With old man winter dumping a record breaking quantity of snow on the Northeast this winter, your yard may need a little extra TLC this clean-up season. The spring rain combined with melting snow can cause runoff of large amounts of water, and along with it, some of your landscaping materials such as dirt, gravel, crushed stone and topsoil.
Runoff will eventually cause erosion and can create bare spots in the garden or deposit dirt on driveways and walkways that can then be tracked into the house. Erosion begins when rain or irrigation water loosens soil and other landscaping materials. As the abundance of water flows and gains speed, the surface runoff carries away the loosened soil and whatever other materials it can push forward. You may find a large depression from extracted soil and then find your decorative stone only a few feet away since the gravel and crushed stone are heavier than the soil particles. Runoff from roofs and gutters are often a contributing factor when it comes to the loss of materials due to the force of the additional water flow.
If you find that tree roots are becoming exposed, or materials are collecting in depressions or on paved areas, you may need to address drainage issues before the erosion becomes a larger issue. But erosion problems or not, runoff after a very wet season can affect us all. By caring for and improving your soil, you will help it absorb water more easily which will reduce runoff as well as improve the health of your plants.
Here are a few landscaping materials you may need to supplement:
- Topsoil – A thin layer should be added to newly planted lawns or bare spots in existing lawns. It should then be raked through and thoroughly watered in order to add a fresh element to the existing soil. Add garden topsoil to flower beds in the spring before planting to replenish the soil that was lost over the winter and to add nutrients to the remaining soil.
- Fill Dirt – Winter freeze-thaw cycles and spring runoff can adversely affect retaining walls when the soil behind the wall becomes saturated and less supportive. Depending on the amount of material that has been lost, you may want to contact your local landscaping materials supplier about additional fill dirt in order to make the wall as structurally sound as it was originally constructed.
- Inorganic Mulches – One of the many benefits of using pea gravel and crushed stone in gardens and beds is that it doesn’t decay like organic mulch and doesn’t need to be replaced each year. Because of its weight, normal rain showers won’t wash it out of your beds. If you have experienced material runoff or just feel that the area needs a little freshening up, add a thin layer of similar material right on top of the layer that is remaining. Adding inorganic mulch around shrubs and trees can also help reduce runoff by protecting soil from being hit directly by rain, reducing soil crusting and accelerating the speed in which the water can soak into the ground.
Establishing flower, plant and vegetable gardens with the use of topsoil, crushed stone and gravel can add beauty and value to your property and will also help control erosion by reducing the amount and speed of runoff. Getting your property in proper shape each spring will help keep you worry free year-round.
For more information about bulk delivery in NJ and Staten Island of dirt, topsoil, gravel, crushed stone or other landscaping materials, contact ATAK Trucking at 917-912-2900.
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