yes, they’re smarter and funnier than I am.”
Yeah OP kind of missed the whole point.
Op up and deleted their account in shame.
Not my intention but I hope they at least change their mind and leave it be.
I'm all for being reverent with nature, but the location of those rocks is not effecting biodiversity or anything. OP can move them if it makes the yardspace more usable and the no-lawn transformation more enjoyable.
Lichens don’t like to be moved actually. They are growing pretty much according to where they get the perfect amount of sun.
Look at all the lichen on those rocks though. Removing them is taking out at least 2 species in the lichen. And that's assuming nothing makes its home under the rocks, or relies on the lichen in some way. Abiotic factors like these rocks can have a huge impact on the local ecosystem. A homogenous landscape will result in less biodiversity, because there are fewer environmental niches for organisms to occupy. Adding a path will create new niches... but that's not mutually exclusive with keeping the rocks.
Everything affects biodiversity, and assuming otherwise is antithetical to the whole point of r/nolawns.
Those large rocks are themselves habitats already. If you really want to move them do but please don’t destroy them. If you look closely you can see they’ve started the work for you in undoing monoculture.
Yeah don’t remove them. That’s the point of no lawns. It’s to have a varied natural habitat.
Why would you remove them if you're dying a no lawn? I could see removing them if you wanted perfectly flat turf grass or something. Just make the path wind around them, it will look whimsical and have a great esthetic.
*Aesthetic
They may be very, very big, or even bedrock. I wouldn't bother.
Yeah that’s a lost cause moving rock like that, is very likely to be part of the bedrock
Did soil test in backyard. I’m no geologist but there’s a glacial erratic or a bedrock outcrop (nearcrop?) bigger than a school bus about two feet under one half of the backyard. OP, you should do a soil test before placing any flower beds. Two foot deep holes at five foot intervals, avoid my parent’s mistake.
I can't tell how big these are based on the photo, but if can't integrate them into the design where they are like another commenter suggested, you're gonna have a fun time with a combination of shovel, mattock, and pry bar to get them out of there. Depending on size/shape, you can leverage them out and then roll them elsewhere. If you dig them out, I'd recommend placing them elsewhere when you're re-designing. People pay good money for big rocks, and you got them for free!
You also have no idea how big these things are. If they’re there naturally that thing could stretch several yards across and deep. OP: check a geological map of your state to see what’s under you. Also as others have said, moving these rocks are an insult to Mother Nature herself.
A geological map won't tell you if you have massive glacial erratics buried in your yard. Only FAFO will tell you how big these "rocks" are.
Could it tell you if you’re in an ancient talas bed? This reminds me of basalt talas that’s been covered over by mudslides in an ancient glacier moraine. The kind you find in the Rockies only obviously much older and now at a lower elevation.
Those two rocks in the photo might be the same rock and it might be the size of a house.
Alright, I'll find a way to incorporate as many of these as I can. We really have no shortage of rocks on our property, so I figured getting rid of a couple would not be a big deal... But I'll figure something else out.
I would remove some soil around the boulders and turn them into more of an outstanding feature, maybe even terrace on contour if you're feeling fancy.
Hey Op, I always recommend people check out the wild ones garden designs here: https://nativegardendesigns.wildones.org/designs/ and I think your yard especially would be perfect for a “strolling garden” design like what you see here. I’m not seeing a location, but *The Living Landscape* is a book I recommend as well. If you’re east of the Rockies, there’s lots of great examples showing native landscaping, and in many cases there’s big rocks in the landscape.
if you want to get rid of it, nothing wrong with doing it. not having a lawn doesn't mean you can't remove the stuff that annoys you. even if other people like it, it's not their land.
I came to the comments also looking for solutions but everyone wants yours to stay 😅 Probably because the zoomed in pic looks like only a small amount in view that should be preserved. If your property is large enough to leave some exposed rocks while removing others that's probably fine, but maybe move on to another landscaping subreddit for suggestions. Either path you take good luck!
