Strengthening the walls of the ditch. How to strengthen the ditch in the suburban area? How to strengthen a small slope with plants

An eternal problem, sliding and shedding of the walls of the ditches, which entails clogging, stagnation of water and, as a result, deformation and destruction of the structure of your entire ditch. To avoid this trouble, it is necessary to take care of the strengthening the walls of your wonderful ditch.

Choosing a way to strengthen the ditch

The method of strengthening depends on two factors, the steepness of the slope and the overall size of the ditch. Naturally, the greater the angle and height of the ditch wall, the more carefully and seriously it is necessary to approach measures to strengthen them.

If the slope angle is not large, then it is enough to simply plant the slopes with plants whose root system will create a reinforcing layer. For slopes of medium and high steepness, the use of geomaterials will already be required. Such as, biomats, geomats, geogrids, geogrids or gabions. Modern manufacturers offer a huge selection of materials, from expensive to relatively cheap. Let's take a quick look at everything we might need.

Geomats are a product consisting of several layers of waterproof polymer material, similar to a lattice and resembling a washcloth. Such a structure perfectly holds the soil and does not interfere with the growth of plants, the root system of which reliably fixes steep slopes.

Biomats are a kind of geomats, the layers of which are filled with a nutrient mixture and seeds. perennials.

- a mesh material made of synthetic or polymer threads with square cells. Designed for reinforcing medium slopes.

Geogrid (volumetric) – honeycomb structure from polymeric or synthetic tapes, the cells of which are filled with crushed stone or pebbles. The geogrid is held on the slope with the help of anchors.

Gabions are large structures from galvanized metal gabion mesh with hexagonal cells. The whole structure is made in the form of a parallelepiped, which is filled with stone or rubble, larger than the cell. Thanks to the double torsion mesh, gabions can withstand heavy loads and are resistant to any corrosion. A variety of gabions are Reno mattresses - flat designs with low height and large surface area.

Industrial gabions are expensive and for our small ditches they will be bulky. We offer to use our new product, developed by our company, a mini-mattress "European Road Technologies". Which is designed to strengthen ditches, reservoirs, slopes and other coastal areas. In my own way appearance mattresses are similar and similar in application to mattress mesh structures, which are also widely used in bank protection; but they have a relatively smaller size - 2x1x0.12m. This mattress thickness (12 cm) allows you to strengthen the banks and ditches without disturbing the natural look and without cluttering up the shore.

A distinctive feature of the mattresses "European Road Technologies" lies in their versatility: they can be used both in industrial volumes, strengthening entire coastlines and areas adjacent to water, and for the individual construction of reservoirs and ditches, landscaping.

However, the use of this product is not difficult - from necessary tool You will only need gloves to avoid scratches and pliers, with which it is more convenient to assemble the mattress into working condition.

Laying mattresses also does not require any special skills: first, the geotextile is laid, then the mattress is laid along the coastal line, then stones are poured into it (they should fit the size of the cell, which is 6x8 cm.), The final stage- “closing” of the mattress, which consists in tying the joining elements with wire.

Another advantage of European Road Technologies mattresses over their "big brothers" is the ability to fill stones with a shovel, while, for example, Reno mattresses require manual laying of stones. And with a smaller volume of the mattress itself, accordingly, up to 50% less volume of loaded stones is required.

Differences between European Travel Tech mini mattresses and Reno mattresses

DIMENSIONS. RENO MATTRESS:

DIMENSIONS. MINI MATTRESS European Road Technologies:

Quite often at summer cottages or garden plots drainage or ordinary ditches are located. Their slopes can be mobile and gradually move down towards the bottom. In this case, the question arises of how to strengthen the ditch. Most various ways fortifications are discussed in our article. In addition, they can be used to strengthen the slopes of ravines or the banks of ponds and other water bodies.

