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."
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