Stopping erosion on sleep slope - Ask Extension
Any recommendations, other than the plant listed on website to assist with stopping the water drainage and erosion on a rocky steep slope with poor so...
Knowledgebase
Stopping erosion on sleep slope #868618
Asked May 15, 2024, 6:36 PM EDT
Any recommendations, other than the plant listed on website to assist with stopping the water drainage and erosion on a rocky steep slope with poor soil. We are seniors, do not have a very big budget for this and would likely be doing the work ourselves. The hillside has continued to erode especially after the flood in 2013 which seemed to loosen everything up. Would be great to be able to add plants that grow & spread quickly in the rocky - full sun - steep area.
Your feedback is appreciated,
Karen Willis
Boulder County Colorado
Expert Response
Hello,
Our apologies for the late response. Many of our emails ended up in the junk folder and were just discovered.
So sorry to hear about your eroding hillside. I'm not certain which plants you read about or what elevation you live at, but I'm happy to give you a list of some plants that would do well and might not break the bank or your backs:
Any low growing shrub such as Creeping Junipers, Chokecherry, Rabbitbrush or ground covers with dense roots like Virginia Creeper would help fend off erosion well. Also, native grasses are great choices, like Western Wheat Grass and Blue Grama.
Hopefully these suggestions are helpful, but please reach out again if you have additional questions.
Here are a couple of fact sheets that might assist you:
Soil erosion:
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/agriculture/soil-erosion-control-after-wildfire-6-308/
Ground covers:
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/ground-covers-and-rock-garden-plants-for-mountain-communities-7-413/
CSU Extension Master Gardener
Our apologies for the late response. Many of our emails ended up in the junk folder and were just discovered.
So sorry to hear about your eroding hillside. I'm not certain which plants you read about or what elevation you live at, but I'm happy to give you a list of some plants that would do well and might not break the bank or your backs:
Any low growing shrub such as Creeping Junipers, Chokecherry, Rabbitbrush or ground covers with dense roots like Virginia Creeper would help fend off erosion well. Also, native grasses are great choices, like Western Wheat Grass and Blue Grama.
Hopefully these suggestions are helpful, but please reach out again if you have additional questions.
Here are a couple of fact sheets that might assist you:
Soil erosion:
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/agriculture/soil-erosion-control-after-wildfire-6-308/
Ground covers:
https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/ground-covers-and-rock-garden-plants-for-mountain-communities-7-413/
CSU Extension Master Gardener
