Erosion control blankets

Listen to this radio show (MP3 download) or read below.

Radio interview source: Mark Kimberlin, managing partner, Greenfix America

Rain may be good for plants, but too much of it will wash the soil away. Gullies cutting into your pasture, stripped hillsides, or cloudy water in your stream are definite signs of an erosion problem. And if you've been doing a lot of construction, you might have runoff because of that, too.

Erosion control blankets help you establish fresh ground by protecting a seed bed and bare soil. Once permanent vegetation is established, you'll have natural erosion control.

Mark Kimberlin is the managing partner for a company that manufactures the blankets, and says the most common type is straw fibers and netting woven together. Many versions are now all-natural.

"The biodegradable products have a netting structure that is comprised of a natural plant fiber net, as opposed to a synthetic, polypropylene, plastic net," Kimberlin says. "The average functional longevity for these types of products is 12 to 24 months, and that is dependent on site-specific conditions."

The blanket you choose really depends on how fast the natural vegetation takes to establish. Check with your extension office for a list of the best native plant options.