To answer your original question, yes drinking holes (quite large, 1.5" diameter minimum, 18" depth give or take, several holes in a line in each rock) and filming with dexpsn will crack the rock. You'll likely still need a jack hammer though to break them out once they are cracked. The dexpan itself isn't cheap though and you'll need to rent a large SDS Max drill. If they are just bolders though, and not part of the bedrock, then if you can access the area with an excavator that will be much easier and faster (and maybe cheaper)
Unpopular opinion: Rent a jackhammer 
That's not going to help you if this is the size of a school bus. Look up "glacial erratic" and tell me how many years you think it'll take to jackhammer one into easy to carry pieces?
But why
Are these "buried rocks" or is this just your local topography? If there's no shortage, I'm guessing that's your topography in your area. Might as well live with them instead of against them. Could be bedrock.
Tip of the iceberg syndrome. I have and use a backhoe. One rock that looked smaller than that one almost broke my machine, lifting it out. If it isn't absolutely necessary to rip it out, build up over it. More soil, a raised garden bed, or flower bed. Don't pour concrete over it. It'll crack.
This isnwhat I was thinking. How to remove those will depend entirely on how large they actually are.
This looks like bedrock
Removal? A lot of time or money. I’d personally embrace them as natural accents and plant around them in a garden bed.
Leave it in if you can, i mean this is /r/NoLawn so i'm guessing you're not pulling it out because it tempers your green lawn. Put something next to it that will crawl over it, some ground covers will do that. But if it needs to go you need to dig around it. And then get a crane to lift it out, or anything with enough traction/torque. If that is not an option look into 'rock splicing' or 'splitting rocks' to have it in smaller pieces.
We call them $10,000 rocks.. that’s potentially what you’ll spend to remove it (depending on your area blah, blah, blah). There are guys to hire and equipment rent and sometimes permits to obtain.. then you have to fill in the hole fix the grass where the hole was and cover the tracks of whatever machines you used to remove them.. I know what you’re thinking.. why not just break it up? Depending on the kind of rock it’s not always that easy and how much do you plan to spend experimenting? It may just be cheaper and more beneficial to incorporate them into the landscape or to bring in dirt and just bury them deeper.. good luck buddy..
Impossible to tell from this photo, totally depends on how big it is. It could be just buried a little below the ground or a huge boulder
Also. Those could be boulders the size of your house once you dig them up kind of like ice bergs
looks like ledge to me (like a vein of granite or whatever type that is) this can be broken out with; a hydraulic hammer on an excavator or skid steer drilling and splitting with a rock splitter and hammer drill (think spinning jackhammee) drilling and blasting or using an air compressor with a jackhammer, chipping gun or a rivet buster (the rivet buster is the better of the 3, smaller and more powerful) good luck. its a lot of work and takes alot of time (and $) to do any of these choices. you could hire an excavation company, but i would leave it be unless i had plans for that part of my property
Leave them. When my parents purchased their home 30+ years ago we tried to remove a few “small” rocks like this. We soon found that what we saw above the surface was NOTHING compared to the size of the rock below the surface! You may be taking on way more than you think if you try to dig these up. Learn to live with it unless you are prepared to dig up a car sized rock.
Like DHC is saying I d use them in your landscape create a bed in there
Man…literally no one answered your question. Instead they all said “this is what I would do with them.” 🙄 Was actually hoping to find out what to do with my rocks too lol
You’re trying to no lawn and get rid of beautiful natural rocks, coming out of the ground?????
It's possible that all the rock tops you see are connected to the same underground bolder.
That boulder has lichen on it. People pay up for that stuff. Have your pathways wind around these boulders and plant lower growing plants around them so you can see them. Sedums, low growing grasses, succulents, and other groundcovers would look amazing.
I think you're lucky to have those! Incorporate them into your garden/yard design.
You've got enough people telling you not to do this but if you do want to, you can rent an electric jackhammer from your local rental and break them up pretty quickly. I needed to remove a rock I found while digging for a deck footing and with the jackhammer it was out in less than an hour.