How to choose a strengthening method depending on the angle of the slope

It is worth deciding how to strengthen the ditch, guided by the angle of the slope of the ditch:

Often, slopes with an angle above 8% need serious strengthening. It is enough to plant them with plants of horizontal and vertical action.
Slopes with a steepness of 8 to 15% are reinforced with biomats (geomats) or geogrids.
Significant slope steepness (over 15%) can only be supported by methods of internal reinforcement - geogrids and gabions.

Pro tip:

If your ditch has a large slope, but does not have a significant height, you can use stones driven into the elephant.

Geomats

Geomats are a polymeric material with a waterproof structure. It is created by superimposing polypropylene gratings on top of each other under the influence of high temperature.

The structure of the resulting product resembles the structure of a washcloth. Thus, geomats protect the soil, and on the other hand, do not prevent plants from growing through them. Over time, plant roots intertwine with the lattices of the material and strengthen its structure.

The laying of geomats is carried out as follows:

Before strengthening the bank of the ditch, the surface of its slope is leveled and cleaned of debris.
the upper edge of the first geomat is fixed in the upper part of the ditch with anchor bolts.
The roll is rolled out and cut off, reaching the desired length.
The folds of the material are straightened and its lower part is fixed with anchor bolts.

The following rolls are stacked in turn. In this case, it is necessary to create a longitudinal overlap of one roll on another by about 15 cm.
The resulting surface is covered with a layer of soil of 3-5 cm and sown with plant seeds.

Pro tip:

Seed consumption should be approximately 40 g / kV meter. At the same time, the sowing scheme is optimal: 2/3 of the seeds are poured onto the open surface of the geomats, 1/3 - onto the covered soil.

Geogrids

Geogrids are made from glass or polyester threads. The product is a grid with cells square shape reinforcing surface of slopes.

The geogrid laying process looks like this:

The surface is leveled and compacted with hand rollers.
Rolls of geogrids are distributed along the ditch at a distance corresponding to the width of the web of one grid.
The rolls are rolled out by hand almost end-to-end with each other.
The expanded mesh is fixed with metal anchors-rods 3-5 mm in diameter, 150-200 mm long with bent upper ends every 1-1.5 m.

Pro tip:

If the area is subject to strong winds, instead of anchors, it is better to use U-shaped brackets made of metal wire.

The laid out geogrids are covered with the selected material (soil, crushed stone or stone) in small piles, which are then leveled manually.
If the mesh was covered with soil, soil-covering plants are sown from above.

Strengthening with a geogrid

What is a geogrid

The geogrid is a grid of cells made of high-strength polyethylene and polypropylene. The principle of its operation is based on the adhesion force of its cells with the granular material with which it is subsequently filled. Such material is crushed stone and less often vegetable soil. Strengthening the ditch in the summer cottage is reinforced by sowing perennial grasses on the slopes.

It should be noted that when using soil-covering plants, the geogrid ceases to be visible over time and does not violate the natural landscape.

Strengthening Technology

To strengthen the drainage ditch, you need to purchase:

fine gravel or sand;
special geogrid;
mount for her:

special plastic fixture;
or the usual armature, bent in such a way that it resembles one-sided hooks.

You can strengthen the banks of the drainage ditch with geotextiles as follows:

Preparing to fortify. The process begins with pumping out water, if the ditch is filled with it, in order to gain access to the strengthening of its lower parts. There are three ways to implement pumping:

with the help of natural drainage (an inclined pipe through which the drains will go by gravity);
pumping out;
self-extraction.

Next, they move on to clearing the banks of the ditch or drainage, which will be strengthened. It is enough to remove large clutter - massive branches and plants, large stones, but small grass and minor debris (of plant origin) can be left.
The geogrid is spread along the length of the entire slope of the ditch.
Then it is strengthened using the chosen fastener method (purchased fasteners or hand-made).

Pro tip:

This stage should be given a sufficient amount of time, since the quality of fixing the geogrid directly depends on its service life. If the work is done correctly, it will be approximately 10-20 years, depending on the conditions of the area.

