Artificial dirt

[slothead]

To finish the patio off the deck last month I used leftover pressure treated wood for the border, even though it's not intended for ground contact. It's kind of like a 6" tall wood sandbox frame filled in with stuff that goes under pavers so they are flush with the top. I know the borders will rot over time but I got it done and it looks great.

While back filling dirt around the border I wondered if there was something I could use other than dirt that would be better to have the wood be in contact with. I wondered if there was any type of artificial dirt available (in large quantities) to use for construction projects where you don't want wood lying on dirt.

Last night I finally got around to an internet search for 'artificial dirt' and found out some baseball stadiums, horse tracks, and even 'dirt' race tracks use it. In fact, one of my favorite tracks, 'Rolling Wheels Raceway Park' outside Syracuse, NY uses SYNDI, a synthetic dirt product to reduce dust. The promoter, Glen Donnelly, says it's the only way for dirt racing to survive because dust is what keeps women from attending dirt races (NASCAR = 42% of spectators are women, dirt = 17%).

Anyone been to an 'artificial dirt' track or have thoughts about this?

FYI - SYNDI isn't really artificial dirt, it's a waxy material you put on dirt to bind it together to reduce ruts and dust. I think some horse tracks use a different material and I'm not sure about baseball stadiums.

Slothead