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CURLEX - EROSION CONTROL BLANKETS
Erosion is a costly issue facing roadside construction and new land projects. Deterioration of unsecured hillside soil by wind and water causes more than $44BN a year in the US as of 2014. Erosion of quality top-layer earth is also an issue because the topsoil is the most fertile due to the organic and nutrient-rich materials.
Removing this top-layer reduces soil quality and the ability to grow vegetation and crops. Erosion problems can also lead to severe water runoff issues, loss of vegetation, and increased sedimentation pollution in rivers and streams.
Curlex is the original erosion control blanket. It is engineered specifically with Great Lakes Aspen curled wood fibers which promote ideal growing conditions for grass seed, while also protecting the topsoil from erosion. The multi-directional Curlex fiber matrix is bound by photo-degradable, biodegradable, or permanent netting.
Typical applications include highway embankments, ditch bottoms and slopes, urban drainage, and much more! All Curlex blankets are seed-free, do not contain resins, and are softly barbed, interlocking, curled aspen excelsior fibers.
Curlex is one of the most recognized Erosion brand names in the market and has been supporting the nation's embankments and hillsides from erosion for over 50 years.
Contact us today and speak with one of our Culex product specialists (800) 583-4891
SHIPPING MAP FOR NATURAL COLOR
✔ All items ship for free (standard ground, see map)
☏ Call: (800) 583-4891 for pricing and shipping questions.
Shipping estimates shown on the map pertain to this specific product transit times only. Orders typically ship within 1-2 business days if order is placed before 1PM Eastern. Transit times displayed in the map are listed in business days, and are approximate. The day that the order is shipped is not counted as a transit day.
***Does not apply to the Fibrenet product as it is made to order. Call for an estimate.
SHIPPING MAP FOR QUICKGRASS (GREEN)
✔ All items ship for free (standard ground, see map)
☏ Call: (800) 583-4891 for pricing and shipping questions.
Shipping estimates shown on the map pertain to this specific product transit times only. Orders typically ship within 1-2 business days if order is placed before 1PM Eastern. Transit times displayed in the map are listed in business days, and are approximate. The day that the order is shipped is not counted as a transit day.
***Does not apply to the Fibrenet product as it is made to order. Call for an estimate.
FAQ
Aspen Fibers Provide Superior Results
Use Curlex Excelsior Blankets For Ideal Growing Environments
These blankets are specifically designed to promote the ideal growing environment for grass seed and protect topsoil from wind and water erosion. American Excelsior Company is the leading inventor of biodegradable erosion control blankets since the early 1960s. These blankets will stand the test of time with durability and dependability. The built-in swell factor allows the wet curled fibers to expand slightly in thickness, allowing for a strong, fiber matrix. These fibers offer close contact with the surrounding terrain. The flow of water is directed to follow the curled fiber matrix so the roughness of the curled excelsior matrix will slow down the velocity until gravity kicks in which allows moisture to start slowly seeping into the topsoil to create the perfect growing conditions.
About American Excelsior Erosion Control Blankets:
These blankets are made with exclusive soft barbed interlocking curled Aspen excelsior fibers and are free of any weed seeds. You can get these blankets for a variety of environments sensitivities or you get a stronger netting for job sites with more difficult requirements.
We offer a green color-coded plastic netting for applications that require UV resistance that's very strong and more durable. We also offer our photodegradable QuickMow ™ netting that is highly recommended for urban golf courses and for some roadside projects. It's color-coded to identify it as a rapid break-down polypropylene netting designed for use in areas that are mowed. If you are dealing with critically sensitive areas, we offer our FibreNet ™ which is a 100% biodegradable netting.
Most fiber blankets on the market draw the line at 0.270 kg/m2 (.50 lb/yd2), but not ours. The fiber blankets are just under 0.400kg/m2 (.75 lb/yd2), offering 50% more erosion control fibers for your projects. Our blankets are available in natural Aspen or QuickGRASS green. Combine this with our rollhats that are wider than conventional blankets. Well, today you have the most effective and efficient multi-purpose degradable erosion control blankets on the market. You can get these excelsior blankets wrapped individually or in packs for unloading and stacking.
For Various Applications our Blankets are Perfect for:
• Ditch Bottoms and Slopes
• Highway Embankments
• Medians and Bridges
• Urban Drainage
• Stream Banks
• Waterways
• Golf Course Fairways
• Roughs, Waterways and Drop Structures
• Landfill Caps
• Side Slopes and Let Down Structures
• Pipeline Right-Of-Ways
Erosion Control Blankets Help Establish New Vegetation
Curlex I – Single Net:
This is a very carefully cut of Great Lakes Aspen curled wood excelsior with 80% six-inch fibers or greater fiber length. It comes with a consistent thickness along with fibers evenly distributed throughout the entire blanket. The top of the blanket is covered with photodegradable or biodegradable netting and will be free of all weed seeds or chemical additives.
