Terracing Extremely Steep Hillside Slope with Loose Eroding Soil to Create Stable Hill for Planting
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- Опубліковано 10 лис 2023
- In this video we see a homeowner struggle to find a successful erosion control solution for his steep backyard slope with loose soil. Because of the difficulty in reaching the top of the hillside in order to terrace with Dirt Lockers from our recommended installation practice of top down, Pete and Mark try a new approach. With very loose soil, the Dirt Lockers were installed 1 row at a time starting from the bottom. Each row remains disconnected to the row above and the native soil was pulled down to fill the Dirt Lockers. Of course they still used a mixture of top soil and compost as well.
The end result is a walkable terraced landscape that is now ready for planting. The homeowner plans to plant California Natives from seed. Once the plants are well established, these specific plants will not need supplemental irrigation, as the natural moisture from rainfall will be captured and maintained in the system it self.
Products used:
Large Dirt Locker in color Black set to 3ft wide
24" metal rebar J hooks for loose soil
*Note: J hooks are not typically placed in the center slot as seen here. This was to help anchor the wattle that was added inside the Dirt Locker before being backfilled with soil. Wattle is not necessary, but in this case Pete wanted to use what was already on his hill. J hooks are anchored on the left and right side of each Dirt Locker.
For Southern California professional installation services, contact www.kathys-landscaping.com
The Dirt Locker® hillside erosion control gardening geo ground grid system creates raised terraced garden planters to stop rutting, save water and topsoil, and grows plants to reduce mudslides on drought/wildfire affected burned sloped areas. A beautiful backyard hillside farming landscape design system with strong curb appeal made of individual raised garden beds connected together for gardening on a steep sloped yard up to 45°If you are looking for a way to completely change the topography of your yard to make use of an eroding area, give Dirt Lockers a try. Installation is easy as the pieces are lightweight and can contour to your unique slope type. Dirt Lockers are made in the USA from 100% recycled High Density Polyethylene. Visit www.dirtlocker.com to learn more! - Навчання та стиль
I live in the hills of LA and used dirt lockers in several areas. They are terrific! they do everything they claim to.
I'm glad to see this, especially from 12 days ago because y'all had those rainstorms a little while ago. And I was curious about how some people's property held up with a dirt locker
Thank you for your support!
Despite the ringing of the bell, I really appreciate the information, very useful :)
Glad it was helpful!
Looks great
super cool
in landslide appalacia with abt a 40 - 60 degree grade at places, i feel you on starting bottom up in this case. LOL i do like the idea and look of this product, keeping it in mind.
If you're in landslide territory, always look to plant the slope with native prairie grasses and wildflowers. They have a fine root system that burrows down as much as fifteen feet and locks the soil in place like you wouldn't believe. Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass) is available at most garden and landscape centers and there are several shorter cultivars on the market.
Would love to see an updated photo or video after planting here! I'm about to pull the trigger but I'm visual about how the finished look will be
Thanks for asking! Watch here:ua-cam.com/video/K3WB-ax1Bdg/v-deo.htmlsi=DMyizj8oVELVLKyX
Would love to see the wall after an El Niño rain year!
Thank you for the suggestion. Forecasters are predicting a strong El Nino system this year, that the homeowner wants to utilize to irrigate native seeds and vegetation he plans to put in. We will ask the homeowner if he will allow us to return during/after El Nino for pictures/videos.
That's Amazing, Build That Wall 😍🧱😍🧱😍
I really want to use this product soon. Each time I see one of your videos, I feel more optimistic my husband and I can install this system on our slope which is significantly less daunting than this. I really hope the plantings and dirt lockers shore up this slope for the long term. The plantings should go a long way to do this. I do have to ask, does Pete plan to add irrigation to this build?
He plans to plant California natives that specifically don't need irrigation once established. You can install drip lines throughout the system though!
I’m doing the same thing as this home owner. Looking for a solution for my shallow yet a hill area between my neighbor and our home. I do have a problem no one has addressed in any video I’ve watch so far. I have a small grade but 60’ long side yard. Next doors house sits up above our yard making the fence naturally taller. We have covered most our back yard the last 6 years in cement patios and flag stone and gravel patios to drive the gophers out of a yard they had control over for over 30 years. They now have this strip of yard with a small pitch and threatening to bring the fence down with their churning of soil and my Dashound trying to catch them. From what I’ve seen this may be my last hope as well. Protect plantings from losing soil and water. The question I’ll be putting to the company is gopher control. Most of my yard has gopher mesh under non cement patios and walk ways. So excited to see your yard and the solution you and Mark came up with.
