No. The moment it rains, it’s going to wash right down that slope.
Hour-Muscle-3273
Negative.
starone7
You can get mulch to stay on a hill by creating a web of either string or netting to hold it in place. I drive in 4 inch nails part way and then create an elaborate web of string and then add two inches of mulch. Then you drive the nails in further and top up the mulch to hide it. It works very well.
I did one project this year with netting instead but I need to go back still and see how it did over winter still
i860
Best I’ve heard for these types of slopes is gorilla hair and potentially an intermediary hand-built terrace, potentially something like large landscaping rocks or a straw erosion mat to break up the center. However, what you really need here are more plants. This looks like California to my eye so I suggest you look into something like a slope control mix like [this one](https://store.theodorepayne.org/products/warm-season-slope-mix) or native grasses, sedges, shrubs, and/or perennials (e.g. yarrow or poppy). Having a large mixture of deeply rooted plants will both secure the soil to the root system, cutting down on movement and erosion, but will also provide natural barriers for the mulch reducing how much washes out or moves downhill.
The_Poster_Nutbag
You need groundcover plants. Nothing else will work except structural/man made options and those rarely a desirable long term solution.
cEquals1
lay horizontal sticks and use gorilla hair is your best bet. You will have to do some occasional cleanup though.
ExampleEffective7088
Just terrace it. Everything you do to it is just a step toward terracing. Trust me. I’ve had this yard 15 years.
Striking_Fun_6379
This is not an ideal blank slate to work with. I would – if I had the funds – build a deck. It looks like that is where the sun is this time of year. Your horizon view will increase 100%. Small trees and shrubs could be planted in front of the retaining wall to screen the pilingings.
JColt60
White clover gets 4” to 8” tall un mowed and would keep soil in place. My uncle has a hill with it similar to yours and he put bird feeders and baths and some butterfly attracting plants here and there. Very relaxing to look at from patio.
Public_Classic_438
No
Public_Classic_438
I would just do a bunch of perennials
WaveHistorical
Best thing you could do here is plant some ornamental grasses and perennial flowers and shrubs. That slope looks hit and runs to for things that are drought tolerant and hardy. Native plants will do best in this spot
boganism
Let me tell you about my old tyres solution,old car tyres,cut out the tyre wall with a jig saw or similar so you now have a big rubber band.fill with good planting material and plant into it.when the plants are established lift the tyres off and mulch the hill.reusable and cheap just looks dodgy for a while.bonus no digging
krumbs2020
If you pin jute netting over it, yes.
Pure_Berry_8895
There are Liquid sprays that may hold mulches in place. I think some are called tackifiers. Might help.
Seth_Boyden
A thin layer of mulch is always a good idea to keep the soil healthy. I recommend what others have suggested for ground cover. That’s your best landscaping bet. No matter what you do you, some dirt will come down to your yard area cinstantly.
_Layer_786
Yes
a3pulley
Use jute netting and landscape staples. That’s what it’s made for
Iamyodaddy
What an assortment of materials in the retaining walls. Too bad none of them were built higher.
BillZZ7777
Yes, mulch goes on all fluffy but eventually kind of forms a loose kind of shell. So if you get any serious rain storms in the beginning, you might get some wash out but eventually it will hold. It might be fine from the getting get-go.
weedhead52
No, but there is however this new kind of grate that you put there and it does hold stuff like gravel, dirt, and mulch
JaxDude123
No suggestions from me but it looks like a continuing problem. But you better get it fixed soon. Worth spending real money for a real professional to advise. Half ass will get less than half results.
GardenDivaESQ
California lilac
Manzanita
Toyon
Ice plant
AccurateBrush6556
Yes but you need plants to hold it..it will move the first couple yrs but once the right plants spread out then you don’t need much mulch
streachh
You need plants with deep roots to hold that slope in place
Amazing-Insect442
Not remotely. That’s one steep hill.
Quiet-Competition849
You are asking the wrong question.
Nikopoleous
You should terrace the slope a bit, and add some native plants suited for slopes.
According-Taro4835
Standard wood chips are going to migrate right over that wall the first time you get a heavy rain. If you absolutely have to mulch it immediately, use shredded redwood or cedar, sometimes called gorilla hair, because the fibers knit together and stick to the grade better than nuggets or chips.
