Native Plants
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Monday - May 13, 2013
From: Bonaire, GA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Erosion Control
Title: Stopping Soil Erosion on a Slope
Answered by: Anne Van Nest
QUESTION:
I live in Bonaire, GA and have a slope in my back yard. The soil is red clay and it gets sun most of the day. A small section of this slope tends to have a mudslide to the bottom of the slope. How can I stop this mudslide from reoccurring if I put the dirt back up there?ANSWER:
The soil will continue to migrate downhill on a steep slope unless there is something to anchor it. Putting the dirt back up the slope will just encourage it to wash back down unless something is done to keep it from doing this. Either plant some native groundcovers, shrubs or trees with fibrous roots, stake down landscape fabric, build a terrace, or install a metal mesh to help prevent or slow the soil from washing down your slope.
The University of Georgia College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences have put an information sheet online about stopping erosion called “Tackle erosion with grasses, landscape plants and terraces."
More Erosion Control Questions
Plants for erosion control on steep bank in Minnesota
October 21, 2008 - I live in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. I have a steep slope in back yard which gets considerable rain runoff from the homes above me. What plants/shrubs/trees could I plant on the slope to stop the...
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Plants for erosion control in horse pasture
April 26, 2010 - I have erosion on a slope, southwestern facing, minimal shade in Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA. The soil is rocky and clayish. The hillside is in the middle of a horse paddock and barn. What plants woul...
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Use of native grasses as erosion control in Austin, TX
June 20, 2006 - We're in Austin, TX and trying to keep our neighborhood lot as natural as possible; however, our lot is eroding and depositing mud and dirt onto the sidewalk whenever it rains. We're looking for an ...
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Shade Shrubs for a NJ Slope
June 27, 2016 - I live in central NJ and have a 15' shaded slope behind my home with a creek on the bottom. The slope erodes a little every year and I want to plant native plants on the slope to stop the erosion. Wha...
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Need to Stabilize River Bank in Kentucky
December 20, 2011 - My home borders the Ohio River. I have lost a great deal of soil to the river. I am looking for plants with tight root systems that are water tolerant to protect my shoreline. Thanks
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