Fastening embankments: 7 options for securing embankments

Embankments and slopes can slide off sooner or later due to gravity. There are various ways of securing this. Depending on the type of subsoil and the height, it must be decided which fastening method is suitable. However, embankment fortifications can do much more than protect the slope from sliding off. Because they become a design element in the garden and a valuable habitat for insects and small animals. We will then introduce you to seven different variants.

Fix the embankment

Wickerwork

The willow rod network is one of the oldest methods of securing slopes and embankments. For this you need:

• Plant sticks, length about 60 centimeters
• Willow branches, length at least 180 centimeters

instructions

• Remove leaves from willow branches and dry
• Drive plant sticks about 40 centimeters deep into the ground at a distance of 50 - 60 centimeters
• Braid willow branches around the wooden sticks
• Hang with afterwards hardy trees plant
• Remove willow twigs after three to four years

Note: The willow branches must be at least long enough to be braided around three wooden sticks. Alternatively, you can also use branches of the hazelnut bush.

After three to four years, the hardy trees will have formed a stable network of roots and will secure the embankment.

Spreading position

The spreading position is traditionally used to secure banks in floodplains. The method has also been used for fastening embankments and slopes for many years. You need:

• Plant sticks, length about 60 centimeters
• Willow branches capable of sprouting, about 1 to 2 years old

instructions

• Drive wooden sticks into the ground at a distance of one meter
• Place willow branches between the sticks so that they overlap
• Fasten rods with tension wire
• Cover with a 3 centimeter layer of soil
• Willow branches take root after six months and then sprout
• every now and then cut
• water when dry

Note: The spreading layer is particularly suitable for fastening edges on slopes and embankments.

Hedge bush

If you want to pave a less steep slope, the hedge bush layer is suitable. It is one of the most frequently used options for securing slopes. For this purpose, plants that are already rooted and shoots capable of sprouting are combined. You need:

• rooted plants (e.g. B. Alder, willow, poplar)
• shoots capable of sprouting (e.g. B. Hazelnut, ash, hornbeam)

instructions

• Starting at the lower end of the slope, dig approximately 1 meter deep trenches parallel to the contour lines
• Place rooted and unrooted shoots crosswise and vertically
• dig the next trench, filling the previous trench
• water in case of dryness

Note: The trees then take root after about four months.

Fascines

The term "fascines" goes back to the Latin word "fascis", which means something like bundle. Because bundles of brushwood are used to prevent embankments from slipping. In forestry, fascines are used to prepare slopes for reforestation and help the young plants to grow.
Fascines can be made from dead wood as well as from sprout wood. For this you need:

• Wooden posts, 8 to 10 centimeters in diameter, about 80 centimeters in length
• Sticks (e.g. B. Birch, pine, Spruce) or
• branches capable of sprouting (e. B. Willow, alder, hazelnut)

instructions

• Dig about 30 centimeters deep trenches at a distance of 1.5 meters
• Bundle sticks
• Combine bundles of brushwood to form fascines about 3 meters long (diameter 30 centimeters)
• Lay fascines in the trenches
• cover with earth
• Drive wooden stakes into the fascines at a distance of one meter

Gabions

Mesh baskets made of stainless steel filled with stones are called gabions. In contrast to solid walls, the use of gabions to secure embankments is more cost-effective. It is also quick and easy to implement and the water drainage is not obstructed. Gabions, however, are not only an excellent option for securing embankments, they come with you different fillings and in different shapes as a decorative element in garden design Mission. Basalt, granite, dolomite or limestone are suitable for filling the baskets.

Attention: Within residential areas, however, gabions on streets may only have a maximum height of one meter. Gabions from a height of two meters then require a permit from the building authority.

You need:

• Stone baskets and fillings or filled stone baskets

instructions

• Layer mesh baskets with stone filling against the slope
• Green with climbing plants

Did you know that in the Middle Ages gabions were used for entrenchment in military conflicts? They were woven from willow and then filled with stones.

Dry stone walls

The dry stone wall is a particularly interesting option for securing embankments from an ecological point of view. Because a well-laid dry stone wall offers small animals and insects an optimal habitat and looks very decorative. For this you need:

• Ballast and gravel for the foundation
• Construction sand
• flat natural stones
• Rubber mallet

instructions

• dig a 40 centimeter deep trench
• fill with crushed stone, compact with gravel and sand
• Put construction sand over it
• place a row of large, flat stones
• Layer stones against the slope
• tap with a rubber mallet
• Align transverse joints horizontally
• fill larger joints with small stones
• plant the wall when the wall is being built

Note: Dry stone walls can be erected up to a height of 80 centimeters without any mortar. You can purchase suitable stones for this in building materials stores or at a nearby quarry, or you can collect them yourself.

Plant stones

Plant stones are an effective way of securing an embankment as well. They are made of concrete. You can get a large selection of different shapes and sizes from specialist retailers. Plant stones are already provided with a toothing so that the connection is also possible without mortar. We recommend fixing the first row with mortar.

Plant stones can be stacked up to a height of one meter without any problems. If you are planning a higher wall made of plant stones, a foundation is essential. You need:

• Concrete, crushed stone, gravel
• Plant stones
• mortar
• Rubber mallet
• Spirit level
• line

instructions

• Dig a trench 40 centimeters deep for the foundation
• The width of the foundation should be 5 centimeters more than the width of the plant stones
• Fill in crushed stone up to 30 centimeters, compact
• Insert drainage
• Fill 10 centimeters of concrete
• Insert plant stones
• Use a spirit level and string for accurate alignment
• Set up additional rows of plant stones without mortar
• then fill individual stones with potting soil and plant them
• Fill the gap to the slope with gravel and compact