I don't know where you live, but where I live, when this happens it is often not large rocks, but bedrock. There's a chance the only way to remove this is by blasting, which you'd probably never get permits for and is expensive as hell.
It really depends on the size of the rocks. The one in the back looks pretty large. I worked in landscaping and we moved the 18-24” boulders with a skid loader and bucket. Some of the larger boulders can be 100lbs-200+lbs and require a machine or team with straps to move. The 4ft+ rocks can weigh 500lbs and we loaded those onto forks. It all depends on the size and the shape really. I’d recommend making a pathway out of a “natural” stone, most landscaping yards sell irregular flat stones for paths that would fit well.
Use a pick mattock to dig around them, once you have the dirt fully removed from under the lip of them, it's easy to roll them out.
Backhoe
If you really want to take out the hump, use hammer drill with a solid masonry set. Then expanding concrete.
Assuming the rock isn't monstrous, you can use a pick and a shovel to get the dirt from around the edges. Then use a tool called a rock bar or breaker bar (it's a 1" think metal rod) to pry between the big rock and a small rock you place next to it. After you can get the rock "free" the next hard part is getting it out the hole. The long but sure way is to dig next to the rock and make an incline to lever it up. Based on the size, it's also possible to use a few people and pry tools to roll it out. Of course then you'll still have a big rock you just get to decide where it goes next. I've done this plenty of times and I will say that you gotta really want that rock out. There were a few times I "realized" part way through that I don't mind the rock being where it is.
Looks to me like a thin layer of soil with some exposed bedrock. I'd be willing to wager you're on top of a mountain/ridge in the Eastern US, that ain't going away.
Traditionally, farmers would pull them out and stack them up on the property lines to make walls. Could always try that. Alternately, put up a 'free for the hauling' add online and see who wants them.
a pick and a spade
Dynamite. That rock is huge. I can see another out cropping in the back ground. Check you local geology. That may be bedrock.
Lol. A backhoe and possibly a crane. For all you know that "rock" is a boulder or even a glacial erratic that is the size of a car. Feel free to try but don't come crying when you need a few dump truck loads of fill dirt for the massive holes you're about to make.
Some rocks I’ve run into like that are easier to dig around and readjust it’s positioning with a couple pry bars and burry it instead of removal. It also saves from having huge craters around your yard. We have so so many rocks and people telling you to incorporate them likely don’t have fields / forests of stone. Yes we live with 9.5 acres of untouched stone, but there is a section around .5 acres we want cleared for vegetable gardens/ animal pastures. We don’t have a tractor so we’ve done this by hand/ back. Some of these iceberg stones are unmovable so pick and choose your battles to preserve your body.
Bro you are on the wrong path. Kudos for starting a no-lawn but those rocks have likely lain there since the last ice age. Why move something that's natural? That's the whole purpose of no-lawns the way I see it. Work to incorporate the rocks instead.
Make a garden around it, those rocks are gonna be very large and heavy.
Dig down around the rocks and expose their natural beauty. Accentuate , don’t remove.
Jack Hammer rental or borrow, get the biggest one you can run off your house power ( this will be the fastest). Or drill holes and use feather and wedges. Split off big chunks. Probably cheaper then dex and you can just sell them after. Or go Amish and use a hammer and rock chisel. Don't bother with a hammer drill with a chip function, you'll be better off with the hammer and rock chisel.
Work with the rocks not against them
I live in Central Texas. Here, that rock would either be as big as my car, or would be solid bedrock. I would just leave it or build a mounded flower bed over it.
Don’t!
Don't
They’re gorgeous??! Why would you ever remove them? Also that is bedrock you’re not getting that out
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AwEK-Z69l-w
Well my contractor said to me, I can pull them out with the backhoe unless it's part of Canada. I've painstakingly dug around and fished my winch cable on my atv to pull out. Some were ok to do and some plain miserable. The front of my property was a minefield for my lawn tractor so I hired a contractor and was glad I did at the end of the day.
