Hydraulically applied erosion control products are organized into four performance-based categories—Hydraulic Mulch, Stabilized Mulch Matrix, Bonded Fiber Matrix, and Flexible Growth Medium®. Using key properties such as functional longevity, percent effectiveness, vegetative establishment, and wet bond strength, specifiers can match technologies to slope length, gradient, soil type, and expected vegetation. Performance data from large-scale testing demonstrates increasing erosion control effectiveness from Hydraulic Mulch to Flexible Growth Medium, with functional longevities ranging from less than three months to more than 12 months. Guidance on product selection emphasizes steeper, longer, or highly erosive slopes and highlights design tools that integrate rainfall, soil preparation, and fertility parameters.
Key Points
- Defines four hydraulically applied erosion control categories: Hydraulic Mulch, Stabilized Mulch Matrix, Bonded Fiber Matrix, and Flexible Growth Medium.
- Explains critical design properties including functional longevity, percent effectiveness, vegetative establishment, and wet bond strength, supported by ASTM testing and large-scale rainfall simulations.
- Summarizes performance ranges from Hydraulic Mulch with percent effectiveness values of less than 50% and functional longevity of less than 3 months to Flexible Growth Medium with greater than 99% effectiveness, no curing period, and functional longevity of greater than 12 months.
- Provides guidance to select higher-performing products for steeper, longer, rough, or highly erosive slopes and references a web-based design and product selection program incorporating rainfall, soil, and vegetation parameters.
