How to shore up the bank of a cut & fill manege? Ideas & experience appreciated.

[catembi]

My arena was built on a slope so cut & fill, & the bank is probably about 5-6 ft. There is a post & rail fence a few feet in from the top of the bank. It was just left as bare earth which has now grown back to some extent with weeds, but we are on heavy clay & getting minor mud slides. I am not sure what to do to shore the whole thing up? It def does need shoring, because if it crumbles too much I will also lose the post & rail at the top.

I have heard membrane mentioned which is used on steep motorway verges - unsure if I could do this myself? Or do I need the big guns...although those wire boxes filled with stone would presumably be expensive & overkill? But we really are on serious clay & overkill tends not to be enough in the general scheme of things!

All suggestions & ballpark costs appreciated

 

[GinaGeo]

Could you grass it?

We have some very steep banks, and keeping them mown and grassed holds everything together. Grass roots don’t just grow down like a lot of weeds, so they sort of create an underground blanket which is fab at holding everything solid.

We don’t let the horses graze the especially steep banks. They do too much damage to them.

 

[catembi]

Yes, I could grass it. Too steep to mow, so it would be a job for the strimmer. I was just unsure whether that would be enough for our stupid soil...!

 

[TheMule]

I've planted a hedge on mine

 

[catembi]

Where did you plant a hedge? On the actual slope itself?

 

[TheMule]

Where did you plant a hedge? On the actual slope itself?

yes- in 3 staggerered rows

 

[Cowpony]

Railway sleepers?

 

[hollyandivy123]

How about grass with wild meadow flowers and just strim at the end of summer....bee friendly

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[cauda equina]

Or some shrubby things

Steep banks and slopes / RHS Gardening

Few gardens are completely flat but steep banks and slopes pose a particular challenge for most gardeners. Planting them up with the right plants can be a great long term solution.

www.rhs.org.uk

eta I've also seen plastic mesh like the stuff they use for car parking on a steep bank, topped with gravel but I guess you could also plant things through the mesh

 

[ycbm]

OH did an emergency repair to mine with stakes and 6inch x 2m boards until the grass grew. I'm not sure why you would strim it, I just let mine go wild.
.

 

[Hallo2012]

mine is horrible heavy clay and we grassed it and strim it to keep it neat.

 

[ponios]

We are looking at doing a quite big cut and fill for an arena at home and have been recommended gabion baskets. Might be overkill in your case though

 

[spark56]

I used a jute type fabric that contained grass seed, something like this https://greenfix.co.uk/products/pre-seeded-erosion-control-blankets/embankment-mat-pre-seeded.html

 

[blitznbobs]

Concrete lego - brilliant stuff and uou can clad it with anything you like to make it pretty

 

[Cragrat]

OH did an emergency repair to mine with stakes and 6inch x 2m boards until the grass grew. I'm not sure why you would strim it, I just let mine go wild.
.

Strimming /mowing, especially when newly seeded, would encourage tillering. This would get a denser mat of roots and shoots established, and hold the soil more effectively.