Farm Plastic Supply - American Excelsior QuickGrass Pro - Green Erosion Control Blanket Landscape Roll, Erosion Control Blanket

What it is and where it shines

I put the QuickGrass blanket to work on a patchy, slightly sloped lawn that kept washing out every time we got a gully washer. It’s a 4-foot by 112.5-foot roll of excelsior (aspen wood fibers) held together by a light netting and dyed green so it blends into the landscape. The promise is straightforward: keep seed and topsoil in place long enough for grass to get established, then quietly biodegrade.

That’s pretty much what it did for me. The curled aspen fibers “grab” the soil far better than straw blankets I’ve used, especially once the fibers take on a bit of moisture and interlock. It doesn’t stop water—that’s not the job of any blanket—but it slows sheet flow and protects against crusting and splash erosion, which is the difference between a bare slope and a flush of new grass.

Installation and handling

One person can handle the roll without much drama. It’s light enough to carry and easy to cut with utility scissors or a sharp knife. I seeded and lightly raked the area first, then rolled the blanket downhill. A few installation tips from my experience:

• Create a shallow anchor trench at the top edge (3–4 inches deep), tuck the leading edge of the blanket into it, backfill, and staple. This prevents water from sneaking underneath.
• Overlap parallel edges by 3–6 inches and stagger end-joint seams so you don’t create a straight water channel.
• Use more staples than you think. For the full 450 square feet, plan on roughly 180–220 staples: every 2–3 feet along the edges, down the centerline, and extra at overlaps, curves, and ends.
• Keep it in intimate contact with the soil. Any air gap becomes a little slip-and-slide for water.

I did run into a hiccup with one roll: the first several feet were wound so tightly that the fiber layers wanted to stick together, which was frustrating to separate cleanly. I salvaged most of it, but I lost a couple of feet to tangles. Letting the roll sit in the sun for a bit, then gently unspooling and pre-fluffing the fibers with gloved hands, helped. Once installed, though, it behaved exactly as it should.

Performance in weather

I laid the blanket right before two heavy storms. Normally, I’d see rills forming within a day; this time, the surface stayed intact. The blanket took the beating, and the seed stayed put. By week two, grass was poking through evenly; by week four, I had a green fuzz across the slope with no bald spots or channeling. The mat itself continues to provide mulch as it slowly breaks down, which keeps the soil surface moist and discourages crusting.

On a small drainage swale, it helped too—but it’s worth noting that for concentrated flow, especially in steeper or high-velocity areas, I’d step up to a heavier double-net blanket or a coir mat designed for channels. This blanket is best suited for lawn slopes, roadside shoulders, and gentle ditches where you want short-term protection and quick vegetation.

Materials and biodegradation

Excelsior (aspen) is a renewable wood fiber, and in practice it behaves a bit like a springy, woody wool. When it gets wet, the fibers expand slightly and interlock, which is why the blanket seems to cling to soil. As it decomposes, it functions like mulch, contributing organic matter without introducing seeds or additives.

The green color made the newly seeded area look finished on day one, and it didn’t seem to affect germination. The netting on my roll was photodegradable; left in sunlight, it starts to weaken over the season. If you’re using this in shady areas where sunlight is limited, expect the netting to hang around longer. Either way, once grass is established and you’re mowing, keep your cutting height up initially and avoid snagging any loose edges with a string trimmer.

Coverage and value

At 4 feet by 112.5 feet, you get roughly 450 square feet of coverage from a single roll. For a typical suburban slope or a couple of problem areas, that’s a good bite without overbuying. Compared to straw blankets, excelsior costs a bit more but holds together better and hugs contours more reliably. It’s generally less expensive than coir/biodegradable jute options aimed at higher-flow situations. For basic lawn establishment on moderate slopes, the cost-to-performance ratio is easy to justify.

Practical tips

• Prepare the site: grade to remove dips that collect water; address any upstream runoff with a berm, wattles, or a simple diversion.
• Seed rate: don’t be shy—use the higher end of your seed mix’s recommendation on slopes.
• Moisture: water gently through the mat; it will hold moisture like a mulch layer.
• Wildlife and pets: good anchoring discourages digging. If critter activity is high, add staples along the perimeter.
• Storage: keep rolls dry and out of the sun until use; UV exposure before installation weakens the netting.

Where it falls short

• Occasional roll defects: One of my rolls was wound so tightly the first few feet were a chore to separate. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it can waste time and a small amount of material.
• Staple demand: Plan on more staples than you think. If you try to stretch a small pack across the whole roll, you’ll get tenting and flutter in wind and storms.
• Not for extreme conditions: On steep slopes or in channels with high shear stress, step up to a double-net excelsior, coir, or a turf reinforcement mat. This blanket lives in the short-term, light-to-moderate duty category.
• Netting persistence in shade: Photodegradable netting needs sunlight to decay; in dense shade, you may notice net remnants longer than you’d like.

Who it’s for

• Homeowners establishing grass on slopes or repairing washout-prone patches
• Landscapers working on residential and light commercial sites
• Roadside shoulder touch-ups where quick vegetation is the goal
• Low-flow drainage areas needing short-term protection

If you’re tackling a steep cut slope, a channel with steady, focused flow, or a site where wildlife entanglement is a major concern, consider a heavier biodegradable net or different blanket class.

The bottom line

The QuickGrass blanket did exactly what I asked of it: it kept my seed and topsoil in place through heavy rain, encouraged even germination, and then quietly blended into the site as vegetation took over. The aspen fiber matrix clings better than straw, the green finish is tidy, and installation is straightforward as long as you come prepared with enough staples and basic slope prep.

I’d recommend this blanket for lawn establishment and general erosion control on moderate slopes and low-flow areas. It’s effective, easy to work with, and responsibly materials-forward without chemical additives or seed contamination. Just budget for extra staples, be ready to manage the occasional tightly wound start to a roll, and choose a heavier blanket if your site demands it. For the common scenario—stopping washouts while grass gets a foothold—it’s a solid, dependable choice.