The cells of the geogrid are filled with reinforcing material. Ordinary soil should not be used for this, as it will simply be washed out over time. Depending on the degree of moisture, the ditches are used:

Crushed stone if the recess is filled with water. In addition, to improve the aesthetic properties, crushed stone can be replaced with any similar material, for example, river pebbles.
Sand if the ditch is dry.

Decorative stage.

Decoration, in addition to the aesthetic function, has an additional strengthening of the coast. You can use small shrubs or seeds of special ground cover plants with abundant roots. In addition, plants will protect the soil from the occurrence of corrosive processes.

DIY gabions

What are gabions

To strengthen open drainage ditches Maccaferri gabions are often used. They are factory made metal mesh, made in the form of a parallelepiped, and then filled with large stone or rubble.

Gabions are made from galvanized wire PVC coating for protection against chemical, corrosive and mechanical influences. The design is able to withstand significant loads due to the use of a mesh with double torsion.

Drainage properties of the product are provided due to its porous structure. Also, thanks to it, hydrological loads on the slope and the removal of soil particles from it are excluded.

Gabions are a perennial structure. They have a beneficial effect on the natural ecosystem, and due to its action, their effectiveness only increases over the years. Manufacturers themselves promise a service life of up to 100 years.

How to make a gabion with your own hands

The only drawback of factory gabions is the high cost. In addition, finding a retail manufacturing company can also be difficult. For this reason, we suggest making them yourself:

You will need reinforcing bars with a diameter of 6 mm. The rods are welded into a rectangular structure of suitable size.

Pro tip:

The main advantage of homemade gabions is the ability to choose the dimensions that are suitable for specific conditions. For example, in a small area, structures with a size of 800 * 400 * 400 mm will be appropriate.

The cell size of the rebar cells is selected according to the diameter of the purchased stones, so they must be purchased in advance. So, if the average fraction diameter is 150 mm, then cells of 100 * 100 mm are suitable for you.
After the structure is welded, it is installed on the banks of the ditch.
Then the cells are filled with purchased cobblestones.
From above, for reliability, a home-made gabion is covered with a chain-link mesh.

Pro tip:

The usual grid the chain-link is subject to rusting. This problem can be solved in one of two ways:

purchase a galvanized chain-link covered with PVC and devoid of such a disadvantage;

fasten the chain-link in such a way that after a few years it can be replaced with a new mesh.

From above, the edges of the mesh along the perimeter are additionally reinforced with cobblestones, which will give the structure a more decorative look.

Budget options

Strengthening with slate

If the proposed options, even with self-manufacturing too burdensome. Consider how to strengthen the ditch in the country in a budgetary way. Of course, such a solution has a much shorter service life, but it can also save slopes from sliding.

The easiest way is to place sheets of slate, flat or even wavy, along the edges of the ditch. Sheets are fastened with metal posts.

Tire reinforcement

You can also use the experience of builders from the UK. They offer to strengthen the ditch at the dacha with the help of old car tires. There are 2 options for their use:

Tires are laid in rows and firmly tied together. For additional strength, stakes are hammered into the middle. Then the space inside the tires is filled with local material, such as soil, or sand. The same material fills the voids between nearby tires.

Tires are laid in rows, shifting each overlying row by half the diameter of the tire. Tires themselves fall asleep in rows with the same available material(sand or soil).

It is worth noting that the creation of such a fortification will cost 10 times cheaper and 9 times less labor-intensive than the installation of a slope support using the mesh reinforcement method. In addition, it is possible that you can get unusable tires for free.

We discussed with you how best to strengthen the ditch with water or dry. The choice of strengthening methods presented in our article is quite large. We hope that you can easily find an affordable option for yourself.

The question of how to strengthen the ditch in a summer cottage most often arises in the presence of factors such as groundwater, heavy rains, heavy snowmelt, which can cause flooding of the house. Most summer residents are faced with this problem. The slopes of the ditches are mobile and can crumble.

The device on the ditch site is necessary so that the site and the house are not flooded with groundwater and heavy rainfall.

Today there are different ways increase strength, which can also be used to strengthen the slopes of a ravine or the shore of a pond. But, before you start strengthening the ditch in the country, you need to carefully read its shape and find the most suitable option increase the strength of the walls.

