5 Ways to Reduce Soil Erosion in Your Yard
Are you finding new, unsightly bare spots in your yard? If so, soil erosion could be the cause, leaving your beautiful plants vulnerable. Fortunately, there are many easy ways to mitigate erosion and stop it from wreaking even more havoc on your property.
Soil erosion isn’t something you always have control over. However, reversing its effects or preventing it is the key to having a healthy, happy lawn and garden.
What Is Soil Erosion?
Soil erosion happens when wind or water passes over the top layer of soil, causing it to deteriorate. This layer, known as the topsoil, contains nutrients vital to the plants and grass growing on your property. Soil erosion is a worldwide issue that creates problems on a grand scale, but it’s not any less frustrating to deal with as a homeowner.
Five Tips for Preventing and Reducing Soil Erosion
If your property struggles with soil erosion, you’re not alone — it plagues many homeowners’ yards. But the good news is that it doesn’t have to: here are five simple tips to help keep erosion at bay.
Go Green With More Grass
Grass is surprisingly effective at stopping soil erosion, depending on where you plant it. Try planting your grass seed on any bare ground with a gentle slope; the juvenile grass will absorb any water runoff. You can also get similar results if you lay down sod instead.
Choosing between grass seed and sod can be tricky. Sod gives you immediate control over soil erosion, but it’s not everyone’s favorite way of incorporating grass into their landscape.
Seeds, by contrast, can be vulnerable to erosion before they have any chance to germinate. If you go the seed route, you’ll likely need additional protection against erosion in the meantime.
Install a French Drain or Drainage System
Consider building a French drain to protect your space from erosion. They’re a simple but elegant solution to get more built-in drainage for your yard.
French drains are trenches with perforated piping and gravel. The perforations in the system allow moisture to collect inside the pipe and travel away from the property. Diverting the water helps keep it away from your home’s foundation and reduces soil erosion.
You can use either a shallow or deep French drain, depending on what you’d like to accomplish. Shallow drains are best for diverting water on your lawn to protect your landscaping from getting waterlogged. Deep drains are best for mitigating the chances of water damaging your foundation walls. Either is an excellent method for reducing and preventing soil erosion in your yard.
More Mulch
If installing a new feature isn’t your thing, you can always opt for something simpler: laying down mulch. Mulch acts as a protective barrier for vulnerable soil. While this method does work, it’s only for gentler slopes with less than a 33% incline. If your erosion issue is happening on a steep hill or by the shoreline, you’ll want to try something else.
Minimize Soil Erosion With Stones
Adding stones to your landscape is another method for boosting visual appeal while also protecting your yard from soil erosion. Stone will help with drainage and will help to dissipate the energy of water, preventing it from washing away the precious soil. Just be careful when selecting your rocks, as moisture content might cause freezing over the winter months, shattering the rock into smaller pieces.
You can also use rocks to line drainage swales as an additional defense system against erosion. Placing rocks at the end of a downspout can prevent soil or mulch from washing away. Be warned: Some municipalities consider too much rock to be an impervious surface. Consult your local municipality for any specific questions you might have about erosion solutions.
A Different Type of Gardening
Chances are that if you’re into landscaping, you won’t shy away from starting a new garden. Rain gardens are clever ways to redirect stormwater runoff away from fertile soil. These unique gardens will usually only have deep-rooted plants that are native to the area. They’ll gladly soak up the extra water you redirect.
A tip for aspiring rain gardeners: plant the garden at least ten feet away from your home. Otherwise, the excess water could saturate the ground around your foundation, causing many issues and potentially flooding your home.
Learn to Love Your Landscape Again With Expert Assistance
There are many challenges to cultivating a beautiful outdoor space, but it gets a lot easier with help from an expert. Contact our team today to learn more about our creative landscaping services and schedule your next appointment.
