Native Plants
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Sunday - December 20, 2009
From: Lawrence, KS
Region: Midwest
Topic: Erosion Control
Title: Plants to stop erosion on hills in Kansas
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I would like to plant some type of forage to stop the erosion on my hills & eliminate some of the mud in my turnout areas. It needs to be something that either horses won't eat or that can survive heavy grazing. Also, non-toxic to horses. What do you recommend?ANSWER:
Grasses are excellent plants to use for erosion control because their extensive fibrous root systems hold the soil in place. You can use the four main prairie grass species: Andropogon gerardii (big bluestem), Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Sorghastrum nutans (Indiangrass) and Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem). Other grasses that would do well and provide forage for your horses would be Tripsacum dactyloides (eastern gamagrass), Bouteloua dactyloides (buffalograss), and Bouteloua curtipendula (sideoats grama). These grasses are all native to your area and palatable for the horses.
Here are some other Kansas Recommended perennials that are not harmful to horses.
Desmanthus illinoensis (Illinois bundleflower)
Lespedeza capitata (roundhead lespedeza)
Baptisia bracteata var. leucophaea (longbract wild indigo)
Chamaecrista fasciculata (partridge pea)
Desmodium canadense (showy ticktrefoil)
More Erosion Control Questions
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Location: Dubuque, IA (east Central Iowa)
Soil type: Sandy to sandy and gravelly. Part is a riverbank facing east. Steep bank then flat to ...
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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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Native plants for erosion control in South Dakota
December 04, 2008 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants: I live in the Black Hills of South Dakota at about 5000 feet ASL. My house is on a steep hill. I had to clear a perimeter around my house of all the pine trees for fire supp...
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Plants to stop creek bank erosion in North Carolina
June 26, 2009 - Hi:
I live in NC where most of the dirt is clay based. I have a small creek behind my house that is eroding. The creek overflows when there is a heavy rain and as a result, gradual erosion. My g...
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Holding soil on a bank in Goldsboro, NC
July 25, 2010 - I live in Goldsboro, NC on a small ridge with a very steep bank on one side of our property. What native plants can we plant on the bank to help hold the soil. Also, what would be best to plant on t...
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