Main characterizing factors

To create the most efficient drainage system, two independent networks are needed:

Linear. Dries up the area. Most often it is used for constant flooding. From the top point it is necessary to dilute closed ditches with a slope of 5-10 mm per meter. After that, all the water will enter the open system.
The second independent network encloses the foundation and basement of the house. The starting point at this stage is the far corner of the house. The trench must be at least 50 cm deep and wide. Gravel or sand is often used to strengthen its bottom. One of the most popular, but not the most reliable ways is to drive stones.

The way to increase the strength of the ditch should be chosen depending on the angle of its slope:

most often, slopes with an angle of more than 8% need to be strengthened (for this, it is necessary to plant the slope with plants that have a vertical-horizontal direction of growth);
with a slope steepness of 8% to 15%, it is better to use geomats or a geogrid for strengthening;
if the steepness is more than 15%, only internal reinforcement (geogrids and gabions) will help to strengthen the soil.

If the ditch has a large angle of inclination, but is not deep, you can drive stones into the slope, thereby strengthening the soil.

Strengthening slopes using geomats

The structure of the geomat is similar to an ordinary washcloth.

Geomats are a polymeric material that has a waterproof structure. It is created by applying polypropylene gratings on top of each other under high temperature. The structure of the product is similar to a washcloth, but this serves to ensure that plants can break through it. After some time, the roots of the plants will intertwine with the gratings and thereby strengthen the slope.

Laying of geomats to strengthen the slopes is carried out as follows:

Before proceeding with the strengthening of the coast, it is necessary to clear the debris and level the surface of the slope.
Fasten the upper edge of the geomat in the upper part of the ditch.
When the desired length is reached, roll out and cut off the roll.
Straighten the folds of the material and attach the bottom.
Next, lay the next rolls in turn. Moreover, they must be laid with an overlap of about 15 cm.
Cover the finished surface with a layer of soil and plant plants (seeds should be sown on the open surface of geomats at the rate of 40 g per 1 m²).

Benefits of geogrid

The geogrid is made from glass or polyester threads. This is very durable material with a long service life. Is issued in rolls, has square cells. For laying, you will need a tape measure, a marker, scissors, a hammer, as well as a rake and a hand roller. The geogrid is laid out as follows:

Grass can grow through the geomat.

Level and compact the surface with a hand roller.
Distribute geogrid rolls along the slope at a distance that corresponds to the width of one grid web.
Rolls must be rolled out by hand end-to-end.
The unfolded mesh is fastened with metal anchors every 1-1.5 m. If the area is exposed to strong winds, the use of U-shaped brackets will be optimal.
Cover the mesh with crushed stone, stones or soil.

Geogrid cells are stretched in length and width. This contributes to its adhesion to the ground. You can start work provided that the ditch is completely dry.

Geogrid use

A geogrid is a grid consisting of high-strength polyethylene cells.

To strengthen the slopes you will need:

fine sand;
geogrid;
fasteners - fittings bent in the form of a one-sided hook, or a special plastic fixture.

The ditch is strengthened as follows:

If the ditch is filled with water, it must be pumped out (using natural drainage, a pump) or simply scooped out.
Clear the banks of the ditch, remove branches, stones.
Spread the grate along the entire length of the slope.
Fasten with fasteners (the service life of the grating depends on the quality of fastening, with correct use it will last 10-20 years).
The cells of the geogrid are filled with reinforcing material (gravel, sand, gravel).
Decoration. It not only performs an aesthetic function, but also helps to strengthen the coast. For decoration, small shrubs are used, which serve as additional protection against corrosion.

What are gabions?

Gabions are made of galvanized wire.

Gabions are made of galvanized wire with PVC coating. This design withstands huge loads, since the mesh has a double torsion. Gabion lasts up to 100 years thanks to porous structure. It can be done independently.

