Applegate Mulch currently offers a full line of erosion control and hydroseeding mulches. One product in our product line that is often overlooked, but is extremely effective for the purposes that it is designed for is Wood-Lok SMM. This is a high quality product that delivers top performance and great value.
When choosing an erosion control and hydroseeding mulch most contractors make the leap from wood fiber hydromulch with tackifier to Bonded Fiber Matrix (BFM) or Flexible Growth Medium (FGM), skipping over SMM altogether, even though SMM is an excellent choice for many job sites from both a performance and a cost standpoint.
Wood-Lok SMM is made from long-strand virgin wood fibers and a proprietary blend of cross-linked tackifier, which when mixed and applied according to directions will protect job sites from wind and water erosion for up to six months while at the same time providing a micro-climate that encourages seed germination. SMM is often thought of as a temporary erosion control product, but it is a much more versatile product than just temporary cover. It is the perfect hydroseeding mulch to use on moderate slopes, loose soils and where erosion is a concern before seed germination occurs. It is an excellent mulch to use on moderate slopes where seed will be slow to germinate and/or long term erosion control is required. It is the next logical hydromulch choice when hydromulch with added tackifier just does not have the holding power that the job site requires.
Wood-Lok SMM has a very quick cure time and will hold soil particles in place immediately after the application. The erosion control effectiveness improves as it cures and the mulch mat will always maintain its integrity through repeated rains.
One of the most desirable features of Wood-Lok SMM is its anti-transpirant qualities. The cured mulch mat prevents hard pounding, erosion causing rains from penetrating through the mulch mat, thus preventing soil erosion underneath the mulch mat. It causes excessive rain water to “sheet off” while at the same time allowing water to slowly absorb through the mulch mat. The mulch mat is able to hold over 12 times its own weight in water and will resist water evaporation thus retaining soil moisture for the germinating seedlings.
Wood-Lok SMM is an organic, completely biodegradable product, environmentally friendly and is safe for use around humans, pets, wildlife and fish. It is made from all natural occurring materials and is a good product choice on jobs sites where these product specifications are required.
Stabilized Mulch Matrix products have been successfully used on job sites that include landfill re-vegetation, roadside seeding, ditch banks, commercial seeding, residential seeding, fly ash stabilization, pipe line seeding, well site seeding, temporary erosion control and D.O.T. jobs to name a few.
Wood-Lok SMM is always manufactured to order and never taken from inventory that may be over a year old. Our fresh manufactured mulch is easy to load, easy to mix and easy to apply. In the words of one of our customers – “it is easy to use and it works”.
It is always puzzling why engineers, specification writers and contractors will make the leap from hydromulch with added tackifier to the very expensive BFM and FGM products, while not even considering the very cost effective stabilized mulch matrix. BFM and FGM products are just plain “over kill” for many job sites while being 50% to 75% more expensive per bale than stabilized mulch matrix materials, such as Wood-Lok SMM. We are in an economic time when budgets are very tight and jobs are won or lost over just a few cents. Some jobs are delayed for months or cancelled because of the high cost. Yet BFM’s and FGM’s continue to be specified, bid and used on job sites where the high quality and much less expensive stabilized mulch matrix is the perfect choice for job site performance, affordability and increasing profits.
Below is an example of the cost difference per acre on a 3H:1V slope, SMM compared to BFM and FGM. All three products have a recommended application rate for this slope of 2,500 lbs. per acre and are packaged in 50 lb. bales. The prices used are contractor average prices and may vary slightly from region to region. 50 bales are required per acre on a 3H:1V slope.
SMM: $24 per bale x 50 bales = $1,200 per acre
BFM: $33 per bale x 50 bales = $1,650 per acre
FGM: $36 per bale x 50 bales = $1,800 per acre
You can see that the cost difference is significantly less with SMM and the product is just as effective on this slope as BFM or FGM.
Please review the Wood-Lok SMM product information sheet and please contact us if you have questions about the performance and value of Wood-Lok SMM.
