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Soil Erosion Problems and Solutions

Erosion Control

Control Water Runoff with a Compost Filter Sock

Soil erosion is caused by a number of factors, including urban building, natural forces, and heavy traffic. Rain, wind, physical disturbance, and overuse promote soil erosion and water runoff. While it’s not possible to prevent all elements of erosion, there are some things you can do to limit damage and promote root growth. One way to control water runoff in your garden is by using compost filter socks. 

Compost Filter Sock

Also known as silt socks, compost filter socks are commonly used in landscaping and home gardening. They are mesh tubes filled with composted wood chips, bark, and other materials. The socks’ organic build is designed to allow maximum filtration. It also means the socks are very effective at filtering water runoff and controlling sediment loss. Heavy-duty compost filter socks will perform well even under extreme conditions. 

In areas with high sediment flow, filter socks can prevent sediment runoff. While they aren’t the most attractive addition to a garden or landscape, they are certainly some of the most effective.

Filter socks are installed downslope of areas where erosion and sediment control are needed. They can also be used in place of silt fences, on paved areas, near sensitive trees, or on frozen ground. A compost filter sock is a great alternative if you don’t want to dig trenches or disturb the ground in an area where you have established vegetation.

Filter Sock Applications

The most common uses for filter socks include water diversion, perimeter control, slope interruption, ditch check, and as an alternative to silt fences. 

If you are trying to manage rain or stormwater movement, compost filter socks can be used to slow, interrupt, or divert water. This will redirect water away from areas where it could cause damage or erode soil. These socks can also reduce the speed at which water runs down a sloped bank, which helps with erosion control. 

For existing water bodies, such as rivers and ponds, compost filter socks can prevent steeped banks from running into the water. This also helps with land stabilization. Placing filter socks along a channel bed makes for an excellent retaining wall to promote the growth of new and existing vegetation.

Because moving water also tends to carry sediment, filter socks help control both water runoff and sediment erosion. If you’re building up a new area of your garden or landscaping, you can use compost filter socks to create a boundary. This will trap and retain sediment and water, preventing destruction.

Compost filter socks are economically viable options for erosion control and water runoff. There is little cost to install, clean up, or dispose of them. When you no longer need the socks for erosion control, you can cut them open and use the filling as compost directly where they lie. You can simply dispose of the mesh, which requires minimal effort in comparison to dismantling fencing and other alternatives. The organic content in compost filter socks is also good for the environment and will promote new seed growth. 

Erosion Control Socks: A Natural Solution

When you think about erosion control options, the most commonly used methods include erosion control blankets and straw wattles. Filtration fencing, such as silt fencing, can also be an option but isn’t as useful as blankets and wattles. 

The problem with these options is they’re often designed using synthetic fabrics or materials, which can be challenging to clean up or can leach harmful chemicals into the soil if misused. Erosion control socks, a relatively new product, provide an eco-friendly alternative to the more traditional erosion control methods.

What Are Erosion Control Socks?

Erosion control socks are very similar in function to straw wattles. However, instead of being filled with straw — which can mold — or artificial materials, erosion control socks are filled with compost or vegetation. In some cases, the socks themselves are made of biodegradable material, meaning they require little to no cleanup. 

Benefits of Erosion Control Socks

There are many benefits to using erosion control socks over silt fencing or other traditional erosion control methods. Their ease of installation is a significant reason why people choose them: Simply fill the tube with the vegetation or compost of your choice, and lay the erosion control sock where it’s needed. If you’re working with a sloped surface, you might have to dig a shallow trench, but overall, erosion control socks have far fewer setup and cleanup requirements than traditional erosion control methods.

Erosion control socks also provide a lower profile than silt fencing or traditional straw wattles, allowing for more visibility on your project site. And, depending on the filling you choose for your erosion control sock, you can get multiple uses out of it. Because wood chips, compost, and other organic filler materials are affordable, erosion control socks offer a cost-effective way to prevent sediment transfer into local waterways and ensure your construction project meets local requirements.

Coir as a Filler for Erosion Control Socks

While we often talk about the usability of coir fiber, there’s another coir product that is useful for erosion control socks: coir pith. Coir pith is also referred to as ‘waste-grade coir,’ as it’s the byproduct of coir production. However, it’s still full of nutrients and is available in a natural compost. 

