When you’re managing utility and infrastructure projects, every detail matters, especially what goes on the ground around your equipment. Choosing the best ground cover or materials for utility work and infrastructure work is vital. It isn’t just about looks. The right material should also provide weed control, protect your budget, and help your structures last longer.
Whether you’re working on solar farms, windmill installations, or installing utility poles, the right materials will help you stay within the budget and meet your project goals.
Ground Cover Material Matters More Than You Think
Here’s are 4 reasons why choosing the right material matters:
Prevent Costly Weed Growth
Encroaching vegetation poses a major risk to power lines, railways, and other types of infrastructure. Weeds can crack concrete, displace soil, and weaken structural integrity. Not to mention the extra challenge they pose for maintenance crews, who have to trudge through bristly weeds to do repairs. Dry weeds and vegetation around utility poles or electrical equipment also pose a fire risk.
Effective weed management is so important that it is one of the largest preventative maintenance expenses for utility companies in the United States. Larger utility companies report spending roughly $100 million per year in weed control. Choosing the right weed barrier can cut these ongoing costs significantly.
Stop Erosion Before It Starts
Erosion is a natural process where underlying soil begins to wear away. It can lead to structural instability and increased maintenance costs. Choosing the best material for erosion control will help your company’s structures last longer.
Maintain Safety Standards
Weeds and erosion can turn the area around your infrastructure into dangerous, slippery slopes. The right ground cover material should stabilize soil and help prevent weeds. It can also create buffer zones around utility poles and electrical equipment to decrease fire hazards. Essentially, this seemingly small detail keeps your installations safer for the company and your crew.
Enhance Appearance
While aesthetics might not be your top priority, poorly maintained sites don’t give off the best impression. Most companies want their facilities to look polished and professional. Using the right ground cover material helps achieve that goal.
Common Ground Cover Materials for Utility and Infrastructure Work
For commercial applications, there are three categories of commonly used ground cover material.
Stone: The Reliable Workhorse
Stone consistently ranks as our top recommendation for most utility and infrastructure projects. Stone and gravel are incredibly durable, making them very cost-effective over time. Once installed, stone requires minimal maintenance, giving an additional budgetary advantage to large scale projects and long-term operations.
Plus, stone provides excellent drainage, preventing water from pooling around equipment foundations. It is also great for weed suppression.
Best Infrastructure Applications for Stone:
- Around utility poles
- Solar farm foundations where drainage is critical
- Windmill bases that need long-term stability
- High-traffic maintenance areas around equipment
Mulch: The Aesthetic Option with Limitations
Although we highly recommend mulch for landscaping, flower beds, and even playgrounds, it’s not always the best fit for infrastructure.
Mulch Benefits and Drawbacks:
Mulch enhances aesthetics and blends naturally with the environment. It’s also great for enriching soil and enhancing plant health while creating an effective weed barrier. However, mulch requires annual replenishment. This adds ongoing labor and material costs to the budget. For most utility projects, these recurring expenses make mulch less practical than stone or gravel.
Best Infrastructure Applications for Mulch:
- Around utility poles where appearance matters
- Public-facing areas where natural aesthetics are important
- Temporary installations where long-term maintenance isn’t a concern
Grass: The Eco-Friendly Solution
If environmental sustainability is more important than a durable material, grass could be a good option for infrastructure projects.
Grass Benefits and Drawbacks:
Grass is affordable and fast growing, especially with hydroseeding methods. It is an eco-friendly option for weed and erosion control. Grass also helps absorb carbon dioxide and heat. The downside of grass is that it requires regular mowing and irrigation. For utility projects, orchard grass performs best because of its low-growing characteristics, which slightly reduces ongoing maintenance needs.
Best Applications for Grass:
- Around solar panels where carbon sequestration matters
- Large open areas between equipment
- Projects with specific environmental compliance requirements
Groundcover for Solar Farm Development
With the rapid growth of the solar energy industry, it’s important to note that solar farms have their own unique ground cover challenges and needs.
Stone vs. Grass: Making the Right Choice
Both stone and grass provide soil stabilization and effective weed suppression. The decision between the two often comes down to balancing upfront costs with long-term landscape maintenance requirements.
The Pros and Cons of Stone for Solar Farms
Stone provides great drainage. The increased water flow prevents pooling around panel foundations, which can cause structural problems. Stone is also great at keeping weeds from growing around the panels. Once installed, stone lasts for decades with little upkeep. Its low maintenance qualities make stone ideal for large-scale installations where ongoing upkeep costs add up quickly.
