Reply To: Planting in an Erosion Control Blanket

In arid regions of the country 2:1 manufactured slopes are common place.  In areas with higher precipitation rate 3:1 is generally the recommended max.  However in overpass construction, slope and shoreline restoration 2:1 can be common to meet and connect to existing stable slopes.

As a general rule, if you are specifying any company’s product like this you should not detail it out in your plans, but instead write “install per manufacture’s specifications and recommendations.” Provide manufacture’s contact info, preferably the rep you are dealing with. You don’t want that liability.

Are you talking about an erosion control blanket (temporary and biodegradable lasts a season allowing plant establishment) or a geotextile fabric (permanent non-biodegradable)?

How long is you slope going to be?  You may need temporary wattles to slow water down and other BMPs.   

I prefer to use the coconut fiber erosion blanket in lieu of straw because I seem to have much better results.  Tensar has a great product I started using for slopes that is 100% organic and biodegradable.  Otherwise Coir, Curlex and Futerra products are pretty standard. One other thing you may need to consider, not all erosion control blankets are created equal.  Some are rated for short term (less than 12 months), and some are rated long term 18 and 24 months.  

If you have a turf or native grass application that requires permanent erosion control, Tensar has Permanent Turf Reinforcement Mats that work great.  Installation is critical for this application.  

If you are looking for permanent geotextile erosion control, take a look at Geotextile Systems by Propex.  They would be one of the industry standard products.   

Tensar and Geotextile Systems by Propex are both good place to start. Both sites have lots of valuable information.

Planting shrubs and trees through erosion control blanket or geotextile fabric is really no different than planting in landscape fabric.   Unless the contractor is doing something stupid, I won’t tell them how to cut a hole or what to install first.  Make sure the contractor is using enough staples and installing blanket or geotextile fabric per manufacture’s recommendations.  Live staking is also common depending on plant species you are planning to use. 

If budget allows you could use a Geocell, Geogrid or Geoweb product!  This all really depends on the length of slope, transitions, benches, how much water is going fall on and flow over the slope area and what drainage steps have been taken.