The soil in your backyard is important for more reasons than you may even realize. Of course, keeping it from eroding ensures your backyard maintains its beauty and aesthetics, but it is also a way to ensure any flora in the area stays healthy and beautiful. Additionally, soil erosion even in your own yard can have many negative consequences for any nearby water supplies. If you are struggling with backyard soil erosion from wind or rain, there are some steps you can take to prevent this. Here are four surprising ways you can solve your backyard’s soil erosion problem.
1. Always Have Plant Coverage
The number one rule of preventing soil erosion in your backyard is making use of ground cover. You can do this in a few different ways. Grasses and other perennial plants that will anchor the ground throughout the year are a good start. If you have a problem with erosion during the winter months, consider annual grass, which will give coverage for a shorter time. Leaving any soil bare is leaving a chink in your yard’s armor.
2. Make Use of Non-Plant Ground Cover
If your backyard is not capable of supporting living ground cover or if there are certain areas not conducive to it, then you can look for nonflora options. These include mulch, crushed stone, and wood chips. Each of these has a different aesthetic so you can choose one that works for your backyard. The ground cover works well for high-traffic areas where plants may not grow as well as other trouble areas where plants or grass do not flourish. You can create paths or other decorative elements all while working to prevent erosion.
3. Use Geotextiles in Drastic Cases
Geotextiles can be used in drastic cases to prevent soil erosion. They are usually used in commercial landscaping and tend to be put to use for extremely steep or sloping grounds. However, if you have a steep, sloping backyard and you have tried these other methods to prevent soil erosion, then reaching out to a company that offers a variety of geotextile products may be a good option.
4. Redirect Stormwater
Stormwater that pours off the roof or runs through your backyard can be a serious threat to the soil. It can carry sediments and even heavy metals from the ground to water sources, wells, storm drains, and other groundwater supplies. This can be damaging to the environment. Additionally, having ridges and valleys through your property is not necessarily attractive. So, make use of stormwater collection containers or redirect the stormwater if it is running through your yard.
Soil erosion is a bigger problem than you may have known, and it is a problem that can quickly get out of control if you aren’t proactive in fixing it. For your own backyard, it is unattractive and it can lead to problems with water supplies as well. You can take these four simple tips and use them to prevent soil erosion in your yard. By using ground covers, both living and not, knowing when to take drastic measures, and redirecting stormwater, you can make a big difference for your property.
