New Landscape Makes a Yard Feel New Again

When you are working with a yard without any landscaping or improvements, the soil can become loose and erode away, leaving your yard filled with rocks where there is no weed growth. Yard improvements with landscaping features to control and stop erosion are essential and not just for the visual improvements they make to your property. Here are some options to help stabilize the soil in your yard and prevent erosion from wind, rains, and other natural elements.

Invest in Lawn

A lawn covering your soil is a great way to prevent erosion over a large area within your property. A lawn is naturally hardy and will take over and thicken its growth within the soil once it is established in your soil, making it a great way to stabilize the soil from erosion. There are several ways you can install a new lawn in your yard, depending on your budget and time constraints. 

Planting a law with a hydroseed application is a more affordable option but will take some time for the lawn to grow in. However, as soon as the hydroseed layer is applied on top of the soil, it prevents erosion just by the nature of its application and installation. Hydroseed comes in a mixture of paper pulp, water, lawn seeds, and fertilizer, so when it is sprayed onto your soil it will dry and remain a hard shell over the area. This allows you to immediately see soil stabilization while you keep the layer moist for the lawn seed germination to progress. However, it is important that you keep all traffic off the hydroseed covering until the lawn can become established in its growth over several weeks.

You can also apply a new layer of sod onto your soil, which provides an immediate covering to the soil against erosion while you water and care for your new lawn. Sod usually costs a bit more than hydroseed but does not require the same maintenance while it becomes established.

Apply a Ground Covering

There are many types of mulch coverings you can add to your soil to protect against erosion and to improve the appearance of the area. A layer of gravel several inches thick keeps down dust in traffic and makes a great pavement. You can also opt for organic mulch, such as bark or wood chips spread over your soil for an attractive appearance around vegetation but with the added benefit of enriching the soil as it decomposes.

If you want a more durable covering for a private drive or road on your property, lime is a great soil stabilization material. It goes over the surface in an application that compacts onto the site. Then, as it absorbs water from precipitation and the environment, it hardens further into a durable layer to continue with erosion control.