Pinelands Nursery: Choosing an Erosion Control Product when Seeding or Planting

When you are choosing an erosion control product for your site there are many options. Before choosing a product there are many factors that you have to consider for your site.

Slope gradient

Energy

Soil profile

Hydrology

Soil to mat contact

Is it tidally influenced?

One often overlooked factor is whether you are planting or seeding. These factors should be taken into account as well.

Are you seeding with turf seed?

Are you seeding with herbaceous seed?

What size plant material are you planting?

If you are seeding with turf seed then most options are still open to you. But if you are seeding with herbaceous seed you choices are more limited. Often coconut matting is too dense for herbaceous plants to push through. They can still germinate underneath but not find its way through the matting. The same holds true for straw coconut blends on wider bladed herbaceous plants. Straw blankets will work well with herbaceous seeding but if your conditions require a heavy duty product and you are seeding with herbaceous seeds coconut netting will provide the open space needed.

Straw Blanket with photodegradable netting

70% Straw 30% Cocunut Blanket with photodegradable netting

Coconut Blanket with photodegradable netting

When planting plants through a mat keep in mind that every cut you make into a mat weakens the strength the mat. Netting can often be manipulated to plant smaller material without making cuts. Coir Mat 400 is loosely woven so that it can be opened wide enough to plant up to a 1 gallon plant without making a cut. Coir Mat 700 can be opened wide enough to plant a 2” plug or a tubeling without making a cut.