I can't get the concrete patch to stay on the cement. It just keeps crumbling away.

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Around our 75 year old house, the cement skirt that wraps around our pier and beam foundation is crumbling at a point where, some few years back, there was a water pipe leak that caused some rapid deterioration of the outer layers and caused some chunks of concrete to just fall off. I went and purchased something called Concrete Patch, ready made, that you apply right out of the quart tub with a flat putty knife or cement trowel. I guess I need to use a trowel, but some of the patch stuck to it but parts are still crumbling away. I don't know what to do about this. I guess I will have to buy some quickcrete cement or concrete either dry and mix water into a 5 gallon jug and use a cement trowel, the triangular shaped type and apply several thick layers of mortar or cement across the cracks. These are deep in places and for the most part they expose some gravel that seems to be part of what makes the foundation perimeter skirt. That is my idea. I know there must be a proper method but I don't want to pay an expert so I will have to research it and get the advice of some of you here at myLot about what is best to apply to the cracks around the foundation skirt of the house so as to keep it from cracking any more than it already has. Before winter I hope to fill in all the gaps around the entire perimeter. I think there may be some erosion along the top of the cement where the lumber that supports the entire structure of the house goes along the entire length of the house from end to end on all 4 corners of it. If there are cracks I need to fill them in. Better to do this than to have cavities along the foundation where creatures like lizards, snakes or other things can crawl in and make a home of our house's crawl space. I mean literally, CRAWL SPACE for all those creepy crawly things. Here is a link that is totally non relevant to this discussion but I like it so I will put it here for you to take a look at if you feel like it.