[CanuckJim]

PJK,

I've done a fair bit of work in this area and found a few tricks that might help. One: make sure the chicken wire is tight to the blanket. You can do this by cutting it and stitching it up with the cut ends so there are no bulges.
Two: get a spray bottle and mist the blanket before applying the mixture. This might lengthen your cure time somewhat, but it really helps with sticking. Three: most vermic or similar mixtures do no like staying on near vertical surfaces, so begin with a fairly thick layer and go from the bottom up. Hold the stuff in position for a count of ten before removing your trowel.

Jim