You can use gopher mesh with Dirt Lockers!
I’m so glad you showed this degree of steepness as one area on my 3 acre property is REALLY steep and I’ve been looking at your videos for a while now wondering how a really steep hill would work.
I also like that you can install it with no plants at all and fill it later. Would I need to remove the grass from the hill first? Removing grass on a really steep hill can get tricky.
Yes, you will want to remove the grass first. This homeowner will be planting seeds: California natives. Head to our FAQ page to learn about clearing your hillside, what type of soil to use, along with many other topics you will find informative!
dirtlocker.com/pages/faqs
I also have a very steep hill, and I don't want to try and remove the grass, both from a sheer difficulty standpoint, but also erosion. I think I'll put landscape fabric under the dirt lockers (frankly, pin it at the top of the hill and let it roll down, lol) then install dirt lockers on top of it.
@@lisawallace3124 Don't put landscape fabric under them because that creates a "sheer plane" that will actually encourage things to slide downhill. If removing grass isn't possible, use glyphosate herbicide to nock it back. Once you have it covered over with more dirt, it won't be a bother. The key to stabilizing the slope is to allow the roots of the plants to burrow down deep into the ground. I recommend native prairie grasses like Switch Grass, and the wildflowers that are local to your area - maybe something like Echinacea or Baptisia, both of which are famous for sending roots down more than 5' deep.
@@threeriversforge1997 glyphosate is a 100% no go. And the grass we have here in East TN will just grow through any amount of dirt put on top of it AND send runners to everywhere else it can. Maybe I'll fill them partway, put down the fabric and finish filling. UGH or maybe just sell the damn house and move somewhere flat!
@@lisawallace3124 That's pretty much the problem with non-natives, especially the invasive kind. It grows so fast that you really are forced to use herbicides.
I've had good luck with that 10% vinegar solution as an organic alternative. You might have to hit the grass a few times, but it works pretty well.
If you can just keep it beaten back a little bit until the native plants can get established, that'll be enough. Once something like the Panicum virgatum has its roots dug in, it'll keep the non-native grasses at bay.
Of course, another fun option is one of those propane weed-burner torches. :D
My hill is somewhat steep, but not as bad as this one was in Los Feliz. If I use these, I will have to do it by myself and I won't have extra people to haul all the pieces that have been put together up the hill. This looked like a much easier way to do them. Dirt Locker, why do you recommend starting at the top for all the other applications?
Normally you would start at the top because most slopes do not need separate rows, and the the web of Dirt Lockers can be assembled on the ground then brought up the hill all at once. Also, starting at the top stops the run off off. If you build from the bottom up, and don't end up finishing to the top, the soil and water above will run down into your bottom up install. When building only on the bottom the top of your hill is exposed and vulnerable. Either protect the top of your hill and work your way down, or work your way up, row by row, but be sure to finish all the way to the top!
Hi Pete,
I'm curious how the dirt locker working out for you as far as now ? thanks for the info
Thanks for asking! Watch here:ua-cam.com/video/K3WB-ax1Bdg/v-deo.htmlsi=DMyizj8oVELVLKyX
Is this product working Seattle area?
We are making plans to order this. From 🇨🇦. We are on a hill on a lake. We don't want to mow our slope any more. Mowing it is a widow maker.
Great, let us know how we can help. Regarding mowing on a slope, absolutely could not agree more. We’ve had customer/potential-customers attempt to “save” money putting grass on their slopes, then have to buy specialty mowers to deal maintain them, or risk their well being.
How much of the width is lost when a large cell is set in place and installed? It measures 48” pre installment. What would the final width measure?
Great question. They are 48" long when laying flat. Depending on your slope angle you can set them to 24", 30" or 36" wide. This video is showcasing separate rows for slopes 36-45 degrees, so they are set to their widest position of 36" wide, meaning the J hooks are 36" apart.
What if you have glacial till? How far down do the fasteners need to go?
How penetrable is the till? Often it is loose due to the varying grain sized in the soil. If that is the case then I would recommend the 2 foot Jhooks.
I have a similarly steep hill but want to build a hot tub
There is already a retaining wall. Any suggestions?
@sumeetsharma Please email info@dirtlocker.com with your intended use of the Dirt Lockers, retaining wall and hot tub combo so we can better understand your plans in order to advise you.
