How to prevent soil from eroding?

The soil around the fence is loose and the neighbor land is on the higher ground, so the rainwater runoff created problems.

There is a AG drain next to the retaining wall and we don't want the soil keep sliding to the gravel above the AG drain. Overtime, the soil will block AG drain...

My parents want to put some pavers on the soil to compact it. Is it a good idea?

What about installing some turfs on those soil?

Or we put some concrete on the soil?
Bastion 20kg Rapid Set Concrete - Bunnings Australia

So far,

the scale and intensity of landslide are not serious. But we want to start working on prevention before rainy season.

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Comments

EricL

Hello @ivanptr

The ideal fix is to repair the retaining walls so that the water is guided out of the way and not through to your Agi drain. For a temporary fix, I suggest using Brutus 360 x 850mm Sand Bag - 10 Pack. Fill them with ordinary sand and place them along the fence where the most water flows when it is raining. It will hold the soil in place and divert most of the water away. A bit of the water may come through but only water will pass through and not the soil.

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric

ivanptr

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/25340#Comment_25340

Thanks Eric what does it mean by "to repair the retaining walls so that the water is guided out of the way and not through to your Agi drain."

the neighbor on higher ground wont be willing to deal with it

MitchellMc

Hi @ivanptr,

I'd recommend you consider removing and replacing this wall with a retaining wall that can adequately hold back the soil. Not only is the wall allowing the soil to migrate through it, but it's also not really retaining any soil at the top. Your current wall is not a retaining wall in the sense that it contains your soil. The blocks provide some stabilisation to the soil behind them and help prevent it from being washed away entirely.

I'd suggest installing posts and using sleepers for your new wall. The wall needs to extend up above the soil level to retain it adequately. I've created a rendering for you below to illustrate. Please note that depending on the height of your new retaining wall, it might require engineering, so make sure to check your local regulations.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

ivanptr

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/25342#Comment_25342

@MitchellMc I get that the concrete footing of new wall is to hold back the soil.

We are thinking, if our situation is not too serious, could we use some construction adhesive on the pavers to make a little "brick" wall?

ivanptr

Hi everyone,

What plant in Bunnings is drought resistant and suitable to grow on slope to prevent soil erosion?

Either grown plant or seed is fine. We are just looking for options that do not require a lot of watering.

Some species mentioned here:

(65) Use These Plants on your Slope to Prevent Erosion, Stabilize Soil, and look AMAZING! - YouTube

Lantana, Maya Plum. Are they good choices?

Thank you so much!

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/75346#Comment_75346

You could certainly attempt to do that, @ivanptr. However, if you are concerned about the soil potentially giving way and subsiding, adding pavers to the top of an unstable wall is likely not a great solution.

It's hard to tell from your photo, but if we presume these blocks are 200mm high, and we can see at least four courses of height, then that's an 80cm wall. In your last picture, the soil looks like it extends at least 50cm above the wall in some places. That's a 1300mm height of unretained soil. To put that into perspective, if this was a new build, not only would you require a properly constructed retaining wall, but it would also need to be signed off by an engineer to ensure it complies with regulations. Total wall collapse is likely a bigger concern than the small amounts of shifted overburden you are looking to stop.

Mitchell

ivanptr

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/101409#Comment_101409

@MitchellMc yes, but it takes some time to plan and organize a new wall rebuild, and rainy season is coming.

So we are now searching for some temporary solutions to buy us some time.

What about growing some plant to control the soil erosion?

Use These Plants on your Slope to Prevent Erosion, Stabilize Soil, and look AMAZING! - YouTube

Any plant is good in this aspect and can be bought in Bunnings?

mich1972

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/25343#Comment_25343

Good morning @ivanptr

Off the top of my head, Australian Native Grasses would be the best to grow on slopes and help stabilise soil. Their root system would definitely hold up. You would probably have to plant quite a few to make an impact.

Lomandra species

Dianella species

These are very tough hardy Native grasses.

Australian Native Ground covers like these , would grow well and give good coverage on top of the soil, helping to reduce soil erosion.

Grevillea Gin Gin Gem

Hibertia scandens

Myoporum

I hope this may help you, there are plenty of Gardeners in the Community who will have great advice for you too.

When you get a chance please, would it be possible to post a couple of photos of the area you want to plant up.

Good luck and certainly looking forward to seeing your Garden 😃

Just an extra add in. When you plant up your new garden, make sure you add a soil improver into the planting holes and not just plant into the sand. It would definitely help as well to add some granular wetting agent to ensure the water soaks into the root system and not run off. Mulching last once everything is planted. It certainly is important that they are well watered until they start growing and getting established, especially if you are planting in the hot summer months.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/117650#Comment_117650

That's understandable, @ivanptr.

I'd also suggest some strappy leaf plants like Lomandra as they're hardy plants suited to most soil conditions, and their roots are excellent at holding together soil.

Mitchell

ivanptr

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/75348#Comment_75348

Grevillea Gin Gin Gem and Myoporum both look so small in the pot sold by Bunnings, would that grow and spread out covering more area of the slope? We bought a few of those yesterday.

And we also bought some Dianella 🙂

will apply wetting agents and mulch (great tips u mentioned) this weekend

ivanptr

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/127094#Comment_127094

@MitchellMc . Thanks for the great tip! We will get it from Bunnings. It seems it can grow much larger over time. Hopefully it can cover more ground. Love it!

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