Manufacturing steps:

Reinforcement bars are welded into rectangles of suitable size.
The size of the cells should be selected according to the diameter of the stones.
Widen the slopes of the ditch with a shovel.
Install the welded structure on the banks of the ditch.
Fill the cells with stones.
From above, cover the gabion with chain-link mesh (preferably galvanized, since it does not rust) to enhance the reliability of the structure.
Strengthen the edges of the mesh with stones.

Strengthening slopes with slate or car tires

The easiest way to place slate sheets along the edges of the ditch is to secure them with metal posts. For work, you will need fittings, a shovel, a crowbar, a grinder and a respirator. Cut the slate into equal pieces with a grinder. Immerse in the ground tightly to each other (about 30 cm deep). Drive reinforcement from both sides into checkerboard pattern. Before that, it is desirable to paint it.

Strengthen the slope with car tires can be done in two ways:

Lay the tires in rows, firmly tie them together. Hammer stakes in the middle for strength. Fill all voids (inside and between tires) with sand or soil.
Lay the tires in “steps”, fill the rows with available material.

Before starting work, regardless of the chosen option for strengthening the soil, properly equip the drainage itself.

Work features:

In addition to arranging the necessary slope, make a trench bottom of sand and gravel. Also need a pillow for the pipe.
The use of geotextiles or a volumetric filter (for example, gravel) will exclude the ingress of debris and soil.
For drainage, plastic pipes, ceramic and perforated products are used.

Worth taking care of drainage well, into which water is drained, since a ditch with constant stagnation will quickly collapse.

Constant flooding due to high level ground water- a fairly common problem that can be solved with the help of properly arranged drainage.

Drainage using special ditches is the easiest and cheapest way to perform drainage. To equip the drainage system, landscape features are used - ditches are dug along natural slopes and drain moisture to a nearby reservoir or a separately built well to collect drainage water.

Device and purpose

The device of a closed drainage system on the site begins with the digging of trenches. The depth of each trench corresponds to the occurrence of groundwater - usually this value is from 90 to 180 centimeters. The bottom of the drainage system is covered with sand, on which plastic or asbestos-cement pipes are mounted. Crushed stone is placed on top of the pipes - this filter does not prevent the free penetration of water into the drainage system. Crushed stone is covered with geofabric, and another layer of sand is placed on top. The final stage of construction is the backfilling of the upper sandy layer of the trench with soil.

Regular cleaning of the soil from weeds that impede the flow of water is recommended!

The shape of the trench (ditch) depends on the type of soil. Clay, as a stable ground, allows you to build sheer walls. On sandstones, the walls are only made flat, otherwise the trench will begin to crumble during laying.

In addition, there are open-type drainage systems made in the form of open ditches. They are divided into three types:

Furrows located in any part of the garden. This is the simplest and most effective engineering solution for diverting surface water.
Single ditches arranged along a natural slope. Usually placed along roads or borders.
Channels located around the perimeter of the site.

Open drainage systems do not have strictly regulated sizes. The depth and width of the ditches is selected based on the characteristics of the site.

Ideally, this is a system consisting of several channels interconnected by side outlets (performed across the channels). To protect the fence, the depth of the ditch should be from 30 to 50 centimeters (in areas with an embankment). Bypass channels arranged along the perimeter of the site do not have side outlets. The flow of water occurs due to a natural or artificial slope.

The biggest disadvantage open system are unreinforced walls prone to shedding and slipping of the soil.

The task of any drainage system or a separate ditch is the timely removal of melt, ground and rain water.

The system protects vegetable beds and orchards from flooding, and prevents washing out fence posts and building foundations.

The importance of strengthening walls

Arrangement closed system requires significant financial investments from the owners. Therefore, more often the choice is made in favor of open ditches to drain water from the site.

Open furrows and trenches gradually crumble - the soil slides off the walls and settles at the bottom, reducing the depth of the engineering structure and making it difficult to drain water. The only possible way out in such a situation would be to strengthen the walls. Moreover, it is better to do this in advance, even during the construction of the drainage system. If the strengthening is carried out later, you will have to deal with the "extra" soil that has already fallen to the bottom. Cleaning a drainage system of any length is a long and laborious process.

