How To Prevent Erosion And Runoff In The Yard?

Soil erosion is something that lots of yards and beautiful landscapes might suffer from.

Essentially, it's soil loss, and once eroding, the soil begins to lose essential nutrients. Not to say that erosion might change or stop habitat from growing as well as disrupt other areas of the area.

So, how to prevent erosion and runoff in the yard? Here are some good solutions for you.

Drainage System

When trying to prevent erosion and runoff in a yard, drainage systems are one of the most important factors.

Having a proper inlet and drainage pipe installation in your outdoor living area helps draw water directly out of low-lying zones that can be prone to be flooded and soil erosion. Be sure to install perforated drainage pipes in your yard ground to prevent saturation in the soil.

Vetiver Grass

This type of grass is very popular in agriculture due to its superior erosion prevention that none of the others can do.

It is a super-hardy plant that holds up well in most harsh weather conditions and grows happily in all soil types. If properly planted, Vetiver grass will quickly expand its root system up to 10’ deep.

What we like the most about this grass is it doesn’t compete against or poison other plants in your yard or garden. Their sharp leaves plus fragrant roots help keep insects and rodents at bay.

Vetiver grass is best to be planted in groups parallel with the runoff or fences, each row is 12”-16” apart. Once their height is up to 20”, prune them to create an aesthetic barrier to protect other plants.

In a nutshell, if your yard has severe erosion and runoff, we highly recommend this natural, eco-friendly solution.

Groundcover

Groundcover is a great alternative to vetiver grass if you prefer something low-growing and look cute.

Groundcover is plants growing over an area of ground.

By offering coverage to the topsoil, it can slow down runoff and hold soil to hence reduce both drought and erosion efficiently. It also avoids the germination of weed seeds as well as the ingress of perennial weeds.

Groundcover if planted around your plants and flowers will act as an insulating cover for the soil, which keeps it warmer during the winter and cooler during the summer.

The leaves of these plants can decrease the raindrop force, therefore, they allow moisture to absorb faster while minimizing soil compaction.

Here are some highly recommended groundcover plants for erosion control:

• Creeping phlox

• Black mondo grass

• Border grass
• David Beaulieu
• Japanese spurge

• Forsythia
• Creeping junipers

Note that groundcover won’t offer as great erosion prevention as vetiver grass due to its shallow root system. It’s best for slightly flooded areas.

Block Retaining Walls

Another efficient solution to prevent erosion and runoff in a yard – building block retaining walls.

A concrete retaining wall is just as good as a retaining wall made of cement blocks. It’s super-sturdy and harm-free to your plants. It’s also a great idea to use retaining walls to elevate certain parts of your garden where there’s a tendency to get too much water retention.

Additionally, block retaining walls can be used as a focal point in your yard or offer extra places for planting.

Mulch

Covering the bare ground with mulch or straw is an excellent way to prevent erosion and runoff since they break the fall of rainwater, minimize the water force to the ground, as well as protect it from strong winds.

In other words, mulch layers act as a sustainable shield, keeping the soil in your yard from being washed away during rains, hence, it is arguably to retain soil nutrients as well.

Regardless, it helps moderate soil temp fluctuations, which means your plants will feel a lot cooler during the summer whereas warmer in the winter months.

By covering the entire soil surface, mulch also helps prevent weeds from growing as well as retain moisture more efficiently. From that point, you won’t have to water your plants so frequently.

Spread The Yard With Pebbles, Rock Riprap, Or Wood Chips

Wood chips can provide an extra layer to the soil surface, helping absorb water faster to prevent it from seeping into the soil.

Meanwhile, rock riprap and pebbles reduce the rate of runoff significantly to carry the water out of your yard, preventing the soil in this area from erosion. They are best used on unstable slopes, a low area, or swale.

If you can’t find rock riprap or pebbles, use crushed granite stones instead.

They are processed from a blasted granite ledge and compared to other options, this is the most affordable solution. Spread a ¾” of gravels behind your retaining walls or drip edges along with foundations.

River rock landscaping is another great option to prevent erosion and runoff in a yard.

Conclusion

We assure you that these six effective solutions will help keep the soil in your yard from eroding and runoff, remaining its beauty and functions. You can try these methods yourself or hire a pro landscaping builder for help.

That’s all for this article and thanks for reading!