Paul Truong, Technical Director of TVNI, brings an amazing photo gallery of VS demonstrating extreme slope stabilization from Africa, Asia and and South America. The presentation “Geotropism of Vetiver” is compelling and is the work of Dr. P.K.Yoon of Malaysia (author of “Look See at Vetiver Grass in Malaysia”), and demonstrates the strong geotropism characteristics of vetiver grass. He did this experiment to show how vetiver could be grown in open ended horizontal tubes that were inserted in to shotcrete on near vertical walls on a highway batter in Hong Kong. You can see in the image to the left the extraordinary horizontal displacement of the roots from the leaves. The vetiver also helps dewater the soil behind the shotcrete – reducing hydraulic pressures. The balance of the essay shows images of vetiver applied to very steep slopes under various conditions of slope, soils, and climate. In addition you will see how complimenting engineering techniques are often associated with VS, to assure complete stability, particularly in the first few years of development. This photo essay should be classified as a “MUST SEE” and should be shared with all those interested in long term slope stability and erosion control. The Vetiver System allows slope stabilization technology to be extended to even the most insignificant projects that in the face of funding constraints would otherwise never be stabilized except by the chance of nature. Planners, designers, and developers please NOTE!!
Dick Grimshaw