However stone doesn’t enrich the soil or support plants in any way. Its key role is drainage and durability.
The Pros and Cons of Grass for Solar Farms
Grass is more visually appealing than stone. It is also a simple, eco-friendly way to prevent erosion and weed growth. Grass is often able to absorb heavy rain faster than stone or rocks. Another one of the key features of grass is its ability to absorb carbon and heat, keeping the air around the solar farm cooler. These environmental benefits of grass are often attractive for solar farm operators.
On the other hand, grass requires regular upkeep, like irrigation and mowing. Ultimately, the choice comes down to the project goals. If environmental benefits and aesthetics matter more, grass might be worth the extra maintenance requirements.
Ground Cover for Wind Farms
Wind farms in the Midwest and similar regions benefit from combining ground cover materials. Wind farm developers often use grass and stone together, placing each material where it performs best.
Grass in Open Areas:
Planting grass in wide, open spaces between turbines enhances the visual appeal while supporting local ecosystems. Grass also manages water absorption effectively in these lower-traffic zones.
Stone in High-Traffic Areas:
Turbine bases require stone to prevent water pooling at the foundation. Gravel pathways and maintenance zones allow for easier access than grass. Heavy equipment traffic quickly damages grass while stone is able to withstand the pressure.
This strategic combination maximizes each material’s strengths for optimal wind farm performance with lower maintenance costs.
Ground Cover for Utility Companies
For utility companies, choosing the best ground cover depends largely on the equipment type and site access requirements.
Stone & Gravel Solutions
For most utility companies, stone and gravel deliver the best overall performance at the lowest cost.
Key Benefits of Stone:
- Excellent drainage
- Durable and low maintenance
- Good for weed control, reducing long-term vegetation management costs
- Reduces fire hazard risk
Mulch & Grass Applications
Both mulch and orchard grass work well when public visibility is important.
Key Benefits of Mulch and Grass:
- Control erosion effectively in sloped areas
- Retain soil moisture where needed
- Suppress weed growth
- Provide a professional, polished appearance
The downside is the upkeep. Mulch will need to be replenished yearly while grass needs to be watered and mowed.
Making the Right Choice for Your Infrastructure Project
Stone, grass, and mulch all help with weed control erosion prevention. The best choice depends on your specific project goals and situation. However, investing in quality ground cover material upfront will save money and headaches later on.
To choose the best material for your infrastructure or utility project, consider:
- Budget constraints: Both the initial cost and ongoing maintenance costs
- Project goals: Balance environmental needs, aesthetic appeal, and maintenance requirements
- Safety needs: Fire prevention and equipment accessibility
- Timeline: How quickly you need results vs. long-term performance
How Superior Groundcover Makes Infrastructure and Utility Work Easier
At Superior Groundcover, we know how important proper material placement is for your project’s long-term success. That’s why we’ve invested in advanced equipment and developed proven processes to make material placement faster, easier, and more effective.
Fast, Efficient Material Placement
Whether you need orchard grass hydroseeded around your wind farm, stone or gravel placed around your utility poles or mulch to add visual appeal, our specialized fleet of blower trucks, slinger trucks, and hydroseed equipment can place the materials faster and more accurately than manual methods.
From large scale projects that need to be done quickly or smaller projects that require precision and expertise, our crew of highly trained operators will place your materials without any stress, mess, or heavy lifting for you and your crew.
Simpler Pole Placement
For utility and telephone companies, Superior Groundcover also makes pole placement much simpler. You dig the hole and place the pole while we use our slinger trucks to fill in around the pole to hold it into place with stone. No more heavy loads. Just fast, efficient, and accurate material placement to help you and your crew get the project done faster.
Material Placement That Exceeds Expectations
When you choose Superior Groundcover, you’re investing in more than just material placement. You’re partnering with experts committed to delivering outstanding results. Contractors and utility companies trust us because of our:
- Unmatched Efficiency: With the largest fleet of blower and slinger trucks in the U.S. we complete projects faster and more efficiently than anyone else.
- Expertise: With more than 20 years of experience, we’re equipped to handle complex demands and large scale projects all while exceeding your expectations.
- Predictable Outcomes: Our streamlined process helps you avoid the material placement backlog so you can get work done on time and on budget.
If you want to choose the right ground cover material for your project contact Superior Groundcover today for a material placement estimate. We will save you time, reduce labor costs, and help you choose the best material for long-lasting results.
