Yard erosion from rain....help!

[Manipulator]

I have a new house and the backyard has major water erosion problem. When I bought the house they seeded the back and then put straw over it. The thing is it was a bad spring and summer for us as there was not much rain. from mid yard back I have a slope of about 30 degrees. I tried to water it but it never really took off. My back yard is pretty much all weeds. Then builder stopped my drainage lines from the gutters in the middle of the yard, from there the water made huge ruts. I extended them but now the water washed out all the dirt that I used to cover the drainage extensions. Does anyone have suggestions to stop this yard from eroding away? Is there something I can lay over these areas so I can get the grass started?

 

[DJ]

Re: Yard erosion from rain....help!

Bales of hay/straw in the areas where the water runs will slow it down enough to get grass started.<br /><br />Stake the bales to the ground.

 

[craze1cars]

Re: Yard erosion from rain....help!

Either that or dig the trench bigger, direct your gutter lines to it, and fill the trench with gravel so you encourage all the water to flow in one spot and disperse gently in all directions from there.<br /><br />Even better...bury all the gutter drain lines all the way from the house to the bottom of your hill, and let them eject down there into the ditch. That way no water flows on the lawn at all.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Yard erosion from rain....help!

Rye grass (ask for contractor mix) and this should grow the fastest.<br /><br />There are some mesh type nets to hold the straw in place that eventually rot away that will probably be sold by a municipal supplier.<br /><br />30 degrees is quite steep and you might also dig in some water bars to divert and change the direction of the water.

 

[JRJ]

Re: Yard erosion from rain....help!

Pick any search engine and type in "storm water". You will get plenty of ideas. Good luck

 

[KRS]

Re: Yard erosion from rain....help!

You can wrap the bales with "tree bird netting", that will help them stay around a little longer.

 

[Manipulator]

Re: Yard erosion from rain....help!

Awesome! Thanks for all your help.

 

[Moody Blue]

Re: Yard erosion from rain....help!

There are commercially avaiable matts that are fused with grass seed and fertilizer. They come in large sizes. Just roll them out, stake them down and water them. Should work well on a slope. Might be a little pricey though.

 

[lakelivin]

Re: Yard erosion from rain....help!

Originally posted by RodC:<br /> There are commercially avaiable matts that are fused with grass seed and fertilizer. They come in large sizes. Just roll them out, stake them down and water them. Should work well on a slope. Might be a little pricey though.

There are also comercially available 3 dimensional 'permanent' matts tht mimic a root structure to prevent erosion. you can cover with dirt & seed with whatever you want, the matts help keep the plantings from washing away (plant roots intermingle with the matts).<br /><br />no idea on costs....

 

[qaztwo]

Re: Yard erosion from rain....help!

sod

 

[tomatolord]

Re: Yard erosion from rain....help!

One other thing to consider is alternate landscaping<br /><br /> - slopes are hard to get grass to grow on to begin with <br /><br />plus they are hard to mow as well.<br /><br />mulch it in <br />Raised beds for flowers or shrubs.<br /><br />Also you need to fix the drainage issue - because over time the water will erode the soil away.<br /><br />couple other things<br /><br />1 rent a slit seeder - it pushes the seed into the ground.<br /><br />2 read the label on the seed bag - it will have a "bagged on" date - dont buy anything over 2-3 months <br /><br />3 - the seed HAS to have contact with dirt or it will not germinate <br /><br />4 - once the seed gets wet it has to stay wet - you dont need to put 1 inch down just keep it damp - that is where the slit seeder really helps because it gets the seed into the soil and the soil will keep the seed damp.<br /><br />5 - fescue takes 10-14 days to germinate so be patient.!