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View Full Version : Plant suggestions to stabilise a winter creek?



gypsyoak
17-03-2008, 09:44 AM
I have a creek run through my property that has water 8 months of the year. I am wanting to plant it up as in some parts the walls are eroding - but leaving the bank kind of over hanging it. In other areas, there was a lot of water run off from the road (in winter)- but the council fixed this last week. I would like to chuck a heap of plants in, to start to hold the bank together - before all the rain sets in....
Any ideas?

I was going to go natives and then I was thinking about planting trees such as a fig and avacados.

I currently have massive willows in other parts and those are the areas that are stable.

I don't want to plant anything that could potentially be a noxious weed.

Cheers!

bazman
18-03-2008, 08:29 PM
Where are you???

I would use a clumping grass, vetiver is the permie fav. long root system up to 3m in a outward cone shape. Known as a "land nail" sounds like it might help you.

http://www.vetiver.org/

I'm also using a local Lomandra grass, it does grow from seed but I don't see it as a weed, I have about 400 tubes growing ready for next spring.

gypsyoak
18-03-2008, 09:38 PM
Ohhh duh on my part!! :oops:
I kept meaning to write where I was! I'm in the Adelaide Hills. Thanks for your tips. I'll have a good look at that site in the morning!!
ta

Luisa
19-03-2008, 01:16 PM
Lomandras are good. They are a genus of (Aust native) matrush, they are a clumping plant, some species get up to 2 metres tall and they bend in any floods while holding the soil together. Good indicators on rural properties as to how landholders with cattle manage the watercourse, as cattle eat them quite readily, so intact Lomandras indicate not a lot of cattle grazing. Find out what your local species is/are, then try Greening Aus or Bushcare for stock.
I don't know much about SA so can't suggest other species to try. Sorry.