Hydroseeding is a cost-effective way to distribute grass seed on your property, and can help control erosion on slopes. Learn why it isn’t right for every yard, however—and why you have to very careful when selecting a professional hydroseeding company.

The process of hydroseeding is garnering attention from homeowners who want a new approach to a beautiful lawn, especially in large areas that are difficult to seed. Unlike laying sod or applying dry seed, this seeding method uses a sprayer to spread grass seed, fertilizer, water, and other chemicals at one time to create healthy topsoil for your new lawn to grow.

Hydroseeding: Is it Right for Your Lawn?

Hydroseeding is a cost-effective way to distribute grass seed on your property, and can help control erosion on slopes. Learn why it isn’t right for every yard, however—and why you have to very careful when selecting a professional hydroseeding company.

The process of hydroseeding is garnering attention from homeowners who want a new approach to a beautiful lawn, especially in large areas that are difficult to seed. Unlike laying sod or applying dry seed, this seeding method uses a sprayer to spread grass seed, fertilizer, water, and other chemicals at one time to create healthy topsoil for your new lawn to grow.

In hydroseeding, grass seed, water, fertilizer, mulch, and a bonding agent are combined in a large tank to create a loose slurry. The mixture is then sprayed directly onto soil through a discharge nozzle. It’s an alternative to both laying down sod and conventional dry-seed application, in which seed, fertilizer, and mulch are applied individually and then watered. (Though a precise process that requires no specialized equipment, conventional dry-seed application takes longer and involves a fair amount of labor.)

Hydroseeding (also called “hydraulic mulch seeding”) was developed in the 1940s to efficiently “blow” seed onto inaccessible slopes. Still a cost-effective way to establish grass along roads and other commercial properties, hydroseeding is now being used for some residential properties. Hydroseeding offers several benefits for you and your yard, including:

• Cost effective: Hydroseeding a large area is less expensive than sodding with mature grass.
• Quality grass: Hydroseed mixtures coat grass seed in mulch and fertilizer, so seeds germinate faster than with other methods.
• Erosion control: Hydroseed holds moisture and protects against erosion from wind, rain, and pests.
• Weed prevention: Hydroseed mixtures contain fewer weed seeds, and grass seed is coated in a slurry to help germinate and stamp out weeds while growing.
• Professional application: A professional hydroseeding company can apply the hydroseed mixture quickly.

When to Consider Hydroseeding Your Lawn

Hydroseeding is used to grow grass in both commercial and residential settings. Contractors use hydroseeding to cover broad slopes and large swaths of open ground created during the construction of highways, housing developments, office parks, and other building projects. Since these bare slopes lack vegetation, hydroseeding is a means of growing grass quickly to provide ground cover and prevent erosion from heavy rain or high winds.

Hydroseeding also has other commercial applications. It’s often used to seed large fields to grow grass that can feed grazing animals or to seed playing fields for sports. Since hydroseeding is applied using a large truck-mounted grass seed sprayer that can distribute seeds hundreds of feet away, it’s an effective means of planting grass in hard-to-reach places that would be difficult if not impossible to seed or sod by hand.

Hydroseeding is also an effective solution for controlling erosion along stream banks and coastlines. Hydroseeding these areas establishes grass with root structures that halt this erosion. Hydroseeding is also sometimes used to revegetate large areas following wildfires.

Although we mainly associate hydroseeding with growing grass, hydroseeding can also include wildflower seeds. Wildflower hydroseeding is often used to beautify and provide erosion control for highway medians and other open areas.

While hydroseeding began primarily to meet commercial needs, more and more landscaping companies are using this method to seed residential yards. Historically, homeowners have had two options when it comes to seeding their lawns: dry seed and sod. Dry seed takes a significant amount of time and doesn’t always work, while sod is very expensive.

Hydroseeding is more effective than dry seed and more affordable than turf. Homeowners can purchase hydroseeding kits online, or hire a landscaping company to treat the yard. Hydroseeding is handy for:

• Large slopes on construction sites
• Seeding in places that would be difficult to seed manually
• Highway medians
• Revegetating burned areas
• Playing fields
• Large grassy areas around industrial complexes, office parks and schools
• Stabilizing waterside slopes
• Homes with large yards

Hydromulching vs. Hydroseeding

Although hydromulching and hydroseeding are terms that are often used interchangeably, they are not the same thing. Hydroseeding consists of a slurry of mulch, seed, fertilizers, water, and other amendments. This mix provides not only the necessary seed and fertilizer but also mulch for grass seed.