Strengthening technology

The choice of the way to strengthen the ditches occurs depending on the length of the drainage structures and the steepness (shape) of the walls. The greater the height of the walls and the steeper their projection, the more reliable fixation will be required.

Shallow furrows with sloping slopes, as a rule, do not need special reinforcement. They are periodically cleaned with garden tools. A reasonable way to prevent possible shedding would be to plant the slope with plants with a fibrous root system that securely fastens the surface layers of the soil.

The average steepness of the walls requires the use of geogrids or biomats. Reinforcement with improvised materials is allowed. Very steep slopes are reinforced with gratings or biomats.

The only thing to pay attention to is that concrete cannot be used for strengthening, since the proper functioning of the drainage is based precisely on the permeability of the bottom and walls. The drainage system is not the same as storm sewer, so waterproofing is unacceptable here!

Ways to strengthen

To strengthen ditches with an average wall slope angle of 5 to 15 degrees, a geogrid is used. This material is made of polyester threads and is sold by manufacturers in rolls.

Work order:

To strengthen the slopes, they are pre-tamped with a roller.
Then the necessary pieces of the mesh are measured and laid out on the walls, observing the tightness of the join.
For fixing, anchor rods 15 centimeters long or U-shaped metal brackets are used. The recommended distance between the mounts is from 70 centimeters to one meter.
The reinforced mesh can be additionally covered with crushed stone or soil, followed by planting with plants (mint, periwinkle are suitable).

To work, in addition to the grid, you will need a manual roller, tape measure, scissors, a marker, a hammer and fasteners.

To strengthen ditches with a large angle of inclination of the walls (from 15 degrees or more), biomats are most often used.

This material in its structure resembles a washcloth - several layers of the mesh structure are superimposed on each other, and then fused into a single whole under the influence high temperatures. The biomat does not interfere with the growth of grasses, which allows additional compaction of the walls of the ditch.

Work order:

The walls are leveled and thoroughly cleaned of debris.
The edge of the mat is fixed at the top of the wall with anchor rods.
Then the roll unfolds to the very bottom and is cut off along the right size.
Bottom part the biomat is fixed with anchor rods.
The procedure is repeated until the ditch is completely strengthened along its entire length. The mat pieces are overlapped (approximately 10-15 cm), and the joints are also reinforced with anchor rods.
The laid mats are covered with a layer of soil into which plants are sown (mint, periwinkle, saxifrage, bryozoan). It will take about 40 grams of seeds per one square meter soil.

For work, in addition to biomats, you will need a hammer, anchor rods and a rake for leveling the soil.

Installing a geogrid (durable polypropylene mesh) is another way to strengthen steep slopes. The cells of this material have increased elasticity - they are easily stretched in length and width. The roll rolls along the walls of the ditch. The top cut is fixed with anchors. Also, the grate is fixed over the entire area with hook-shaped fittings. From above, the finished fortification is covered with a thin layer of soil and sown with plant seeds.

If funds for industrial materials are not enough, you can use budgetary ways wall fortifications.

The procedure for strengthening with car tires:

The walls are cleaned of debris, and then lined with tires. Each row is shifted by half a tire in relation to the previous one.
All tires are connected to each other with wire and additionally strengthened with stakes.
The finished structure is covered with sand or soil (including the gaps between the tires).

Strengthening using slate:

The shape of the material does not matter. These can be wavy or straight sheets installed in a ditch previously cleared of dirt.
Sheets are fixed in a ditch with reinforcement or stakes driven into the ground.

The upper cut of the slate may protrude above the edge of the ditch. On the performance characteristics it has no effect. The main thing is that the sheets are overlapped and carefully protected the walls from soil shedding. Such strengthening does not have a long service life, but is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to strengthen the walls of open drainage systems on the plots.

A fairly common problem of one of the elements of open drainage is shedding or slipping of its walls, as a result of which its functioning is disrupted.

