Property owners have challenges they face while managing their assets. One of these is soil erosion, which can occur naturally or unnaturally. The natural causes of soil erosion are beyond human control and include strong winds, heavy rains, floods, and ice melts. Unnatural triggers of soil erosions are human activities such as deforestation, overgrazing, excessive agricultural activities, and excessive land developments. Whether it occurs naturally or unnaturally, soil erosion strips away the top vegetation cover.
Erosion can also deplete the soil of its nutrients and leave your landscape bare and unappealing. Continued soil erosion can leave behind deep gullies and desert-like surroundings. Additionally, ignored soil erosion can cause severe property damage, such as foundation failure. It can also lead to landslides and floods in some regions. Above all, eroded grounds cannot support plant life properly and are harder to resell. As a homeowner, take actionable steps to control soil erosion before it triggers irreparable damage. Here are a few ways to do this.
- Increase your vegetation– It is necessary to plant more trees to prevent soil erosion. Trees can break strong winds, beautify your yard, and prevent soil erosion if your property is steep. Since trees do not establish solid roots quickly, you should also consider planting given species of annual grasses. These develop a root system quickly, enabling trees and other slow-growing grasses to grow.
- Build retaining walls– These can stop soil from moving down a slope. Retaining walls can also direct water to another direction where it cannot cause property damage. Also, it will be helpful where the ground is uneven. A retaining wall is not easy to build, so you might have to consult a professional builder in your area.
- Build terraces– The best type of terraces to build on steep land are stepped terraces. These terraces allow the transformation of a slope into steps that can stop the flow of water or wind over the surface. They can catch any loose soil that wants to move downhill. Do not just make step terraces; also fill them up with the ground cover. These will soak in water instead of letting it flow downward, where it can cause soil erosion.
- Mulching – Mulch provides the best protection for your topsoil. It works best when you want to slow down the evaporation of water during the drought. Also, adding mulch to unsown grounds can help prevent soil erosion when there are strong winds or rains. Mulching can also stop soil from gaining high levels of acidity and when it decays, it returns fertility to the topsoil. You can make your mulch by cutting down tree branches or slashing unneeded grasses. Alternatively, you can buy your mulch.
Other techniques for controlling soil erosion
Apart from the tip shared above, you can try matting. It is all about covering the topsoil with biodegradable materials like straw, wood fibers, grasses, and so on. What differentiates matting from mulching is the use of biodegradable netting and spikes that hold the mulch in place. Another technique is to plant rocks to hinder the flow of water and soil when it gets rainy or windy. If your land has low-gradient slopes, you can plant granite rocks to help stabilize your soil. This can only work best when combined with other measures. Lastly, you should decide if the method of controlling erosion you prefer to use is easy to do or requires the intervention of an expert.