Curlex II – Double Net:
This is another carefully cut of Great Lakes Aspen curled wood excelsior with 80% six-inch fibers or greater fiber lengths. Its overall thickness is consistent along with its fibers evenly distributed throughout the entire blanket. The top of the blanket is covered with photodegradable or biodegradable netting and will be free of all weed seeds or chemical additives.
Erosion Control Blanket Roll
Installation:
Before installing the blankets, the seedbed must be inspected by the owner's representative to guarantee it's been properly compacted and fine-graded to remove any existing rills or water flows. It must be completely free of any obstructions including tree roots, any projections including stones, or other foreign matter. The grass seed must be conducive with the soil conditions to allow for the best germination, for dense vegetation, and for a structural root system. The contractor should only move forward when there are satisfactory conditions. Once the area has been properly shaped, seeded, fertilized, and compacted, find the start of the roll, making certain the roll is facing toward the area to be covered.
The blankets must be rolled out and smooth without stretching the material and then anchored to the subgrade. It is highly recommended that the blankets are installed in the same direction as the flow of water but on short slopes, it can be a lot more practical to install horizontally across the width of the application.
If you will be using more than one width, abut the edges together and secure the blankets with a row of biodegradable staples, steel staples, or stakes. Note: Overlapping the excelsior blankets is not required nor is it recommended. The only exception is with waterway slopes. The blankets should be centered to offset the seam in the middle of the waterway. The blankets should be installed in the same direction as the flow of water while the adjoining blankets should be installed away from the center channel and concentrated water flow. They should be secured with a row of common staples. It's not normally necessary to overlap the blankets, but a 2-inch shingle-type installation can be used in the application of waterway slopes.
Our blanket installation should continue up the side slopes, 3-feet above the anticipated high water elevation. Flanks that are exposed to sheet flow or runoffs must be protected by a trench or check slot. The blankets should be trenched at the starting point of the channel and anchored using a staggered staple pattern at the end of the roll overlaps and end of the roll terminations.
Note: We also have coir mats made from coir fibers yarns available in multiple roll sizes.
From Case Studies:
Federal, state, and local departments have a lot of problems with the erosion of highway shoulders and embankments caused by runoff from non-penetrable road paving. Once the finished grade is completed, highway shoulders are the most vulnerable to erosion. This will continue until vegetation becomes well established, which can take anywhere from one to three years. When this problem hit the state of Missouri, the Missouri Department of Transportation reached out to American Excelsior Company for QuickGRASS to protect their highway shoulders along Route 370, north of St. Charles.
The Route 370 project was a three-mile stretch of road which required major grading, paving, and reclamation work. One problem, the highway was built in the Missouri River floodplain so fill material was dredged out of the Missouri River to raise the highway embankment elevation. This fill was sandy and highly erodible which called for the addition of the 5-feet (1.5m) wide shoulder or transition strip which was adjacent to the concrete.
Contractor Millstone Bangert, Inc thought about using sod to prevent the erosion on the transition strip but they were concerned that the sod would not establish itself if the conditions become hot and dry after the July installation.
The specialty control subcontractor, Safety Construction of St. Louis, who was on the project proposed using a native grass seed mix and American Excelsior's QuickGRASS blanket instead of sod.
The blanket was manufactured from biodegradable Great Lakes Aspen wood fibers and polypropylene netting combined into rolls. Using only a single netting on top of the blanket, the barbed excelsior fibers of 80% six-inch or longer would directly grip the subgrade and remain in great shape during severe weather conditions. In turn, the blanket's fibers would protect the seedbed from erosion by reducing the impact from rain and by slowing down runoff from the pavement.The blanket would minimize the likelihood of burnout and increase hygroscopic moisture, which is attracting and holding water from the surrounding environment and provides an excellent microclimate for seed germination and growth. A microclimate is a very small area that is different from the climate of the surrounding area.
Millstone Bangert, Inc decided to go with Curlex I QuickGRASS erosion control blankets instead of sod. Once the paving and grading were completed, the green blankets were installed on the project. The blankets were secured with 11-gauge steel wire staples along the pavement edge. By that time, the weather had turned hot and dry but the native fescue and perennial rye seeds were able to get enough moisture to germinate and the seedlings were established. Once the blanket started to fade, it was replaced with natural green vegetation!