Erosion Control for Your Seaside Garden

Living on the beach is fantastic, but it comes with a landscaping challenge: Erosion can occur rapidly in a beach environment. There are several best practices for maintaining your shoreline and coastal garden, however. The ecosystem dynamics that shape the coastline are the result of wind and wave action. Soil stabilization is the most important part of erosion control for a beachfront property. Here you’ll learn how to stabilize the soil against erosion from wind, salt spray and water.



Plants


The easiest way to control erosion is with vegetation, because native vegetation is resilient and cost effective. Establish native plants that are adapted to the dune environment where you live to trap sediment. Plants’ roots create a living network of subgrade fibers that hold the sand and soil in place. Therefore, the goal for establishing plants for erosion control is to create a plant community with diverse types of roots.



Some plants have creeping roots that run either aboveground (called stolons) or belowground (called rhizomes) and are an excellent way to create a mat of roots that hold soil together. Use a combination of woody plants with shallow and deep roots that stretch through the full soil horizon for increased soil stability.



Native dune vegetation is uniquely adapted to growing in shifting sands with constant wind, glaring sun and salt spray from the ocean. The first vegetation zone on the beach, sitting just above the high-tide line, is called the foredune and has the most challenging environment for plants.


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Erosion Control for Your Seaside Garden

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