Also a great illustration of why using non-native turf grasses is such a bad idea. Those roots were so shallow it was pitiful. Much better to plant Panicum virgatum, Echinacea pallida, Aster ericoides, and other Native prairie plants that are renowned for their deep-rooting natures. Their roots borrow down anywhere from 4' to 15' into the ground, locking the soil in place and making it possible for rainfall to actually percolate into the soil. And they look fantastic, to be honest. Even something as simple as Side Oats Gramma, a native grass, would turn that hillside into a lush meadow look while not appearing "weedy". Throw in a couple Leadplants (Amorpha canescens) and Cylindric Blazing Star (Liatris cylindrica), and you'd have a very simple design that's easy to maintain, and get all the benefit of their seriously deep roots tying the hillside together. No more mudslides when it rains!
How long does that plastic last? if it is plastic, I have a steep hill on this lot that I have. Sick of the rain, causing runoff and all this North Carolina Clay to run up on my gravel and walkway.
Head to our FAQ page about longevity. This would be a great solution for your clay soil. We get a lot of customers and inquiries from NC.
It’s been almost a year. How far has the wall moved? Do you think it will last another few years without any geo netting to keep the wall from moving?
Its been 8 months, the wall isn't going anywhere. We hope to make it back later down the road if our viewers are curious about the progress on this example.
I believe the homeowner is incorrect in timbers being 2-3x more expensive, its the other way around no? an 8ft landscape timber is $4, whereas the 2-3ft dirtlockers are like $15?. Still , each has its pros and cons in different applications. On a slope that steep i think this DL is the better option.
Thank you for your inciteful response. We agree with certain aspects of your comments, however, the homeowner had recently installed smaller timber systems in another part of his yard, so he had a pretty good idea of the costs involved, although his estimate was based on his personal experience and not an actual quote. While the least expensive timbers I've seen are roughly $5 each, you would need two of them to support the same area/volume as each Dirt Locker. The real difference in cost, however, is the skill, tools, time, and additional hardware required to make the timbers work compared to the Dirt Locker. Thanks again for your comments.
With all the rain this past week, how did it perform? How does it look now?
We have had a several inquiries about this project and how it is holding up in the rains. We contacted the homeowner and he said it is doing very well, and due to interest, will be doing a follow up video during next downpour if we don’t get washed away in the process. Hope to have that soon.
Video will release soon! Stay tuned
I think I just found the solution to my backyard
Excellent! Head to our website and FAQ page to learn even more!
Can I use the dirt locker without any plants? Will they be just as effective in retaining the soil?
Thank you for your question, Dirt Locker is not a structural product whereas a retaining wall is, so can’t make the comparison that they are equal, but no, we at this time do not recommend without plants, plants add strength to system over time
@@dirtlocker thank you for your quick response!
What the sloop’s degree? I was told maximum is 45 degree by the customer service?
Yes, correct 45 degrees is the max!
What about a 55 to 65 degree clay slope ? ! Help !!!!
Our slope max is 45°. For steeper hillsides look into vertical wall gardening products!
Sri Lanka how to take please
International shipping typically takes up to 14 business days, but delivery times may vary. Please allow 3-5 business days for us to process, manufacture, and package your order. Factors such as shipping times to the destination country, customs procedures, and the delivery route to your home may affect the shipping duration. Additionally, please note that shipping fees are calculated during checkout and include upfront taxes and duties. We recommend that international customers consider sourcing their own metal rebar hooks locally to reduce shipping costs.
Srilanka Hawto ta
Good product and love it but overpriced in my opinion .
Thanks for the kind words. Regarding price, we made decisions that we are both happy and proud of to use recycled plastic that is more expensive than virgin plastic and to employ US workers to mfg the product. Additionally, we are not trying to be the low cost leader, however, we believe if you analyze the true costs of other options and the benefit of using otherwise unused property, the Dirt Locker will prove to be a bargain.
600 for a 4foot high 25 foot long slope, ummm retaining wall blocks are cheaper.
Thanks for taking a look at DirtLocker. I estimate 325 4x12x6 blocks needed for 25’x4’ wall with first row below grade after removing about 13 cubic yards of packed earth on a 2:1 slope, the least expensive blocks I found would cost about $750 +/- assuming you won’t need a French drain to run off water from the flat area created. If you can do this by hand, my hat is off to you, If cost is the only concern then Jute net might be an even less expensive option. However the decision may be based on the intended use of the property If you need to create more flat land, then a retaining wall is your best option. If you want to use hillside property to its fullest without removing the hillside, then Dirt Lockers are unquestionably the best solution.
@@dirtlocker I'm going to try posts and sticks/branches until pants(juniper) can establish, it's like 66.6 degrees but has remained mostly stable for 10 plus years however I mistakenly removed all or most of the weeds and vines growing on it. 😔