How to Plant Grass With an Erosion Mat
Planting grass seed does not always result in a thick carpet of green grass. In fact, many of the seeds don't even germinate because they are washed away by rain water. To prevent this loss of seed, you can cover the new planting area with an erosion mat, sometimes also called an erosion blanket. These mats hold the seeds in place until they germinate but are porous enough to allow the seeds to grow through them.
Insert a spade into the ground and scrape off the top 2 to 3 inches of soil in the location. Place the soil into a compost pile to decompose. Continue scraping off the entire planting site to remove all existing grass and weeds.
- Planting grass seed does not always result in a thick carpet of green grass.
- To prevent this loss of seed, you can cover the new planting area with an erosion mat, sometimes also called an erosion blanket.
Set the blade height adjustment on a garden tiller to between 4 and 5 inches. Move the tiller to the edge of the planting site and turn it on. Push the tiller over the entire area to loose the soil.
Stretch a tape measure across the planting site to determine the length in feet and then repeat to measure the width in feet. Multiple the two numbers together to arrive at the total square footage for the site.
Read the back of the grass seed package to determine the number of lbs. of grass seed to apply for your size lawn.
- Set the blade height adjustment on a garden tiller to between 4 and 5 inches.
- Push the tiller over the entire area to loose the soil.
Pour the seeds into the bucket of a seed spreader and set the dial on the spreader to the rate specified on the back of the grass seed package.
Push the seed spreader over the tilled soil in side-by-side rows to dispense the seeds.
Rake the soil lightly with a bow rake to push the grass seeds into the soil by at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
Water the area well until it is complete moist to a 3-inch depth. Stick your finger into the ground to test the moisture depth.
Place a roll of erosion mat material at the edge of the area and unroll it until you reach the other side. Cut off the excess mat material using a utility knife.
- Pour the seeds into the bucket of a seed spreader and set the dial on the spreader to the rate specified on the back of the grass seed package.
- Rake the soil lightly with a bow rake to push the grass seeds into the soil by at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch.
Insert "u"-shaped metal stakes along all edges of the mat using a mallet. Space each stake at a distance of 3 to 5 foot intervals.
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Writer Bio
Kimberly Johnson is a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in various online publications including eHow, Suite101 and Examiner. She has a degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and began writing professionally in 2001.
