gabions and gabion mattresses are wire fabric containers, uniformly partitioned, of variable size, interconnected with other similar containers and filled with stone at the site of use, to form flexible, permeable, monolithic structures such as retaining walls, sea walls, channel linings, revetments and weirs for earth retention. mattresses are relatively small in height in relation to the lateral dimension of a gabion and are generally used for channel linings. gabions and mattresses are sold as assembled baskets, unassembled panels and in roll stock form. roll stock may utilized to build continuous gabion structures up to 300 feet in length or mattresses up to 150' in length. gabions and mattresses are assembled with our preformed spiral binder (3" pitch) and filled with properly graded stone. we suggest the use of pre-formed stiffeners at each exposed face of the gabion. gabions and mattresses will revegetate over time as the structure collects soil and the airborne or waterborne seeds of locally occurring plantlife. this spontaneous growth will create a very natural environment and will increase the efficiency of a gabion structure as the plants enhance the soil stability. it may be desireable to foster the growth of a particular plant species and/or hasten the natural process of vegetation. in this case, ecomattresses are the ideal solution. standard gabion mattresses fitted with a geotextile liner are filled with graded stone; the stone fill is then saturated with a quality soil medium - this may or may not be seeded. a natural fiber mat is placed across the top and then the mesh lid is attached to hold it in place. if the ecomattress is not seeded, it would be planted with small seedlings through the fiber mat.