A grave can take up to 12 months to settle.

Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Aro... Silky Terrier Dog Breed Playing Around

This is a very common misconception. A grave will not settle overnight and is often left for 12months at a minimum. This time varies depending on the amount of rain we have received during the year as well as if the grave has been mulched or not. If a grave is mulched, then this can prolong the amount of time it takes for that grave to settle. If a grave is not mulched, then it will settle faster as the soils naturally dry out. All graves are tamped down after they are filled with soil, this helps to compress the cemetery soil even further which can lead to an increased amount of settling time.

Settling times vary depending on the size and depth of the grave as well as the amount of soil used.

There are a couple of factors I like to consider when it comes to how long it will take for a grave to settle: Time of year, number of tours we have performed (a tour is performed every day between 9 am and 3 pm), weather (rain, heat waves, etc.) as well as topography (how flat is the cemetery?).

Our graves naturally dry out over time dependent on these factors, therefore if there has been no rain recently then you can expect them to settle quicker. All our graves have mulch applied depending on their size and this allows us extra time before they need to be concreted or sealed. I believe that a properly constructed and maintained cemetery will not require the graves to be concreted within 3months.

We also have our own in-house grinding machine, so after they are filled we can apply a thin layer of fresh soil over the top and this often helps to settle any loose soils even quicker than leaving it naturally alone.