Using coir pith in your erosion control socks can ensure superior water retention and filtration. In addition to being affordable, coir pith carries all the properties of coir mats. It’s resistant to bacteria and fungal growth, breaks down over time, and is incredibly durable. If you’re looking for a sock filler that will allow you to use your erosion control socks for multiple projects, coir pith might be one of your best options.

As the importance of sustainable, eco-friendly erosion control methods continues to grow, research into viable options such as erosion control socks will only increase. Erosion control socks are cost-effective, biodegradable tools to prevent erosion on slopes, on flat construction locations, and in residential gardens and landscapes. Their reusability makes them a perfect tool to add to any project kit. 

Consider using erosion control socks over more traditional methods such as silt fencing or straw wattles. 

How to Use Straw Wattles for Erosion Control

Erosion control is a vital part of both residential and commercial construction and gardening projects. Ensuring your plant life has proper time to grow and preventing topsoil runoff extends the life of your property and increases your water filtration abilities. Traditional straw wattles are an economical option when you’re trying to control erosion on your property. Coir wattles or erosion mats take the convenience of straw wattles and add eco-friendly properties, like biodegradable materials, to the mix.

What Is a Straw Wattle?

Straw wattles, also known as straw worms or straw tubes, are fiber-filled rolls designed to slow or stop water flowing in areas with ditches or significant slopes. While traditionally filled with straw, the coir industry has begun to design coir erosion mats and logs that provide the same benefits as standard straw wattles but have superior water retention and biodegradability.

Why Should You Use a Straw Wattle?

Whether you choose a traditional straw wattle or seek out coir options, straw wattles are vital in land preservation efforts. Because they trap sediment, retain water, and provide a safe barrier for seed germination, straw wattles create spaces for natural plant life to grow. When trying to prevent further erosion of a location, whether it’s a ditch beside a road or a sloping hill in your backyard, encouraging the growth of local plant life is essential.

Coir mats and rolls can be highly beneficial, as they resist fungus and bacteria while providing superior water retention. They’re also biodegradable, meaning you won’t have to manually remove them; in two to five years, your coir straw wattles will break down naturally and add nutrients to your topsoil.

How Do You Install a Straw Wattle?

Proper installation of your straw wattle or mat is a key part of your erosion control project. If your wattle is improperly installed, you may find water pooling or your straw wattle shifting. This lessens or even eliminates the effectiveness of the straw wattle, as your local vegetation no longer has a stable spot to begin growing.

To install your wattle, you’ll first need to mark the locations you want the wattle to go. This generally means running a narrow channel perpendicular to your slope that curves down slightly at the ends to make sure water doesn’t pool in the middle. Digging out a small trench will help keep your straw wattle stable. You may need to use several rows to ensure proper erosion control; in this case, your straw wattles should be parallel to each other. 

Straw wattles, when installed properly and used smartly, are a great way to conserve water and prevent erosion damage to your yard, your construction project, and more. And while traditional straw wattles are certainly adequate, we highly recommend exploring the range of coir products that are more eco-friendly than traditional plastic-wrapped wattles. Coir wattles are fully biodegradable, and coir also comes in erosion-control mats that can aid with water retention and plant growth over a broader area.

Using Filter Fabric for Erosion Control

Filter fabrics, also known as geotextiles, are a type of fabric used to help prevent soil erosion and encourage plant growth. While many water filter fabrics are made out of synthetic materials, coir geotextiles have been rising in popularity.

Coir is a fiber extracted from the husk of a coconut shell. It’s tough, bacteria- and fungus-resistant, and biodegradable, making it a perfect material to use in gardening and erosion control applications. As it can be woven into a variety of different thicknesses and strengths, coir filter fabrics are easily customizable to your specific erosion control needs.

Benefits of Filter Fabrics

Land erosion is an international issue, impacting everyone from farmers to homeowners to businesses. With both significant droughts and major flooding causing erosion, it’s more important than ever to be prepared to protect your land.

Filter fabrics allow water to pass through while preventing sediment from flowing downhill or leeching into the water. By preventing dirt, stones, and other deposits from shifting, filter fabrics provide a stable area for plant life to germinate and grow. As plant life takes root, your need for filter fabrics will lessen; plants will provide natural erosion control.