The real fix here isn’t mulch, it’s root structure. You need to staple down jute erosion control netting directly onto the dirt and plant aggressive groundcovers right through the mesh. The netting holds the hill while the plants establish. I’d check that slope on Agrio’s GardenDream first to test out different mass planting layouts. It helps to see if a creeping juniper looks better than a native grass before you commit to planting the whole bank, but whatever you choose needs to cover that soil completely or you will be fighting runoff forever.
29 Comments
No. The moment it rains, it’s going to wash right down that slope.
Negative.
You can get mulch to stay on a hill by creating a web of either string or netting to hold it in place. I drive in 4 inch nails part way and then create an elaborate web of string and then add two inches of mulch. Then you drive the nails in further and top up the mulch to hide it. It works very well.
I did one project this year with netting instead but I need to go back still and see how it did over winter still
Best I’ve heard for these types of slopes is gorilla hair and potentially an intermediary hand-built terrace, potentially something like large landscaping rocks or a straw erosion mat to break up the center. However, what you really need here are more plants. This looks like California to my eye so I suggest you look into something like a slope control mix like [this one](https://store.theodorepayne.org/products/warm-season-slope-mix) or native grasses, sedges, shrubs, and/or perennials (e.g. yarrow or poppy). Having a large mixture of deeply rooted plants will both secure the soil to the root system, cutting down on movement and erosion, but will also provide natural barriers for the mulch reducing how much washes out or moves downhill.
You need groundcover plants. Nothing else will work except structural/man made options and those rarely a desirable long term solution.
lay horizontal sticks and use gorilla hair is your best bet. You will have to do some occasional cleanup though.
Just terrace it. Everything you do to it is just a step toward terracing. Trust me. I’ve had this yard 15 years.
This is not an ideal blank slate to work with. I would – if I had the funds – build a deck. It looks like that is where the sun is this time of year. Your horizon view will increase 100%. Small trees and shrubs could be planted in front of the retaining wall to screen the pilingings.
White clover gets 4” to 8” tall un mowed and would keep soil in place. My uncle has a hill with it similar to yours and he put bird feeders and baths and some butterfly attracting plants here and there. Very relaxing to look at from patio.
No
I would just do a bunch of perennials
Best thing you could do here is plant some ornamental grasses and perennial flowers and shrubs. That slope looks hit and runs to for things that are drought tolerant and hardy. Native plants will do best in this spot
Let me tell you about my old tyres solution,old car tyres,cut out the tyre wall with a jig saw or similar so you now have a big rubber band.fill with good planting material and plant into it.when the plants are established lift the tyres off and mulch the hill.reusable and cheap just looks dodgy for a while.bonus no digging
If you pin jute netting over it, yes.
There are Liquid sprays that may hold mulches in place. I think some are called tackifiers. Might help.
A thin layer of mulch is always a good idea to keep the soil healthy. I recommend what others have suggested for ground cover. That’s your best landscaping bet. No matter what you do you, some dirt will come down to your yard area cinstantly.
Yes
Use jute netting and landscape staples. That’s what it’s made for
What an assortment of materials in the retaining walls. Too bad none of them were built higher.
Yes, mulch goes on all fluffy but eventually kind of forms a loose kind of shell. So if you get any serious rain storms in the beginning, you might get some wash out but eventually it will hold. It might be fine from the getting get-go.
No, but there is however this new kind of grate that you put there and it does hold stuff like gravel, dirt, and mulch
No suggestions from me but it looks like a continuing problem. But you better get it fixed soon. Worth spending real money for a real professional to advise. Half ass will get less than half results.
California lilac
Manzanita
Toyon
Ice plant
Yes but you need plants to hold it..it will move the first couple yrs but once the right plants spread out then you don’t need much mulch
You need plants with deep roots to hold that slope in place
Not remotely. That’s one steep hill.
You are asking the wrong question.
You should terrace the slope a bit, and add some native plants suited for slopes.
Standard wood chips are going to migrate right over that wall the first time you get a heavy rain. If you absolutely have to mulch it immediately, use shredded redwood or cedar, sometimes called gorilla hair, because the fibers knit together and stick to the grade better than nuggets or chips.
The real fix here isn’t mulch, it’s root structure. You need to staple down jute erosion control netting directly onto the dirt and plant aggressive groundcovers right through the mesh. The netting holds the hill while the plants establish. I’d check that slope on Agrio’s GardenDream first to test out different mass planting layouts. It helps to see if a creeping juniper looks better than a native grass before you commit to planting the whole bank, but whatever you choose needs to cover that soil completely or you will be fighting runoff forever.