Stopping erosion

[R.]

I have an embankment where an old bank barn used to be and burned down
years ago. The stone foundation is still embedded in the embankment.
The problem is that now the stones are falling out and the embankment
is wearing away. This has to be stopped before it proceeds further as
it will be cutting into a garden area and the back of the new barn.
There have been weedy trees that have grown into this embankment, but
I have tried to keep them trimmed down as I thought they might
contribute to the stones falling out. This is not an easy place to
access.

One person on another forum suggested crown vetch, but this is considered an invasive plant in Indiana.

Should I let the trees and weeds grow or should I keep them trimmed down? Does anyone have suggestions for stopping this erosion and preventing further erosion? Thank you.

[Danaus29]

Keep some good trees but get rid of invasive ones like honeysuckle and box elder. The best thing to prevent slope erosion is trees. Walnut, maple, buckeye, beech, and oak would all be good trees to keep. I wouldn't keep elm (dutch elm disease) or ash (emerald ash borer) as those would have a short life span. Is there a stream at the bottom of the embankment, how steep is the slope, can you add some fill dirt to lessen the slope????

[FarmerJeff]

I am a certified erosion control specialist in NH. We work closely with a compost based erosion control product called Filtrexx that is applied from a blower truck.

Check out this company working in your area:

http://www.mulchplus.com/erosioncontrol.htm

This is nowhere near as expensive as you might think. You could do a 1000 sqft areas for a few hundred bucks. It will be growing and totally stable within 2 weeks. It can be applied to slopes as steep as 1/2:1. Good luck.

[R.]

I guess I wasn't making it clear about this embankment. It is there because it is where the old bank barn used to be. It is a 90 degree angle down. I would like the stones to stay in. At the bottom is a concrete pad for the old barn and there is a new much smaller shed that sits a few feet from the embankment. So I don't want anything more coming down and possibly messing with the new shed.

I am afraid that the root system of big trees will just push out the stones and eventually cause the entire wall to fall. That is why I have been trimming the weeds and trees that are growing on it.

[agmantoo]

You will need an evergreen type of low growing vine (ivy) to grow and have the roots to intertwine among the rocks to stabilize the wall. Here in zone 7 I would use periwinkle but you need to get something adapted to your area. Here is a shot of periwinkle http://biotech.icmb.utexas.edu/botany/perihist.html

[R.]

Originally Posted by agmantoo

You will need an evergreen type of low growing vine (ivy) to grow and have the roots to intertwine among the rocks to stabilize the wall. ...

I had never thought of ivy. I wonder if it would work.

[FarmerJeff]

You could also look at having it hydroseeded with a bonded straw matrix. This is where the seeds in an erosion control seed mix are embedded in a mix of shredded straw and a sticking agent. It could be applied to a 90 degree angle. The sticking (tackifier) agent would allow it to adhere to the vertical cutbank until the erosion control seed mix was germinated. I don't think that ivy would have the root density that would stop erosion in a near vertical situation. You would need a sod-forming grass. Hydroseeding is generally $0.10/sqft. Cheap and effective, but only if they use a product to insure it adheres during germination.

[fishhead]

If you can use it birdsfoot trefoil does a great job at stabilizing banks.

How high is the sloped area? How long?

[rambler]

Are you saying you have, basically, a vertical retaining wall made of rock & concrete, & the concrete is old & crumbly & the rocks are coming out?

And you want to try to save this rock wall to keep the dirt behind it from falling down on your new shed?

So you are not trying to prevent dirt erosion, you are trying to prevent a crumbly concrete/rock wall from being more crumbly.

Trees coming out of the middle of the rock wall are a bad thing. Any green cover will hold in moisture, dig through the crumbly bits, and really not be so good....

Beyond that, I'd have to think a while to come up with a good solution.....

How high is it?

Or am I way off base?

--->Paul

[R.]

Originally Posted by rambler

Are you saying you have, basically, a vertical retaining wall made of rock & concrete, & the concrete is old & crumbly & the rocks are coming out?

And you want to try to save this rock wall to keep the dirt behind it from falling down on your new shed?

So you are not trying to prevent dirt erosion, you are trying to prevent a crumbly concrete/rock wall from being more crumbly.

Trees coming out of the middle of the rock wall are a bad thing. Any green cover will hold in moisture, dig through the crumbly bits, and really not be so good....

Beyond that, I'd have to think a while to come up with a good solution.....

How high is it?

Or am I way off base?

--->Paul

YES. That describes it. How tall is it? I'd say about 8 feet. and the width is about 20 feet.

[BJ]

Why not use K31 with staw to hold until it germinates. That is what we used on the backside of our pond dam and it was very steep. Once established it will be there forever!

[BJ]

Originally Posted by fishhead

If you can use it birdsfoot trefoil does a great job at stabilizing banks.

Is this seed pretty cheap in your area? We are wanting to plant some in our pastures but find that in Missouri it is running $7-$10 per pound!

If you can get it cheaper....maybe you could ship us some!!!