Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Mar 13, 2009 1:37 pm I have a cut and fill site for a garden, unfortunately I also have a 60m sq (20long x 3m wide) slope at the top end of my garden.
Its too steep for a ride on (40 degrees) and we already have too much grass to hand mow. We have decided to weed mat the whole thing, throw mulch over the top and poke holes in the weed mat to plant a few low growing plants. Does this sound like the best plan for such a situation? I would appreciate peoples thoughts on this, and advice is welcome. Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 2Mar 13, 2009 1:54 pm From what Master Fu (:D) has said previously, I don't think there is any need for the weed mat as it wont do what you want - just make sure you keep it all mulched (not black mulch!!) and that will keep the weeds down/out 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 3Mar 14, 2009 10:09 am Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 4Mar 14, 2009 4:58 pm 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 6Mar 27, 2009 10:38 am Weedmat is a good idea in theory, but the reality is that it does not allow water to seep through it very well. It also will restrict your plants to some degree and is a nightmare after a few years to dig or move as it starts to become imbedded in the soil. A nice thick mulch will do a much better job, it will feed the soil, allow it to breath and keep weeds down. Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 7Apr 06, 2009 8:25 am Ooouuuuch! (ET)
Well I spent the whole weekend, and about $500 in plants and recycled my old weedmat and I scaled that mountain in my front yard. I must say that it looks fantastic even if I broke my back doing it. I was so concerned about just covering it to stop erosion that I didnt even consider the potential for it to become a feature in my front garden. Still need to lay about 6 cubic metres of mulch, but you can already see the result. I must post some before and after pics as this may inspire others with a similar problem. I agree about the weed mat issue, but I had heaps of the stuff left over from the erosion control for my house, during building. Oh...by the way, I was given about $150 worth of free plants by 3 seprate neighbours that felt sorry for me whilst they were walking past. Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 8Apr 06, 2009 8:47 am Hi Stu I'm in the same situation as you but the slope on the West side of our shed is 30 degrees and I spend hours in surrounding the top of the slope with a 500mm high ring of soil in order of prefenting water coming down the slope when raining. Then I brought up the topsoil without anything underneeth it. My idea was to plant something like Kangeroo Grass or another low staying, fast growing and fast spreading grass or plant. Doesn't need any mowing and keeps the soil in place. Unfortunately it never came to planting as we had 480mm of rain in just seven hours last Thursday. It all rained down the slope, including the ring that should have prefented it in the first place. Good luck with yours cheers Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 9Apr 06, 2009 9:04 am We will have a big slope going down to the golf course from the back garden about 20m x 20m. The house and patio area is flat though. Dont know what the degree of the slope is though very steep I was going to put weed mat down then mulch but thought in heavy rain the mulch would all slide down the weed mat and end up on the golf course! What can you do to stop soil errosion, we have grooves in the soil from the last rains we had. I am thinking of tiering it with sleepers and creating different levels, I expect this will cost me an arm and a leg though But plants and mossy rocks arnt cheap either . One of the joys of having a sloping block I suppose! Know where your going in life............... you may already be there Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 10Apr 06, 2009 2:00 pm Fear not, when all hope is lost, just get stuck in and youll soon see that it wasnt as impossible as you once thought it was. I have covered my slope with plastic weed mat, and I have hammered 20 x 1 foot long wooden pegs into the ground (leaving about 100mm sticking out). Next weekend ill pull wire horizontzlly across the slope and pull tight. I will then cover with 4" of mulch. This should stop the mulch from falling down slope. Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 11Apr 06, 2009 5:35 pm Hi Stu I have a similar issue at the back of my house (see pic under OB's - 'slowly taking shape'). I don't think any amt of mulch will help as rain will wash it away. I have a drain along the top to help divert water away, but need something that will help hold the soil/plants. I like your idea of the weed mat pegged into the ground. Will put that on my landscaping file! Life's too short too drink bad wine Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 12Apr 06, 2009 7:25 pm weedmat and mulch will do sweet FA. You need to stabilise the soil. Those things don't do that. From a horticultural perspective plants and lots of them is all that will help. A few large shrubs and trees followed but more low shrubs and finally shallow rooted ground covers. It is plant roots that hold soils together and a combination of all types is the best way to go. Just shallow rooted ground covers will be better than nothing but only provide shallow stabilisation. If plants are not an option then you need to look at having something engineered. Rock walls or small walls under a metre generally don't need approval from the councils but check first. Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 13Apr 06, 2009 8:51 pm I guess it's a bit of a catch 22 situation. Til the plants are established, without anything to 'hold' them, would mean more soil wash. We had 110mm of rain in the last 10 days, which isn't totally unheard of in our neck of the woods. The plants with the weedmat pegged into the bank, I think may work for us, removing the weedmat once the plants are well est. to allow for spread. HH Life's too short too drink bad wine Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 14Apr 07, 2009 8:15 am To be honest I dont like using plastic weed mat as it doesnt bio degrade, a better option in your case may be to go to Super A Mart (or similar shop) and get heaps of cardboard. Lay it across the slope and then do as mentioned above. The mulch may be more inclined to slip down hill so you may need to put more pegs and wire in. The good part is that it will break down after a few months when your plants have started to grow.(I forgot to mention that you need to cut holes in cardboard where your plants go, ) In fact, if you can get your hands on enough newspaper, that would probably be the go. (saw something similar on utube in the "How To" section) Just before I forget, pegs sticking out of the ground are dangerous, so knock them in as far as you think necessary and cover with enough mulch to ensure that you dont harm yourself if you fall on one. Id use fat ones about 2 inch by 2 inch with a flat top (ie not sharp on top) Also, the wire is a tripping hazard, so take all reasonable precautions (and signs if necessary). (Sorry thats my OH & S kicking in there) Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 15Apr 07, 2009 8:49 am Fu Manchu From a horticultural perspective plants and lots of them is all that will help. A few large shrubs and trees followed but more low shrubs and finally shallow rooted ground covers. It is plant roots that hold soils together and a combination of all types is the best way to go. Just shallow rooted ground covers will be better than nothing but only provide shallow stabilisation. The planting needs to be a mix of groundcovers, shrubs, trees, and perennials with the areas between plants (if there are any openings) covered with appropriate mulch and/or rocks. A varied planting is far more effective than a monoculture on a slope. Why? When you have a mixture of plants you have layers of vegetation that the rainfall will hit and when it finally hits the ground the force of it hitting the ground is much reduced. Think rainforests...canopy, mid storey, and underlying growth...all working together to prevent erosion in steep areas where you can get metres of rainfall. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 17Apr 08, 2009 12:29 am Man...if only my physics teacher was like him...instead of the numbnut I ended up with... mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 18Apr 14, 2009 9:09 am Well, finished the slope this easter and it looks awesome. Finished off the 80m2 slope with 7m3 of hardwood chips and we thought we were finished until the next morning when we realised that the hares (or rabbits) had eaten 8 of our plants almost completely. Now I dont mind if they take out a few leaves for food but they seemed to be trying to snip off all the leaves just for the sake of it (ie they didnt eat the leaves.) So we spent the whole of Monday in the rain putting up a 50m chicken wire fence. These hares are a big problem, I never realised the destruction they can cause. I read on the internet that they can cause up to a Billion Dollars in damage per year..Wow! Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 19Apr 14, 2009 9:33 am stu Well, finished the slope this easter and it looks awesome. Photos or it didn't happen! Oh and in regards to the rabbits - that's why they are a farmers #1 enemy 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: What to do with a large 40 degree slope? 20Apr 29, 2009 7:57 am The rabbit proof fence is working a treat and so is my sub surface irrigation system (it saves heaps of time) I see the rabbit dung all around the fence on the outside, so they havent figured out how to push their way underneath (quite stupid arent they He he!) A survey must’ve completed by a certified surveyor. This form part of every DA requirement 3 223588 Need advice on the backyard plan above. Should I excavate and cut all of the dirt to level with the house slab or semi-excavate as per photo above? Both left and right… 0 24831 Hi All, We have recently purchased a sloping block (3.5m fall building envelope, 6m overall). Just wondering if you know of any good builders that you would recommend for… 0 1752 |