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What You Can Do to Control Erosion

Erosion Control Plants, Products, Seeds and Strategies

First Steps

1) Consult with your county extension agent (Midland contact or Gladwin contact) or a professional landscaper for an on-site inspection and recommendations.
  • They will recommend plants or other strategies to stabilize shorelines based on slope, elevation, moisture content and soil type, or whether riprap is the best solution. Riprap is a more expensive solution than planting
2) Choosing grasses: If the extension agent or landscaper recommends planting grass, the right perennial grasses will stabilize bottomland against further erosion. You may plant grasses on the lakebottom without a permit from EGLE. You have a choice of planting cool season or warm season grasses.
  • The extension agent may recommend planting warm season native grasses. These grasses have relatively expensive seeds and should only planted be in the winter dormant season or in springtime. Recommended warm season grasses may be found further down on this page.  The warm season native grasses have deep roots that are effective at erosion control, but are slow to establish and can take two seasons to become effective
  • Cool season grasses (grasses planted on lawns in our area) establish faster, the seeds are less expensive and may be planted in winter dormant season, springtime or fall. A good choice for a cool season grass is tall fescue, type Kentucky 31. It spouts quickly and roots as deeply as warm season grasses. Mixing rapid-germinating seasonal rye grass seed or seed oats with the perennial erosion control grass seed will help the perennial grass establish
    • There are two types of tall fescue seed. One has no coating and the other has a coating to discourage geese from eating it. The coated seeds cost more and germinate more slowly, but will be necessary if you do not cover the seeds with an erosion blanket…unless you like feeding the geese
Plant native grasses and vegetative buffers for your lakeshore that are proven to slow shoreline erosion on inland lakes.*
3) Install riprap (rocks) to stabilize current slopes and replace rocks by your sea wall. Note: this may require a permit from EGLE.
4) Extend drain lines from your seawall down to the foot of the shoreline slope or current water’s edge. This will protect your shoreline from further erosion.

Planting grass: The best choice of grass seed for stabilizing the bottom land is Kentucky 31 tall fescue. The seed is available at Tractor Supply,  Walmart and Menards (call ahead to check availability). The Gladwin County Conservation District and Four Lakes Task Force may also have this seed watch for information). Sow this seed at a rate of 5 lbs./1,000 square feet. This seed may be successfully planted any time other than the spring runoff (when seed may be washed away) or the summer hot/dry season (when the seed may germinate and then die without constant watering).

For best results, protect your grass planting by covering the seeded area with erosion control mats. These mats are available at a number of local suppliers and may also become available through the Gladwin County Extension service and Four Lakes Task Force.
Picture
Kentucky 31 tall fescue grass
erosion control mat
Erosion control blanket

What Should I Plant?

The least expensive option is a grass seed native to or adapted to Michigan, along with a nurse crop, which grows quickly and protects slower-growing perennial grasses. Plant native grasses in the spring and tall fescue grass in the spring or fall. Tall fescue will germinate and establish more rapidly than warm season grasses. 

Native Grasses

  • Big Bluestem (best for soil type)
  • Little Bluestem (best for soil type)
  • Switchgrass
  • Indiangrass
Grasses are sowed at a rate of 2.5-3 lbs per 10,000 square feet. Plant native grasses between May 15 - June 15.

Nurse Crops

  • Annual Ryegrass
  • Seed Oats
These two crops are the most common and are easy to buy locally. Ryegrass and oats are sowed at a rate of 5 lbs per 10,000 square feet

How Do I Plant Them?

  1. Plant native grasses between May 15 - June 15 for best results. Plant tall fescue between May 1 - June 1 or August 15 - September 15. Either type of grass may be sowed in late November through winter as a “dormant seeding,” which will not sprout until the ground warms in the spring. For best results, cover the seeds with erosion blankets to prevent seeds being washed away and provide mulch to help keep moisture in the soil for the grass.
  2. (Optional) Use garden rake to create small furrows in the ground.
  3. Spread grass seed mixture by hand or handheld spreader.
  4. Rake area with leaf rake to bury the seeds slightly (1/4” is plenty).
  5. Sprinkle water lightly so you do not wash the seeds away. Water daily for for 3 weeks.
  6. If you use a nurse crop, mow 8” high or weed whip to cut tops off weeds and shorten the nurse crop – 3 times over the first summer.
Further Resources
  • Planning Your Native Planting
  • Native Grasses Planting

Download or print a PDF version of the information on this webpage.

Erosion Control Products and Seeds

Erosion Products
  • Erosion Control Blankets
  • Turf Reinforcement Mats
  • Geo Cells
  • Geotextiles
  • Transition Mats
  • Hard Armoring
  • Pipe products
Distributors
  • Etna Supply: Mt. Pleasant – (989) 772-5100, Saginaw – (989) 753-5893
  • Michigan Pipe and Valve: Mt. Pleasant – (989) 817-4331, Saginaw – (989) 752-7911
  • Linwood Tile Company: Linwood - (989) 697-4491
  • Jensen Bridge & Supply Co: Sandusky - (810) 648-3000
  • Rhino Seed and Landscape Supply: Brighton - (800) 482-3130

Manufacturer Representatives
  • Interface H2O: Distributor and Manufacturer Representative, Zeeland - (616) 931-5584
  • Hanes Geo Components: Livonia – (866) 960-4300
Seawall Repair
  • Will McLoughlin: (989) 400-7416
  • Mid-State Seawall: Beaverton - (989) 435-3887
  • Jet Filter System: 1-800-475-2029
Where to Get Seeds (2020 pricing)
Kentucky 31 Tall Fescue sources: Tractor Supply, Walmart, Menards, Sweeney Seed Co. (Mt. Pleasant), Lowes, Home Depot, Standish Milling (Standish) and many more seed stores

Touch of Country
  • Call for prices (989) 689-3183
Standish Milling
  • 50 lb. FSG Perennial Ryegrass ..................................... $73.75
  • 50 lb. Smooth Bromegrass ............................................. $131.00
  • 1 lb. Midwest Wildflower Mix ......................................... $28.00
Jonathan Green
  • 25 lb. TRI-RYE Perennial Ryegrass ............................ $79.99
  • 1 lb. Wildflower and Meadow Grass Mix ............... $14.99
Native Connections
  • ¼ acre Slope Stabilization Seed Mix ........... $177.00
  • Big Bluestem ................................................... $13.00/lb.
  • Canada Wild Rye .......................................... $40.00/lb.
  • Riverbank Wild Rye .................................... $80.00/lb.
  • Silky Wild Rye ................................................. $140.00/lb.
  • Virginia Wild Rye ........................................... $18.00/lb.
  • Bottlebrush Grass........................................... $240.00/lb.
  • Junegrass ............................................................ $320.00/lb.
  • Switchgrass ........................................................ $12.00/lb.
FLTF does not endorse, support, work with, or receive any sort of compensation or kick-back from any of these businesses.
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Four Lakes Task Force
  • About
    • History
    • Who We Are >
      • Team Bios
    • Operations
    • Secord Dam
    • Smallwood Dam
    • Edenville Dam
    • Sanford Dam
  • Restoration Plan
  • Donate
    • Why Donate?
    • Our Donors >
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  • Events
  • Documents
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    • Audited Financials
    • County Documents
    • Edenville/Wixom
    • Engineering Reports & Studies
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    • Publications & Partner Presentations
    • Published Statements
    • Regulatory Correspondence
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    • Sanford
    • Secord
    • Smallwood
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  • Resources
    • Erosion Control >
      • Project Map
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      • What You Can Do
    • FOIA Request
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