I have a neighbor who rides his dirt bike 6-8 hours a day. His lot line is only about 125 feet from my lot line, and the noise is audible inside my house even with the doors and windowns shut. As he continues to ride, his grass will begin to erode, making dust a big issue. The neighbor also has sodium lighting which I'd like to block. I'm thinking of planting a row of Thuja, either Green Giant or Steeplechase help to cut down on the noise and dust and light. I live in Zone 5a. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether these plants are the best option for this purpose, and if there is anything I could use that will grow more quickly. He starts riding in March, so willows which shed their leaves will not work. My yard is full of landspoil, as this was a coal mining area years ago, and contains a lot of coal, shale and clay.
Need screen from dirt-bike riding neighbor - Thuja?
Thuja grows pretty fast. I think it is a good choice. Plant them so that they grow real close together.
I know there are a lot of things to consider (like peaceful coexistence) but if you go on line --you can check noise ordinances in your county. Sometimes the allowable levels of noise are confined by hours or by usage (like those folks making a living using noisy pieces of equipment get a break on the allowable levels etc as compared to 'recreational' noise.
I'd like to add that if you decide to plant 'Green Giant' they will need to be spaced at least 8-10 feet apart (minimum) from trunk to trunk. If you plant them any closer you might as well plan to remove every other one within 10 years so they don't kill each other. 'Steeplechase' or 'Spring Grove' can be planted closer together (6-8' apart) since they are more narrow, almost columnar varieties.
Thank you so much for the advice. I'll start calling the local nurseries to see if they carry any of these varieties, as I'd like to find something that's already several feet tall. If I can't find them locally, do you have any advice on which on-line nurseries are reputable? I used to order from Wayside, but I've heard they have new owners and the service is no longer top notch.
My town does have a nuisance ordinace, and people have called the police, but an hour later the noise starts up again. I'm going to try and start a citizen's group to petition city hall for an ordinance with more teeth. I started gardening a few years ago, but can't even enjoy my garden any more. Hopefully city hall will realize that a residential area is not a place to run 95+ decibel dirt bikes all day long.
It's unfortunate when you can't even enjoy your own yard because you have idiots for neighbors.
I'm sorry to say that I can't really advise you on good mail order nurseries but I did notice that Monrovia nursery is growing 'Steeplechase' and 'Green Giant' so maybe you can call them or type your zip code into their search engine here http://www.monrovia.com/contact/index.php to find the nearest Monrovia dealer near you.
Plushweasels there's a rating system right here on dave's that rates online/mail order nurseries...I used it to buy from two different mail-order places, was very happy with both of them. It's garden watchdog.
Go here and look at these,they would make a great screen. http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/968047/
And if you don't have a trade he sells them also http://davesgarden.com/products/market/view/6149/
I'm going to buy some.
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