Woven vs. Non-Woven Filter Fabrics

When choosing your filter fabric, it’s essential to select the fabric that would work best for your specific needs. Coir filter fabrics, for example, come in both non-woven mats and woven netting.

Different types of sediment call for different types of filter fabrics. Woven netting is best if you’re dealing with fine sediments, such as sand, or if you need something that can provide a lot of stability. Woven mesh is also great for suppressing weed growth in gardens.

Non-woven mats have a much higher flow-through rate but may allow small sediments to pass through. However, if you’re only dealing with larger sediment and have high water flow, a non-woven coir mat is likely your best option. Non-woven filter fabrics are also great for wrapping pipes or lining trench-style drains.

Using Coir as a Filter Fabric

It can be challenging to decide between synthetic filter fabrics and natural filter fabrics, especially as there’s more information about synthetic fabrics on the market. However, we strongly recommend using biodegradable materials like coir for many reasons:

  • Highly resistant to bacteria and fungus.
  • Not harmful to wildlife or domesticated animals.
  • Sustainable and natural.
  • Eco-friendly and requires little to no cleanup – will naturally decompose.
  • Available in a variety of strengths.

Coir filter fabrics have many benefits over more traditional filter fabrics, and may also be more cost-effective, depending on your needs. They can help filter water while preventing the displacement of dirt, seeds, and other vital parts of your landscape, and work equally well on slopes or flat lands such as gardens or drains. Whether you want to provide additional protection for a construction project or are trying to prevent further erosion issues on your property, coir filter fabrics are an excellent place to start.

Best Uses for Geotextile Fabric

Geotextile fabric is a type of material commonly used in construction and erosion control projects to improve the characteristics of the soil being worked with. This allows construction to take place in locations which might not otherwise be accessible.

Traditionally, geotextile fabrics are made of synthetic materials or combined with asphalt or other non-porous materials to increase their strength and filtration abilities. Non-woven geotextile fabrics are most commonly used to prevent groundwater pollution from construction projects and are also most commonly combined with asphalt, rubber, or other materials.

Geotextile Fabric Uses

Geotextile fabrics have several applied uses:

  • Protection – Geotextile fabrics are ideal for protecting easily eroded locations, including beaches. Their versatility means they can even be placed underwater if necessary, preventing erosion from wave currents.
  • Reinforcement – Heavier-density geotextiles can be used to reinforce weak or loose soil in construction sites or areas where the land cannot support agricultural growth on its own.
  • Filtration – One of the most common uses of geotextile fabric is filtration; that is, allowing water to pass through while keeping sediments from polluting natural water sources.
  • Separation – Most commonly seen in road construction, geotextile fabric is used to keep different types of soil from mixing. For example, a geotextile fabric layer may be placed between a coarse aggregate and a finer sub-grade aggregate, keeping the two separate and ensuring the stability of both.
  • Drainage – Another widespread use of geotextile fabrics is drainage. This is different from filtration, as geotextile fabrics used for drainage catch rainwater or other naturally produced water and diffuse it into the soil. This can help prevent flooding.

Using Coir as a Geotextile Fabric

Recent research into using coir, the fibrous part of a coconut’s husk, as a geotextile has shown promising results. Coir fiber is relatively strong and maintains water saturation, which can be essential in drier climates. It’s also cost-effective; the high supply of coir compared to the demand makes coir geotextile fabrics relatively inexpensive.

One of the most substantial benefits of coir as a geotextile fabric is its eco-friendly nature. As a biodegradable geotextile, it adds nutrients to the soil naturally over time while simultaneously encouraging plant growth. It’s resistant to rot, fungus, and bacteria that may otherwise damage or kill plant life, whether it be in your garden or as part of a comprehensive erosion control program.

When used in civil engineering projects, coir geotextile fabrics have been shown to have high durability and strength, resisting compression and adding value to the soil. Coir geotextiles have been used as part of the foundation of both paved and unpaved roads in India, and have also seen great success in slope erosion control and topsoil retention.

Whether you’re using coir on a personal level; for example, to keep your garden healthy and encourage moisture retention, or are hoping for a more eco-friendly alternative to the synthetic geotextiles that are currently available, we highly recommend exploring possible options for coir geotextile fabrics.