Avoiding Soil Erosion in Your Landscaping: Our Top Tips
Avoiding Soil Erosion in Your Landscaping: Our Top Tips
Dealing with erosion in your landscaping can be difficult and time-consuming, especially if you don’t know where to start.
We are going to be explaining what erosion is (and what it does), as well as our top tips for preventing it on your property. Let’s start with defining the term.
What is Erosion?
Simply put, erosion is when soil is displaced from one area to another. No matter what size your property is, this issue is a possibility.
In addition to being a potential safety issue and eyesore, erosion can also decrease the quality of nearby water sources, cause pollution, and even cause landslides in extreme situations.
There are several different types of soil erosion that can occur as well.
Gravity erosion: When the soil on steep slopes begins to erode due to gravity. Typically this involves the soil moving from higher elevations to lower ones due to its own weight.
Water erosion: Caused by rain falling onto the surface of the soil and the mechanical force of runoff.
Wind erosion: Occurs when soil particles are removed by the force and kinetic energy of strong winds. The soil is transported and dropped elsewhere once the wind energy drops.
Now that we have discussed what erosion is and what causes it, let’s talk about how you can prevent it in your own landscaping.
Our Top 3 Ways to Prevent Erosion in Your Landscaping
These 3 tips will assist in preventing erosion on your property. Rather than waiting for this to become a problem, try some of these methods to avoid it altogether.
1. Manage Your Landscaping’s Rainwater
First things first, a great way to avoid water erosion is by managing and gathering rainwater that your property receives. Before taking any action on these tips, make sure to check both the local and state regulations where you live.
One option for avoiding an excess of rainwater and erosion is to collect it using a rain barrel. It’s efficient, easy, and affordable – you can even make it yourself if you would like.
Other options include creating a rain garden in your landscaping or even installing a French drain.
2. Plant the Right Things
Next up, let’s discuss what you should consider planting in your landscaping to avoid erosion.
Believe it or not, both grass and shrubs are extremely effective at stopping your soil from eroding. It’s simply because the roots of plants tend to hold the soil together, which in turn makes it more difficult to erode.
The plant’s leaves also help reduce the velocity of raindrops that would otherwise dislodge your soil and erode it. Using low, wide shrubs and ornamental grass works best since they don’t leave any areas of bare soil.
3. Consider Retaining Walls and/or Terraces
Now if you have a steep yard or ledges that you don’t think plants alone can help, consider retaining walls or a terrace for your landscaping.
These are ideal for steep and hilly landscapes because they prevent excessive soil from being eroded due to the incline of your property. A blockage like a terrace or a retaining wall will slow that process down significantly.
A wall or terrace can be made out of a lot of different materials, including concrete blocks, wood, stones, etc. It really depends on what you like and the strength that you need.
Our Final Thoughts and Tips for Avoiding Soil Erosion
We hope that you were able to find some helpful tips and solutions for the soil erosion in your landscaping. If you are unsure of what to do for your own landscaping, don’t hesitate to ask a professional in your area.
For those of you in the San Francisco Bay Area, feel free to contact Homescape Now today for additional assistance. We can assist with helping you choose and implement the best solution for potential erosion.