Honestly, I've removed a few sixty pound rocks that were relatively small compared to yours. With a lever and shovel, it was a workout. Everything is heavier if it's in the ground! If you really dislike them, my thought would be to have some dirt shipped in to cover them. Might be less expensive and less hassle.
Yes the dexpan will work I have done that before. Use a winch to pull the fragments out if they are heavy.
Personally, I'd call a landscaper. They have the tools, experience, and hands to make it a simple job. They can also move them to a new artful location in your yard or if you really don't want them, they'll gladly take em to use in some client's yard.
Dig the whole thing out or get a hammer drill/jack hammer and get it below grade and cover it with dirt
An excavator would is what you’d need to remove them, but you could end up digging up a slab the size of a Cadillac. If you’re dead set on removing them, you could rent a jack hammer to chip away enough of the rock to lay some soil and seed level with the rest.
Dig around it.use back hoe to left out.
I paid a lot of money for rocks like these! Why would you not incorporate into the landscape? Just a thought! If you really hate rocks (we could never be friends!) then offer them for free on craigslist or your neighborhood site and there will be takers.
A generator and a harbor freight demolition hammer will take it down just below the dirt.
If you want to get rid of it the best way is dig around it as much as you can. Build a fire and get that rock real hot. Then pour a ton of water on it quick. The rapid cooling will crack the rock. I’ve removed a lot of rock this way. Be careful when dumping water on it hose is good too. If you can’t do fire. Get digging. It might be a tiny rock under ground our might be a monster.
Dig a hole next to the rock deep enough to bury it.
Dynamite, that’s probably about the only long term solution
A small bucket loader would be the easiest but you could do it with shovels and digging bars
Since sinkholes are a future possibility, replace with something to maintain stability.
I'll take em
Dynamites is the easy way the Next is a jackhammering just chip away at it sooner or later you will get down far enough. You decide to stop.
Rent a concrete saw, cut slices 1 inch wide to below the surface, smash em out with a mallet, cover with soil
A 100hp tractor will pull those out. Or a 300+ back hoe.
Shovel, a "San Angelo Bar" aka "Digging Bar", and a 4x4 post for additional leverage. I've taken massive ones out of the ground in my yard.
Why not integrate them into the path or wind the path around them like they are features?
That’s what I thought
If you start digging them up, you will likely find a lot more. If you don’t want a lawn, why not let them stay.
I wish I had a boulder in my yard!
The point of integrating nature is not to remove natural elements…
A wise man builds his house upon the rock
Shovel
If you can wait a million years or so that lichen will take care of those rocks for you.
You don’t. You make them a feature.
Those rocks are Leaverite! (leave er right where you found her)
Are they buried rocks or the earth? I have ‘rocks’ in my yard, but they’re bedrock that’s part of the Canadian Shield. I think they’re cool. Don’t know why you’d want to go through so much trouble.
Just make them part of the scaping. They're natural and beautiful... have the paths wrap around them. We should be curving to the environment, not having the environment curve to us.
Make them a feature! I've got some boulders myself and I'm planning to clean out around them this year and make them into a small zen gardens.
You ever seen a picture of an iceberg?
I'm also in the "Own it and incorporate it" camp. And the cool part is, you now have an excuse to rent a trackhoe. Or you could call a landscaper and see if they've got some guys they want to train on a trackhoe.
You don't, you just accept it.
Don’t?
Don’t remove it. Embrace it. That is god.
Keep them and do a zenlike rock garden
Ignore them
Thoughts and prayers
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Until you start digging there’s no free way to know wether it’s the size of a suitcase or the size of a sedan.
You sure it's not outcrop bedrock?
So I have a lot of rocks in my yard as well and what I have discovered is they are much big below. So it really depends on how big they really are.
I wish I could post pictures here because my dad owns land in Missouri with rocks that look just like this. What you’re looking at in this picture is almost definitely one rock, not two. It’s just exposed in two places. If you dig down between them I would bet money you wouldn’t get very far. If there are several like this you are likely sitting on some sort of old rock formation. If you’re comfortable sharing what state you’re in I could look at some geological maps to confirm. If you knew the type of rock it is and the geological history of how it formed you may find new appreciation in them.
