Share this Image on Your Site!
Simply copy and paste the code below and you can share this infographic on your site:
The Spring has arrived and homeowners all over Indiana are gearing up with a new garden. This is a great time to enjoy your home and your yard, but it’s also important to protect your foundation in the process. Foundation planting is important to protecting your home’s stability and controlling moisture and damage to your foundation.
Create Space Around Your Foundation
First and foremost, you should leave at least two feet of space between your foundation and any garden, plants, or landscaping. To clarify, the less space between your plants and your foundation, the more likely you will have moisture build-up. This could cause issues, such as mold and termites.
Watering the Yard
Water is your foundations worst enemy. Leaving on your water hose or sprinkler system for too long will only make matters worse. Any water pooling and puddling will soak the ground for a prolonged period of time, resulting in moisture damage.
Landscaping Around Your Home
If your going to make landscaping changes, make sure you do so around the entire property. If your front yard has planting and the sides or back of your home doesn’t, that area will receive more water than elsewhere. Consequently, soil in the front yard will begin expanding once it soaks up the water. This soil expansion can lead to foundation cracks, caused by hydrostatic pressure.
Choosing Shrubs and Plants
Most homeowners don’t put much thought into the shrubs around their home, other than how they look. However, their roots can cause problems for your home’s foundation. Fibrous-rooted shrubs are the way to go, as they make for great foundation planting. They don’t spread and they cab easily be replaced.
Flower Beds
Your flower beds should always have mulch to take care of any excess moisture. Secondly, it’s vital to ensure the flower beds slope away from your home. This will lead water away from you home’s foundation.
Trees and Your Foundation
Trees have never got along too well with foundations. Their roots spread and thicken, so it’s important to plant trees as far away from your home as possible. Some trees are worse for your foundation than others, like oak trees, that will cause major movement and other damage.
In conclusion, you should always take your foundation into account when deciding on landscaping ideas. Foundation planting won’t take away from your style preferences, and its minor changes can make a big difference.
The post Foundation Planting: Safe Landscaping to Protect Your Foundation appeared first on Indiana Foundation Service.
