Posted by QuickReadAbout.com Staff in Garden soil erosion can be a major problem. Before we talk about how to stop it, let’s find out what it is. First let’s talk about what erosion is and how it occurs. It begins with rain. The drops come down fast. Land that is in good health will absorb the rain drops. However, land that has been over processed is not able to do this.
Erosion is a problem when it comes to any lot of land. It does not matter whether or not you are gardening on slopes, hills, valleys or flat land. Heavy rains can come and wash away good top soil if the land is over processed. Erosion makes it hard to grow any type of vegetation so it should be stopped or dealt with before it occurs.
Baffles will help with soil erosion in gardens. They need to be installed before the garden is planted. You can use a piece of timber of plastic edging for the baffle. Lay the baffle in a shallow rut or ditch to help stop soil from traveling southward.
You can also use a retaining cloth to help with erosion. If you are planting on a slight hill, a retaining cloth may be exactly what you need. You can find these cloths in burlap. They can be used to stop rainwater from penetrating the soil and being completely soaked by rainwater. Before you put the retaining cloth down you should soak the ground with a garden hose.
Another solution is to place mulch or stone riprap down. Water from rain will be soaked up by the mulch but stone riprap can be more useful. It will actually serve as a retaining wall to stop soil from eroding when planting on sight hills and slopes.
If the slopes become any deeper them you will need to do more. In tough erosion areas you should try building contours and bevels. If you live in a climate that gets a lot of rain contours are the best erosion control. They can be made out of a flexible plastic drainpipe that will catch the flow of rain and move it to another area of the garden.
It is important to keep your pipelines from filling up with silt and debris. You will want to lay the contour at a sloping angle so that such materials are washed away. Installing bevels require a little bit of carpentry knowledge. Bevels are basically bottomless boxes that are place horizontally on slopes. They are filled with soil and are great for annuals with shallow roots. This is how plain slopes can be turned into beautiful gardens of bloom.
Above ground level roots will be present so you have to use plants that have shallow root systems. Steep slope erosion can be stopped by using retaining walls. These structures are great in terraces, ground cover or in poor soil conditions.
Retaining walls can be three feet high and can be made very attractive. When retaining walls are built on a slope a terrace effect is created. This is attractive and it makes the garden convenient. If you need to reshape a difficult slope terraces are the best method. A difficult slope can be transformed into the highlight of the landscape. Stone or even railroad ties can be used to make terraces.
No matter what method you choose to use to stop erosion, take steps to curb the problem before it occurs. Be proactive with this and your garden will not suffer the ill effects. Soil erosion can make your garden fail. Don’t let it stand in the way of your having the successful growing season you want.