Baking soda.
Dynamite
Shovel
Wrong sub probably
a plutonium sphere and an explosive compression device
I told my wife ..Nice Boulders…the look….
Shovel
If this is an old farm sometimes they would bury money in jars and mark them with rocks or fence row polls. Be sure to pay attention while digging these up or having someone else dig them up.
Two words: Googly Eyes
Uhmmm. A shovel?
think youre missing the point of this subreddit
given that there is lichen growing on them... theyve been there a loooooong time. Given old lawn culture...every previous owner has probably wanted them out too, they might be there because they Cant be taken out...Even if you want them out, it may not be possible if thats the tip of a car sized rock! Your local geology is highly relevant, where are you located? At first glance it appears to be granite or basalt boulder, potentially bedrock. I have seen some intense landscaping work before with rocks like with that turns out to be really nice. Can you afford a digger ? Basically drag that big boy outta there and set it on top, the hole left behind is now a new water pond or pool. Unless you can also afford the topsoil to fill the hole in and pay to have a boulder hauled away. So...if you do decide to dig... triple check with a call to water telecom gas authorities BEFORE breaking ground or else you could cause a local catastrophe with services. Your county may also have additional rules regarding breaking land on your lot. So it also depends if youre on an acerage or in town, as well. Quadruple checking all this annoying stuff is worth it lest you cut a fiber optic or fuel line by accident! tldr; just leave it, people pay tons to make rock gardens and youve already got a headstart with these 😉
What if that's the tip of an underground mountain?
Those look like they are there to stay. Don’t even attempt digging them out. Like other people said, incorporate them into your walk way design. It adds a natural element that cannot be recreated.
Embrace it. Make it a feature.
It’s your property, do what you want. My only concern would be not knowing how large these rocks actually are
I wish I had exposed bedrock! This is awesome!
That thing could be a 2 ton Boulder for all you know. Like the other rock in the pic might just be another part of the same massive rock.
Why do you want to get rid of the lawn? It looks healthy and thick. I absorb water and increases the home value.
If you are my parents you literally force your small children to crowbar and dig that thing out. Don’t be those people.
You would probably get better suggestions at r/landscaping
DYNAMITE
Just rent a jackhammer. You don’t need to remove the whole rock. 6 inches below grade should suffice. Or you could go old school, heat it with fire and dump water on it repeatedly but be warned the spalling could be dangerous. Saw my grandfather do this as a kid and he removed a humongous boulder this way on the farm.
Mini excavator dig it out and then re-bury it
You know why they weren't removed when the house was built? Because they're fricking huge..think tip of the iceberg. Work around them.
Dynomite!
These are beautiful and chances are, they’re huge boulders. You can add soil on top in order to level the area if you don’t like them.
Good luck removing bedrock !
I came to learn how to remove such rocks (no reason, pure curiosity) and I am going away laughing my ass off at the people of Reddit.
Dig it up. Fill in space with dirt.
Start digging. Stop when you give up.
I dug up some about that size on my property to build a nice boulder wall. All done rolling , rocking,and my daughter’s old KIA. those things are hundreds of pounds a piece.
Time to borrow someone's GPR...
Dynomite
That rock could be bigger than your house.
Excavator or dig by hand then drag them out with like 10 horses and some rope
Rent an excavator and dig them up. Just remember to locate all your utilities before you dig so you don’t accidentally electrocute yourself or blow up the neighborhood
Explosives or just simply remove them. By hand that is. Or you could try to put a microwave on top of them.
Gasoline
Drill holes and add dynamite. This is the only way.
Backhoe.
A 65lb electric jackhammer would work. Not bad to rent for a day probably only take 10-15 minutes to get it below grade enough for grass.
Leave the planet.
The fun answer: blast cap The correct answer: dig it out or chip into pieces