Erosion Control Blanket Installation Instructions

Erosion Blanket Types

• Choose an erosion blanket suited to your preferences as well as the needs of the protected land. You can buy erosion control blankets that are totally biodegradable. Typically, these mats contain straw, wood fiber and coconut fiber or some combination of ingredients. This material has natural-fiber netting to hold it together. This netting eventually degrades into the ground just as the fiber filler does. A natural erosion control blanket often lasts about a year.

  Expect synthetic erosion control blankets to last longer. Their non-degradable netting holds the blanket together indefinitely. The filler material is synthetic fibers, which can last a long time, as well.

Erosion Control Preparation

• In order for an erosion control blanket of any type to work efficiently, you must first prepare the soil properly. Also, the blanket must be in contact with the soil beneath it at all times in order for it to work.

  Grade the slope where you plan to put the erosion control blanket. This includes removing all large rocks and other debris, which can prevent the blanket from setting properly on the soil. Make sure to till the topsoil at least two to three inches deep. Add the proper amount of fertilizer indicated in a soil test so your seeds can achieve optimum growth.

  If possible, lower the water level of a pond or stream bed if you are setting an erosion control blanket alongside it. Not only does this give you more room to do your preparatory grade work, but it also allows the bank to dry out a bit, making it easier to set the blanket in place.

  Sow the seeds into the tilled ground of the slope. Gently water the slope if it is dry.

Install Erosion Blanket

• In order to keep the erosion control blanket on the slope, you should start with a firm anchor on the top. Starting two or three feet from the top of the slope, dig a shallow trench to bury the top of the erosion control blanket. Firmly tamp it in place.

  Unroll the rest of the blanket down the slope. Work with it to make sure it is in firm contact with the soil. Depending on the type of blanket you purchased, you should have stakes or anchors to secure it to the slope. Steep slopes require at least one anchor per square yard. You can get by on fewer anchors if the slope is less steep.

  Dig another anchor trench beyond the foot of the slope to anchor the tail of the erosion control blanket. For a blanket placed along the water line, the tail should go below the normal water line and you can skip this step. When you finish, the blanket should look just like part of the landscape.