Wednesday, May 3, 2017

The Important Tips On Erosion Control Blankets

By Ann Reynolds


These materials used to cover soil aid in preventing or in other words controlling soil loss by offering protective cover like a mat that is manufactured or engineered using straw, plant fibers, wood, jute, plastics, nylon, cotton and paper. This method is mostly used in areas where there are slopes and in channels where erosion hazard generally is quite high and there is hardly any plant growth to provide enough protective cover. In areas such as drought stricken areas, erosion control blankets can come in handy to curb soil loss menace.

There are several types of these netting materials which are available to anchor and support organic mulches. This blanket should be placed on bare lands that are lands without vegetation cover. It is good for people to plant grass and other plants such as trees to provide vegetation cover which in-turn controls soil erosion. Therefore, all newly dug areas or seeded areas should actually be protected with some disc-anchored mulch.

There are quite a number of advantages associated with blankets as a means of soil erosion. The first advantage is the method is effective and efficient for controlling and curbing erosion and consequently stabilizing soil during and also after land alteration activities. Land alteration activities include mining activities, farming activities, exploration activities among others.

These blankets are preferred for their nature of spreading storm water runoff consequently preventing or controlling rill erosions that are experienced on slopes. The mats as well prevent sloughing of topsoil basically added to slopes that are steeper. For mats that are made of wood or any other decomposable material, the material will provide manure and other micro-organism to the soil.

When mats are used with seed mix, they offer protection to mix and prevent them from being eroded when it rains heavily. They are known for increasing soil moisture retention hence promoting seed germination. However, the important and most crucial role of blankets is soil erosion prevention. To get it right from the first trial, it is wise that you consult your district landscape architect basically for more guidance.

Apart from providing cover, these mats regulate the temperatures in the soil and increase water retention levels by soil. One of the few limitations of mulching is that is requires proper selection and appropriate installation of blankets for them to be effective. It is known that these mats are not appropriate for slopes that are deemed to be greater than 3:1.

Straw mulch is another material to consider since this material may even be disc-anchored basically into the soil, covered with netting or hydraulically bonded. One should also purpose to preserve more of the existing vegetation since the goal here is to have as much vegetation as possible. This curbs soil loss and enhances the appearance of a property which may later be turned into more cash for the property.

The application of this organic mulch can be by use of hand or mechanically by using a mulch blower. This wood fiber may consist of soft timber or raw hard timber that basically has passed through mechanical chipper, tub grinder or hammer-mill. One should ensure the wood is completely free of mold, sawdust, foreign material, dirt and should not be a decomposing timber. Mats or mulch should never contain any of the following that is chemically treated wood like wafer-board, chromate copper arsenate, particleboard or penta-treated wood and chipped manufactured boards.




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