Now the I've put in the new tap, I think the next project will be trying to seed the hill in our backyard. The grass has been eroding away for a while, but over the last six months it's gotten really bad in a couple of places. Just for the record, the spots where it's bad aren't even the spots were we sled in the winter. The ones that look like lines are obviously water run off, so I'm not sure how much I can do about those, but I have no clue what's causing all the erosion in the huge area that's closest to the camera. Anyone have any hints as to how to go about fixing this? How much topsoil do I need to buy?
And here's a picture where I was messing around with Gimp to try some different techniques for going to black and white. Not sure I'm thrilled with the results, but if nothing else it's something different than what I could do in Picasa.
2 comments:
hey you could be the poster boy for your own movie...
(low gruffled tone) "he came from across the creek, waiting silently in the long shadows, musing. waiting and listening for that inevitable drip...drip...drip. he comes to all of us... evenyually.
they know him only as 'faucetman'."
Topsoil won't help you there. It will only wash down the hill as well. (and with it, your money down the creek, as it were.)
You need to plant something with roots to hold the hill. Normally, grass is perfect in this situation, but it looks like a shady wooded spot, and grass can be funny growing under trees.
What I would do is plant an annual ryegrass to get the hillside firmed up RIGHT NOW, and go for a longer term strategy once the ryegrass dies. Ryegrass is an annual, so it won't come back next year, but it grows ultra fast. They use it like this on highways and medians before they establish a longer term grass.
As to long term: If you want/must mow it, try a deep shade fescue. (You can sow the rye and fescue together.. just keep it watered until it is set.)
Or if you don't want to mow, try a spreading evergreen vine like vinca minor. You can plant plugs of this stuff (hell, I have some I will give you!), but it will take a year or two to spread to a nice thick mat. That's where the ryegrass is helpful.
Hope this helps.
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