Fibrous web for planting seeds, method of using same, apparatus for producing same

The method of forming a fluffy uncompressed rolled seeded or unseeded straw-like mulch mat capable of being unrolled, which derives its entire structural strength and unity from randomly oriented, unmodified, natural, elongated, straw-like cellulosic fibers, bonded together through spot contact bonding between contiguous fibers by a water soluble adhesive which due to the mat's density and thickness is spread substantially throughout, including the steps of,

• feeding onto a conveyor a mat of fluffy randomly, oriented, unmodified, natural, elongated and dry straw-like cellulosic fibers,
• spraying water soluble adhesives onto said straw-like cellulosic fibers,
• spreading onto the adhesive a predetermined amount of granular material from the class comprising seed and fertilizer,
• drying the adhesive and thereby bonding the straw-like fibers together and securing the granular material to the straw-like fibers by the adhesive on the straw-like fibers providing spot contact bonding only between contiguous fibers and with the granular material, and
• rolling the mat into a roll for storage and unrolling at the location of use.