The intent of hydroseeding is to create vegetation that will provide an attractive ground cover and control erosion, especially on slopes or areas that have been damaged by land disturbances such as construction or wildfires, and to create ground cover for residential yards. Since hydroseeding is a fairly expensive method of seeding, it’s typically reserved for larger areas.

Hydromulching or spray mulching, in comparison, contains no seed and consists of a mulch and tackifier. Hydromulching is designed to provide a temporary barrier over bare earth to control erosion. Hydromulch can consist of a variety of materials. Some hydromulch is 100 percent cellulose, which is made of recycled cellulose fibers. Higher quality hydromulch consists of 100 percent wood fibers that are taken from wood chips, while other hydromulch contains a blend of cellulose and wood fibers.

How Does Hydroseeding Grass Work?

Most people hire a professional for hydroseeding grass, but if you choose to do it yourself, the hydroseeding process is still roughly the same. The first step is seed selection.

There are many seeding options from which to choose: You can choose a specific grass species, or a blend of grasses. Your seed selection should be based on where you live and whether the grass needs to have heat-, disease-, or drought-resistant qualities. Hydroseeding isn’t cheap, and you won’t want to have to do it over again. For this reason it’s important to complete to the following steps after choosing the appropriate seed:

• Perform a soil test. Grass won’t grow properly if the soil is too alkaline or acidic. For grass to thrive, the soil pH should be between 6.5 and 7. Use lime, sulfur, or compost to adjust the pH if needed.
• Hydroseed should only be applied to bare soil, so remove weeds, rocks or other debris that may inhibit the seeds from reaching the soil.
• Next, grade the soil about 3 inches to prevent the slurry from going outside the area where it might damage nearby structures.
• Apply a 2-inch layer of topsoil and compost, which will provide the necessary nutrients for the new lawn to thrive.
• Prep the hydroseeder by turning on the tool’s agitator, which will mix all of the components to a nice slurry.
• Apply the seed using the sprayer and hydraulic machine. Although the hydroseed mix is messy, it’s nontoxic.
• Maintain the area by watering two or three times a day. Grass should begin to grow in about 7 to 10 days. The grass will need time to establish its root system before it can endure foot traffic, so rope off access to the area for about 4 to 6 weeks, then limit the grass to light use for the next 3 or 4 months.

Types of Mulch Used in a Hydroseeding Slurry

A variety of mulches are used for hydroseeding. Each mulch fits a specific need, including cost efficient, premium, erosion control, stabilizing slopes or landfill cover.

• Paper mulch is an affordable mulch additive, making it ideal for applications in which keeping cost under control is a factor and quality is secondary. It’s effective for flat open fields around industrial areas or highway medians and some yards.
• Wood fiber mulch is more expensive than paper mulch, but does a better job at preventing erosion and promoting vegetation growth. Wood mulch is a good choice for slopes or premium lawns.
• A wood/paper blend of 70 percent wood and 30 percent paper mulch offers better erosion control and promotes better grass growth than paper mulch can, but at a more affordable price than wood fiber mulch.
• Straw hydromulch requires less water, is easier to load into the sprayer, and provides more uniform coverage than paper or wood. These characteristics make it the mulch of choice for growing a lush yard.
• Erosion control mulch, as its name suggests, is designed specifically to halt erosion. As such, it’s the best choice for controlling erosion on slopes or waterside areas.

Water soon and frequently after hydroseeding.

A hydroseeded lawn requires a lot of water during the early stages. Keeping the seedbed moist for an extended period of time can be a time-consuming, pricey proposition.

Clayton advises, “Budget several hundred dollars for water for a hydroseeded lawn.” For the first 2 weeks, you’ll need to program your sprinkler to water three to four times a day for at least 15 minutes. Over the next 2 weeks, watering should gradually decrease in frequency but increase in duration.

One month after a visit from your hydroseeder, the lawn will need 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week, which is the average amount for a regular lawn, depending on the grass type.

The best time of year to hydroseed a lawn is spring or fall.

According to the IAHP, spring and fall are the best seasons for hydroseeding because warm soil and moderate rain help young grass seedlings grow deep roots. Summer heat will help grass germinate and grow faster, but you’ll likely have to water more often. It’s not recommended to hydroseed in winter because the grass usually is dormant and will not germinate until the weather warms.

Call Suburban Contracts Inc for a free estimate. 734-341-0575