Industry's First Rain-Ready Cotton Hydromulch Provides Eco-Friendly Erosion Control

Mulch & Seed Innovations, LLC has developed the industry’s first premium cotton hydromulch that is rain ready for soil erosion. Developed in cooperation with USDA and Cotton, Inc. Cotton Fiber Matrix (CFM) establishes seed faster and grows grass better than wood, paper or erosion control blankets, according to research conducted by the Department of Agronomy at Auburn University, Ala., and the USDA Agricultural Research Station, Lubbock, Texas. CFM outperformed some of these competitive products by as much as 255% in soil loss and 189% in grass growth.

“Cotton by nature is porous, absorbent and biodegradable—the perfect trio for controlling erosion and establishing seed,” said Wae Ellis, vice president of sales and marketing, Mulch & Seed Innovations, who anticipates CFM to gain traction as a cost-effective substitute for blankets.

He explained that CFM, a patent-pending combination of cotton, straw and a blend of performance-enhancing tackifiers and additives, creates a seal over the soil much like a damp cotton gauze over a wound. “It’s absorbent enough to take in and hold moisture for optimum seed-soil contact and strong enough to protect the seed and soil from wind and heavy rain. Meanwhile, its cross-hatching matrix provides just enough air space and porosity for seedlings to push through without barrier.”

Introduced on the heels of another recent Mulch & Seed Innovations cotton product, GeoSkin Cotton Hydromulch—approved as an alternative to wood and paper mulch products for use on DOT construction and maintenance projects in 14 states—CFM represents the company’s commitment to innovating the eco-friendly erosion control products category. While GeoSkin was created for flat or semi-flat terrain, CFM establishes grass on steeper 2:1 and 1:1 rated slopes.

Recognizable by its bright green color along highways and on construction sites, hydromulch is a relatively new application technology for the simultaneous disbursement of grass seed, fertilizer and erosion-controlling ingredients through a hose. Until recently, hydromulch had been composed primarily of wood and paper byproducts.

“The cotton hydromulch is a new sustainable option in an industry that has been heavily focused on virgin wood fiber and, to a lesser extent, recycled paper,” Ellis said. “We’ve developed a method to use God-given fibers, instead of man-made ones, to create an all-natural product that establishes better grass growth. Those cotton fibers offer incredible strength and durability, and they prove themselves time and time again.”

Source: Cotton, Inc.