Adding compost and/or rotted manure to the soil before planting ensures the nutrients stay in the soil and improves drainage. Next plant a seed mixture of grasses with strong root systems, such as Zoysia, Dichondra, or Ryegrass. If your sloped yard is shaded, make use of a seed variety that tolerates shade such as St.

Soil Surface Roughness Over time, soil surfaces become filled in, and the roughness is broken down by abrasion. This results in a smoother surface susceptible to the wind. Excess tillage can contribute to soil structure breakdown and increased erosion.

Soil erosion occurs naturally by wind or harsh climatic conditions but human activities include overgrazing, overcropping and deforestation. Overgrazing occurs when farmers stock too many animals such as sheep, cattle or goats on their land.

Different Soil Erosion Causes

• 1) Sheet erosion by water;
• 2) Wind erosion;
• 3) Rill erosion – happens with heavy rains and usually creates smalls rills over hillsides;
• 4) Gully erosion – when water runoff removes soil along drainage lines.
• 5) Ephemeral erosion that occurs in natural depressions.

How to control soil erosion

• COVER methods.
• Mulching.
• Cover crops and green manures.
• Green manures – also usually legumes – are planted specially to improve soil fertility by returning fresh leafy material to the soil.
• Mixed cropping and inter-cropping.
• Early planting.
• Crop residues.
• Agroforestry.

Hydroseeding is much less expensive than installing sod. According to HomeAdvisor: “Hydroseeding costs an average of $1,000 for a 5,000-10,000 square foot lawn, though homeowners could pay anywhere from $500 to $4,000 depending on the size of their yard and quality of the mix.

Mulch. Mulch is a good choice if your slope is less than 33 percent, and the right mulch can help to keep soil in place on a gentle slope with or without plants. Use at least 3 inches of mulch that resists washing or blowing away during a rainfall or high winds.

Add purchased subsoil to the bottom of the slope to build it up. Spread the soil over the ground to create a slight slope away from any nearby buildings. Distribute the soil to create a slope of 12 inches for every 50 square feet of ground. Rake the ground’s surface until it is smooth.

There are many methods that can be used to stabilize a rock slope. These include altering the slope geometry, installing drainage, adding reinforcement, or a using combinations of these methods.