In such cases, the only correct solution would be to strengthen the walls in advance to prevent their deformation and destruction.

The method of strengthening the slopes of the drainage ditch depends on their steepness.

The choice of strengthening method depending on the steepness of the walls

How to strengthen the walls is decided depending on the size of the drainage ditch and the steepness (angle) of the slope. The higher the walls and the greater the angle, the more serious measures and costs may be required to securely fix them.

Walls (slopes of a drainage ditch) with a small slope angle, as a rule, do not need serious strengthening. To achieve the desired effect, sometimes it is enough just to plant them with plants of horizontal and vertical fixation.

Slopes of medium steepness require a more serious approach; for their strengthening, the use of biomats, geomats or geogrids is recommended.

The problem of very steep slopes is solved by more serious methods using internal reinforcement using geogrids and gabions.

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Reinforcement materials

Modern manufacturers offer a wide range various materials for strengthening the walls of drainage ditches, from relatively inexpensive to expensive. In addition, some experts recommend using the so-called budget options for solving the problem. Not everything is bad that is cheap. Industrial materials include geomats, geogrids, geogrids, biomats and gabions.

Geomats are a product of several layers of gratings made of waterproof polymeric material, resembling a washcloth in structure. Such a structure holds the soil well, on the one hand, and does not interfere with the growth of plants through the cells, on the other hand. root system sprouted plants in combination with a polypropylene base securely fixes rather steep slopes.

Biomats are a variety of geomats, consisting of a multilayer material filled with nutrient soil mixture and seeds of perennial plants (usually lawn grasses).

Geogrids are a mesh product made of fiberglass or polyester threads with square-shaped cells for reinforcing slopes of medium steepness.

The geogrid also has a mesh structure, but is made from high-strength polyethylene or polypropylene. The principle of fixing the slope is based on holding the base with special fasteners, followed by backfilling the mesh cells with crushed stone (less often with soil). The trench in the summer cottage is reinforced by sowing lawn grasses.

Gabions are massive structures of large sizes made of galvanized gabion mesh in the shape of a parallelepiped, filled with stone or crushed stone that exceeds the size of its hexagonal cells. The design is resistant to almost any corrosive attack. In addition, it withstands significant loads thanks to the double-twisted wire mesh. A variety of gabions are Reno mattresses - flat structures with low height and large surface area.

Materials for budget options mostly improvised are used: slate, stone, car tires etc.

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Installation of materials for strengthening slopes

The fastening process fits into a certain scheme for almost all types of reinforcing material.

Gabion structures have high strength and reliability.

Clearing, leveling and compacting the slopes of the ditch.
Fastening the upper part of the reinforcing base with special L-shaped anchors or U-shaped brackets (purchased or home-made) at the rate of at least 1 anchor per 1 m.
Laying reinforcing material according to the manufacturer's recommendations (for geomats - from top to bottom with an overlap of the edge of each next roll by at least 15 cm, for geogrids and geogrids - along the trench close to each other)
Fastening with anchor fasteners of overlaps, joints and the lower edge of the material.
The surface formed by the reinforced structures is filled with soil or crushed stone, followed by backfilling with nutrient soil mixture.
The final stage is the decoration of the fixed walls with the help of small shrubs and ground cover plants with a developed root system. For biomats, this stage is no longer needed. By the way, with the help of biomats, the problem of soil restoration as a result of its depletion and erosion is also quickly solved.

The process is somewhat different for Reno mattresses. This is a more time-consuming process and it is usually used on difficult slopes with a large area for strengthening.

Slate can serve as improvised material for strengthening the ditch.

Preparation of the site for the installation of gabions or Reno mattresses.
Covering the slope with geotextile and fixing the material with anchors.
Assembly of a gabion or mattress on a prepared site, alignment and fixation of structural elements.
Reliable fixation of the structure on the slope surface using wooden stakes (at least one peg for every 2 meters).
Gradual filling of mounted containers with stone or crushed stone.
Installation and fixation of the structure cover.
The final stage is the same as for the previous materials.