Soil Erosion and my attempts to help slow it down.
I don't like to see soil erosion. These shots are taken near a Creek, and the erosion has happened mostly as a result of drought and heavy rainfall. The erosion is on a small scale at the moment, so i thought i would try to slow it down. I used old hessian Coffee bags filled with rocks, and placed them around the erosion patches to slow down the water which washes the soil away and into the Creek. My attempts were partially successful, and the problem has not got any worse.Then again , we have not had any heavy rain since i did this either.
My other little problem is that some cattle got into this Paddock and played around with the Hessian bags and emptied some of the rocks out, and this undid some of my work. Cattle are so curious. You can see some Cattle dung near the erosion in the photos.
Erosion can also happen in other ways. Wind erosion occurs when bare soil is blown away, and when drought is bad, plants that hold the soil together die, and the soil has nothing to hold it together. This is why i don't mind seeing weeds grow in areas, it's natures way of healing the land.
What about installing a swale on contour as well as some trees!? just an idea to consider :)
Yeah, that's probably what i'll end up doing there. This was just a first initial attempt at it. Thanks.
for a little inspiration!
Yeah I really like Geoff Lawton and the permaculture ideals! very interesting and inspirational stuff for when I finally have enough $ to get my land!
Very good video, although i would probably have trouble doing this sort of thing on my Property. Great video by the way, i have another property where we have contours . Some photos of both properties are on my blog. Maybe one day, i'll get the tractor out there and do some earthworks to help it, i have a few ideas in mind, it's just getting the time, as i am only there every 2 months.
Wonderful ideas being implemented.
Awesome keep us updated!
Wow, this looks bad. I don't know if this is common but as we've got enough of rainfall in my country, we don't have as massive amounts of soil erosion as there are plants growing everywhere.
It feels crazy how both lack of water and too much water can cause erosion. I
Yeah, it's ironic, is'nt it ? To me it's just another challenge to deal with, and i like a good challenge.
I couldn't imagine anyone would be doing that if they wouldn't be prepared for some challenges. Good luck for overcoming every challenge you will meet, I'm looking forward for posts how you are managing in the future.
Thanks, more posts on their way soon.
Probably there is a way to hold the soil like putting a hay on the soil maybe but since it is a natural phenomenon I guess nature will just have to take it's course.
It is preventable, but requires some clever thinking and ingenuity. I'll keep thinking about it and work it out :)
Yes it could use some engineering work. I see the soil is barren with no grass even to hold it. The place looked like a wallow pond of buffalos.
Well we don't have any Buffalo here, but yes the soil is barren, thats why we have the erosion, nothing to hold the soil. The same thing happens when the sides of Mountains are cleared of trees, you get landslides, then the rain comes and the soil washes down the mountain, covers houses and people get hurt. My problem at the farm is natural, i did not clear any trees, it's just so dry there, nothing is growing. But i am not complaining, it's a nice challenge for me to fix it.
Perhaps that's it, cover the area with grass, maybe the type that is cheap to maybe transplant or grow there that can also benefit wildlife.
Great idea, but only one little problem, grass won't grow there, it's too dry, and i am not there to look after it.
Yes you are right. Maybe the climate just makes the landscape that way, otherwise it won't be like that after so many years but maybe an introduction of growing things there will make a difference in the area with consideration of the dryness of the region.
Looks sad/depressing...
It's just another job on the Farm that requires a bit of musclepower and brainpower. I'll deal with it.
You should till the dirt and plant mushrooms, might slow the erosion. But seriously I live in the desert here, and same problem. We throw some wild flower seeds with some natural grass seed, and brush. WIth Hay rolls staked in the ground to slow the water. I will take a pick when I see one.
Thanks for the suggestion, that would work really well if i had a small acreage. . My property is huge, and to get to this spot where the erosion is, its 5 miles from the farmhouse. Not only that, i only visit there every 8 weeks, its 1000 miles from my home in Sydney, and there ain't no garden hoses nearby either. My cattle would eat the hay rolls and the wildflowers, so i would have to fence the area too. Overall not that easy, but i appreciate the great ideas.
Easy fix, sell the cows.
That would be giving up, and i don't do that easy :)
well done ctrl-alt-nwo, once again!
Thanks for looking and reading !
Anytime! You keep posting, I'll keep reading.