Soil erosion is a natural condition that happens to the soil. As soil is swept away by the wind, water or other natural occurrences, it is only of spontaneous enough that at some point, the uppermost layer of that earth begins to lack soil. However, as much as soil erosion is a natural phenomenon, it is quickly accelerated by human behaviour. Some activities like deforestation or agricultural movements to land cause soil to be displaced faster than intended.
The same phenomenon can happen to your garden landscapes. Since gardens primarily are built on earth and soil, erosion is bound to happen from time to time. This is especially caused by external things like weather, climate, wind, and water. It is your duty as a person with a green thumb to find ways to prevent the movement of soil in your garden. Here are tips on how to prevent soil erosion in your gardens:
Add organic material to the soil
As soil erosion in your garden means displacing soil, one way to avoid it is by adding an organic layer to your soil. This adds volume and richness to your soil and as such, water, wind or any natural element won’t displace it as much since there is more soil. Add some organic compost to your soil layer like organic mulches made of leaves, scraps, etc. and over time, your soil will have more and will erode less.
Apply crop rotation
Another solution is doing crop rotation to your gardens. Plant different crops to an area annually or a set period of time. You can plan to plant different species of vegetables or plants to the same area and rotate to another one the year after. This way, the nutrients that are being absorbed by your crops are constantly changing. The more likely that the soil will remain over time since there are still contents left in the soil.
Moisten your soil constantly
Find a perfect balance of keeping your soil in the garden moist but not overly wet. Maintain soil moisture just enough to keep it in place and not easily swept away by the winds. However, put in mind to keep it less wet enough that it isn’t easily washed away by any water movement in your garden. Keep your soil moisture at par.
Choose good ground cover shrubs
Choosing the kind of plants and shrubs for your garden is also key to maintaining soil management. There are good ground cover shrubs that are naturally great at holding in soil. Some of these shrubs are:
- Interrupted ferns
- Creeping myrtles
- Border grass
- Junipers
- Creeping rosemary
- Creeping phlox
More than keeping your soil in place, these plants are also a sight to behold when they flourish. Keep your gardens practical, protected and pretty at the same time by putting good erosion control species.
Build your garden into terraces
Creating different levels of soil via soil terraces in your garden also helps in mitigating soil erosion. When you build terraces, the soil gets swept away in different terraces but they at least stay within the area. You can start by planning areas in which you can build retaining walls for higher ground levels of soil, and then slowly creating steps downward.
Control water flow in your area
One of the strongest causes of soil erosion is water. Water in your homes, especially heavy flows, can take away a lot of your ground in the garden. Study the water flow of your homes and redirect drainages that directly wash away your soil. You can also do a rainwater collection and divert the water channels in your pipes and grounds. This way, any strong water flow will not sweep away your soil.
Conclusion
Here at Trees Down Under, we offer garden and tree services for your green thumb needs. We are around Sydney and we guarantee that with the more than three decades of experience we have in this arena, we can help you. Do you have any garden and landscape needs you want us to attend to? We are happy to help you. Don’t hesitate to contact us!
Call us at 0475 463 597 or send us an email here: info@treesdownunder.com.au
