Irrigation And Erosion: How To Protect Your Lawn

Soil erosion can affect soil anywhere in the world – including in Burlington area lawns.  Soil erosion occurs when parts of the soil are shifted around due to rainfall, wind, and ice melt.  This is a natural process, but human activity can speed it up.  Soil erosion will end up having a negative effect on your flowers, plants, and the rest of your lawn care in Burlington.  The best way to combat soil erosion? Preventing it in the first place.  Luckily, there are some additional methods that can also help you reverse the impacts of soil attrition.  Here are the causes and a few ways to keep soil erosion from ruining your lawn.

Causes Of Soil Erosion In Your Burlington Area Lawn Care
While some of the main causes of erosion (rainfall, wind, and melting ice) are out of your control, there's one major factor that you can control: the frequency with which you water your lawn.

When using a garden hose or sprinkler system, be sure to monitor the water pressure. If improperly set, the water from these irrigation systems can hit the ground with enough force that it can cause the soil to erode. What's more, overwatering your lawn can also cause the soil to erode.

Watering is definitely a delicate balance.  If irrigation is a part of your lawn care in Burlington regiment (and it should be!), check out Nutri-Lawn’s Toro Intelli-Sense sprinkler systems to prevent overwatering of your lawn. 

Prevent Soil Erosion by …Planting Vegetation
A common way to prevent soil erosion is to plant flowers and trees over the affected soil.  The reason for adding plants to your lawn care in Burlington is that plants can act as a protective shield on the soil, lessening the impact of wind, rainfall, and excessive watering.  If you’re looking to add plants, try and purchase varieties that crawl and spread as opposed to growing upward. These varieties are great at preventing soil erosion. Another great idea is to consider smartscaping your lawn.

Prevent Soil Erosion By Adding Matting To Your Burlington Area Lawn Care
Matting is one of the most popular erosion prevention products on the market. These wood-fibre mats are environmentally friendly and biodegradable. They're effective because they provide your grass seed with a place to take hold and become established.

Matting is placed on the soil’s surface and will allow plants and trees to grow through it.  Matting can also be cut to size to suit the area that requires it.

Prevent Soil Erosion by Including Mulch and/or Fertilizer
If you’re diligent about your turf's health, fertilizer is likely already a part of your lawn care in Burlington schedule.  But what about mulch?

Applying mulch and fertilizer over the soil is a great way to prevent soil erosion without having to completely overhaul of your yard.  The mulch and fertilizer layer will help the soil soak in water slowly and it will also help to lessen the impact of rainfall as it penetrates through to the soil.  The best part is that any type of mulch or fertilizer can be used in your lawn and garden to prevent soil erosion.  Here are more ways to use mulch.

Prevent Soil Erosion by Installing Retaining Walls or Edging
If you see wet patches or mud puddles on your driveway or other hardscaped areas, it’s a sign of soil erosion runoff that’s generally caused by water erosion.  You can prevent this by building a small retaining wall around your garden or lawn.

Retaining walls act as a shield for the soil and will prevent soil erosion from occurring.  The wall will also keep water retained within the lawn or garden, so the soil can slowly soak it in.  If used in conjunction with the other methods mentioned, it can be very beneficial to your property. 

Don’t let soil erosion spoil your perfectly manicured yard!  For more information about how Nutri-Lawn can help or to request a free quote, contact us about your Burlington area lawn care.