Cool Uses For Scrap Sheet Metal In Your Landscape
After completing a project involving fabricated sheet metal around the house, you may be tempted to just haul the leftover pieces out to the curb as trash or drop them off at the local recycling company. However, before you toss this construction material out, you should know there are a lot of reasons you may want to hang onto it. Sheet metal is actually pretty useful in your landscape, believe it or not. Here are a few cool ways you can make use of scrap metal sheets in your landscape.
Use the metal to funnel water away from certain plants or areas.
If you have some plants that don't need as much water as others, you can use small pieces of scrap metal to route precipitation away from the roots of these plants. Simply cut small pieces of thin sheet metal into long rectangular pieces and then fold them in half to create a crease down the center. Place the sheet metal piece next to the plant at its base at a slight slant to direct water flow where you want it to go. These pieces can easily be concealed with mulch or topsoil.
Shed some light on plants that need more sun and heat to flourish.
Plants and flowers that need more heat and sunlight than others can sometimes struggle if the environment is not just right. You can actually help these plants by placing a nice reflective square of aluminum sheet metal near the plant where it will reflect the sunlight back toward the plant. The sheet of metal will heat up with the warmth of the sun to provide the extra heat needed as well.
Use large pieces of sheet metal to create a retaining wall.
If you have a pretty big piece of sheet metal hanging around, you can use it as a primary starting point for a retaining wall. Simply dig a trench into the ground that will act as a support barrier for the piece of metal, place the metal upright in the trench, and then cover the base of the metal with soil, sand, and rocks for a sturdy support system. The retaining wall can then be concealed with layers of brick or stone, secured in place with concrete mortar mix.
If you are interested in recycling the scrap metal from a project around your home, talk to a company like American Northwest Recycling.
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