A slope that erodes every spring is a soil problem first and a planting problem second.
Why it washes
Water moving across bare or thinly covered soil picks up particles. On clay, surface water moves fast because it cannot infiltrate.
Slow the water
Terracing with low walls, or a swale across the slope, reduces speed before anything else is done. Speed is what carries soil.
Cover the ground
Dense low planting with fibrous roots binds the surface layer. Mulch alone on a steep slope simply floats away in the first storm.
Establish it properly
Erosion blanket or jute netting holds everything in place while roots take. It breaks down once the planting has done its job.
On slopes steeper than roughly one in three, terracing is usually cheaper over ten years than repeatedly replanting.
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ReadFree estimate
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