Raised beds can be made from many materials. However, raised beds made of stone are very expensive - this is especially true for models made of natural stone. Many a resourceful gardener has now come up with the idea of using inexpensive Ytong stones instead. However, this is usually not such a good idea.
Ytong stones must be lined
What is Ytong?
Ytong is particularly suitable for interior design. This originally Swedish invention is a mixture of lime, quartz sand, (15.85€) cement, water and aluminum powder that acts like a blowing agent and causes the numerous fine air bubbles in the aerated concrete - as Ytong is also called . This is why the material used to be called aerated concrete. Ytong is light, inexpensive to buy, has good thermal insulation properties, is ecological and recyclable. These qualities seem to make Ytong perfect for building a raised bed.
Is Ytong suitable for building raised beds?
However, this is strongly discouraged, because thanks to the countless fine air bubbles, Ytong quickly soaks up water - only to freeze next winter and then crumble. Since raised beds are generally very damp, constant contact with water is naturally unavoidable.
You have to pay attention to this when building a raised bed with Ytong
If you still want to build a raised bed out of Ytong stones - perhaps because you have a lot of them left over and don't know what to do with them - you should definitely heed our tips:
- A concrete foundation at least 50 centimeters deep belongs under the Ytong raised bed.
- A Ytong raised bed will never be in contact with the ground.
- The bottom row of walls should be built from waterproof and frost-resistant concrete blocks.
- Only then do you brick with Ytong.
- The stones are connected to each other with cement or two-component glue.
- Now they have to be rendered waterproof inside and out, for example with bitumen.
- Now paint the Ytong wall with facade paint.
- Be sure to line the inside of the raised bed with pond liner.
- Also make sure that the upper surface is also waterproofed.
- Water must not be able to penetrate anywhere!
Once this is done, you can fill and plant the raised bed.
tips
However, it makes more sense to use other concrete blocks instead of Ytong. Hollow stones, paving and plant stones, bricks or even field stones that you have collected yourself are much better suited for such a project and are also not significantly more expensive.