Question
QUESTION: Living near the water on Long Island we have a problem with storm water runoff destroying the earth.  I want to plant a lawn that is low maintenance and looks good, but most importantly I want it to help hold the earth in place to cut down on erosion.  Do you have any suggestions and where should I start?

ANSWER: See this article on low-maintenance lawns, assembled by the
people at Ames Corp:

http://www.ames.com/lawnmaintenance.html

They're talking about low-maintenance techniques used -- with flying colors -- at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club at Lake Manassas, Virginia: 'This showcase private course hosts major professional tournaments, so it must need lots of fertilizer to keep it looking good, right? Wrong.
Smickley applies just 1 pound of actual nitrogen per year (per 1,000 sq ft) over most of the course.'

Next example: Fairwood Turf Farm in Glenn Dale, Maryland, where 'grass is a cash crop. It has to grow quickly and look good. So he must pump it up, right? Wrong again. He too applies 1 pound of actual nitrogen per year per 1,000 sq ft.'

The key for both is Grass selection -- 'finding a turf grass that's well adapted to your particular climate.'  They list Grasses 'on the cutting edge of low-maintenance lawn care' and put a Grass we rarely see, Hard Fescue, at the top of the list.  Poa supina 'Supernova' is not sold
everywhere, but you can order it on the internet from Seedland.com:

http://www.seedland.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=BG-SUPINA

Seedland describes this as 'Supranova Supina' Bluegrass as 'the most shade tolerant, wear resistant, cool season turfgrass on the market in the US and Canada,' something to keep in mind if you have any shaded areas with this erosion problem.

Seedland.com by the way posts a page on 'Erosion control with Turfgrass' that you might find interesting:

http://www.turfgrasses.com/info/erosion.html

Note that they point out, 'The grasses that are used for these conditions must have low maintenance requirements.'  And EVERYONE agrees you must have White Clover in your seed to incorporate Nitrogen au natural -- less work for you.

To speed up Grass establishment, some landscapers push Hydroseeding.  This happens to be a legitimate use of that technique, something I rarely say:

http://www.angelos-supplies.com/asi2/establish_new_lawns.html

Erosion control blankets and Grass blankets are another option.  See 'Prevent Soil Erosion by Quickly Establishing A New Lawn' posted on the website of a Farmington Hills, Michigan landscaper:

http://www.angelos-supplies.com/asi2/establish_new_lawns.html

Soil erosion control blankets are filled with grass seed, and help prevent birds from eating Grass seed. Blankets allow light and water through.  They prevent new seed from being blown away or from being consumed as an expensive meal for our feathered friends.

There are many Erosion products that would address your situation.  See the Sylva Natives Nursery website:

http://www.sylvanative.com/erosion.htm

Sometimes shrubs and trees are the answer.  Don't rule them out.  Any questions?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: What soil is best for helping to hold the ground while being the most fertile?  And what type of fertilizers would you generally recommend?

Answer
If I understand you correctly, you want a 'strong' soil that will also be capable of supporting Grass with a strong root structure.  It sounds to me as though a traditional Lawn may not be in your best interests.

Let's look at some ways people landscape when Erosion threatens to wash away the landscape.

At PlanetEarth there is a small piece on something called 'Spinifex'.  Planet Earth editors describe Spinifex as 'a spiny grass often planted to bind sand along the seashore to prevent erosion.'

'It is excellent for erosion control.  Because new plants grow from creeping shoots from the base of older plants, one plant can eventually spread out and cause a wide area to be covered. It is salt resitant and the salt water spray along beaches does not affect it.'  You can read the text here:

http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/biomegrass3.htm

Another choice would come from studies at University of Georgia.  Their Tall Fescue varieties are 'being used to rebuild areas after fires and for highway stabilization to prevent erosion.'  Some retailers sell around half of their seed for use in 'land stabilization and reclamation.'  One researcher says it is also popular 'in China where there are severe erosion problems.'

Another UGA turfgrass with strong potential for reclamation projects is 'Seaspray' Seashore Paspalum Grass, developed jointly by University of Georgia and Turf Seeds of Oregon.  One researcher declares this is an ideal choice 'for areas where the groundcover has been lost from saltwater storm surges like hurricanes or even the recent catastrophic tsunami.'  Seashore Paspalum is NOT hardy in the Northeast, not even as far South as Zone 7.  But its relative, Paspalum laeve Michx -- Field Paspalum -- IS hardy as far North as New York.  You can become familiar with the scores of related Paspalum Grasses at the USDA website:

http://plants.usda.gov/java/nameSearch?keywordquery=paspalum&mode=sciname

Grass Vetiver -- Vetiveria zizanioides -- has been used 'to assist the formation of soil erosion control hedges' since the 1980s, and more recently is being studied for erosion control in China:

http://www.vetiver.com/CHN_vetcon.htm

Vetiver roots grow in a thick, tangled web reaching almost 10 feet long, supporting Grass blades nearly 7 feet tall.  This explains why Vetiver 'is able to fix the soil tightly,' notes the China Vetiver Network.  Besides having great endurance to drought, waterlogging, high temperature and cold, the grass is easy to plant and manage and grows well in any type of soil, in high latitudes (up to 42 degrees N, at high altitudes [perhaps 1 1/2 miles long] and on steep slopes.'

Planted on slopes, Vetiver interferes with water runoff, slowing drainage and minimizing soil loss.  It helps in other situations, too:  'Planted on dikes along ditches it helps to prevent the dikes from collapse and to minimize siltation.  Vetiver planted on river banks, pond dikes and reservoir embankments may control embankment erosion and mud siltation...'

Of the Cool Season Turfgrasses, Perennial Ryegrass is generally considered to be favored as a solution to erosion.  See 'UGA Grass Battles Erosion':

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20050331/localnews/89869.shtml

Without knowing your terrain and exposure, it is difficult to know which of these, if any, would solve your erosion problem.  Maybe other kinds of landscaping would be better.  Consider that Cape Code loses an area of land around 3 sq mi a year to erosion, then gains 2 sq mi in another section.  It's still a loss.  And that's not even factoring in for global-warming sealevels.  Selecting the right plants may not even be the answer here.  In the end, you may just have to erect a sea wall, made of concrete or steel, for long term protection from Mother Nature and Father Time.  Good luck.  Keep me posted.  Thanks for writing.