DIY Erosion Control: How To Avoid A Flooded Backyard

Tree-Removal

DIY Erosion Control: How To Avoid A Flooded Backyard

Imagine your pristine garden, firepit and landscaping investments being overshadowed by flooding, landsliding and mud! After years of planting, watering, and seeding it can be discouraging to see it literally wash away because of poor erosion management. Today, we want to show you quick and creative ways to avoid a flooded backyard and talk about which of these options is best for you.

 

First, what causes flooding? The obvious answer is an excess of water, but the root lies in the peaks and valleys of your backyard. To the naked eye, your backyard may look evenly leveled but if you go to the grown level, you will get a better idea of where your backyard is higher and lower. With some wind, light rain, and time these small pockets can easily turn into muddy craters. Here are 5 quick and creative ways to avoid flooding and take charge of your backyard.

Planting Vegetation

Planting Vegetation: Have you ever wanted to invest the time to plant your own garden? Now is the perfect reason! Planting crops and other wildflowers with deep roots allows more soil to be held in place below, this in turn collects more water for their roots.

In our experience, this project makes a vegetative barrier of thick stems that effectively blocks the flow of water. Some crops include snap beans, carrots, cucumbers, eggplants, peas, peppers, and summer squash to name a few. Native florae such as wildflowers, woody perennials, and native prairie grasses that are densely concentrated at the roots work well too. Their dense roots spread the water runoff slowly instead of fast flowing which effectively avoids further erosion in your backyard.

Reforestation: This next option may not give you immediate results, but you want to think of it as a long-term investment. According to a recent study, planting trees on your property can reduce soil erosion by seventy- five. This is not only because their roots capture the water below, but because their canopies protect the top layer of soil from over watering. Not all trees are ideal though and depending how mature you purchase them will affect how long they take to resolve your erosion issues. For someone starting out, our recommendation is anything like the Pacific Crabapple. This tree thrives on moist soil when initially planted and once fully mature can continue growing with minimum maintenance in the summer and winter.

Improving Drainage

Improving Drainage- We see this time and time again. Downspouts and runoff pipes causing and buildup of water right outside your door. The immediate solution, move it! Simply repositioning your downspout to another area of your property is the best thing to do. You can also buy a downspout extension and redirect your water further downhill, away from your backyard. Most neighborhoods have forestry beyond their resident’s property. If possible, you can position your downspouts, extenders or even install an underground pipe to wash all the water beyond your property line.

Install a Retaining Wall

Install a Retaining Wall – If you can invest some extra money in installing a retaining wall, this is a quick and beautiful solution to your erosion problems. Retaining walls, as their names indicate, hold soil and water so that excess amounts do not enter your property. They then guide the water down against the wall and out. Concrete, Block and Railroad ties are all effective options for this project. If you are looking to complete this project yourself, it is very important you do your research for proper installation. Poor installation and double your headaches and cause even more of a mess when the heavy rain begins

Make a river rock path

Make a river rock path- Lastly, and my personal favorite is using river rock. You have probably seen large rocks and boulders outside the drainage pipes on the highway or your local man-made lake and rivers. This is because rocks are an effective tool to slowing the natural water flow and avoids a rushing flood from washing away your topsoil. Stone is also more durable, compared to manmade options, that would need to be replaced over time. You want to use heavy and large rocks that will not wash away easily. After choosing your rocks, you want to find landscaping fabric that will not only hold your rocks in place, but also keep them from sinking down. It may take some time for the materials to settle in, but it will be worth the reward.

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