Protecting Your Soil After a Historic Drought 🌞

Here in Atlanta, we had the driest recorded month in history with a whopping zero inches of rain in October… and coming out of a dry spell like this, one thing you might not immediately think about is soil erosion. Prolonged dry periods will compact deeper layers of the soil profile while simultaneously making the topsoil loose, brittle, and easily displaced. When the next heavy rain hits, all that loose topsoil sliiiiiiides away. Sloped areas are especially vulnerable, as gravity plus weakened soil will lead to drastic change. Here are some ideas if you’re exiting an extraordinarily dry period like us in Atlanta… 

Bye Bye Bare Soil

The best way to hold soil is by covering it! Get plants in the ground so their root systems can act as the glue for the soil. The leafy growth also protects the soil from direct rain impact. At CoFo, we also regularly include coco-coir meshes and mats to stabilize bare soil. Coco-coir is a material made out of the natural fiber from the outer husk of coconut. It’s a totally sustainable byproduct from the coconut industry, so coco-coir is well worth the purchase. Their mats and meshes can be laid down on slopes that need some tender loving care.

Nurture, Bolster, Boost

Treat the soil right! Try to hold off on tilling, especially during dry spells — disrupting the soil structure can make it more prone to drying out and eroding. Instead, boost the organic matter in your soil to increase moisture retention and reduce compaction. Lay down healthy layers of mulch wherever you can; it keeps soil cool, reduces evaporation, and adds nutrients as it breaks down. This client’s property was dealing with bare soil and erosion issues so fortifying the space with mulch was a given!

Dry Creeks and Swales

Dry creeks and swales are natural solutions for preventing erosion and can be especially helpful following dry spells, when rain events can cause havoc. Acting as channels and basins, they capture rainwater, slow its movement, and direct it into concentrated areas. Some folks implement gentle one rock dams (part of the nature-inspired methods of drainage called Zeedyk structures) across their swales/dry creeks which further promotes sediment settling rather than continually eroding and flowing away. The dam isn’t watertight, so it slows water but doesn’t impede totally. Strategically winding around the house, this dry creek is designed to catch and slow rainwater, guiding it safely through the landscape and reducing erosion risk.