Hydro-Seeding
 

What is Hydro-Seeding & why consider it over hand seeding or sod applications?
 

COST EFFECTIVE
Hydro-Seeding is definitely the most economical choice for establishing the growing results desired without the expense, time consumption, material costs or installation demands of sodding or traditional hand seeding methods.

Hydro-Seeding typically costs 50-80% less than the price of sod, and coupled with labor charges, the overall expenses associated with sodding can be astronomical. With the savings in material costs and installation expenses,
a lawn could be fully established for half the price of sod. The savings that can be achieved when comparing the square footage costs are the same savings that are getting passed on to the client’s bottom-line.
 

Hydro-Seeding is also the cost effective solution over hand seeding as well. While the average hand-sewn lawn takes about half the day, the same area can be Hydro-Seeded to completion in about an hour to an hour and a half. With effects like this, it doesn’t take too long to justify the investment of the Hydro-Seeder equipment. While maintaining even more beautiful results, a healthier lawn, costs savings and faster germination, Hydro-Seeding is truly the cost effective choice and wave of the future.

QUALITY
The lawn quality that Hydro-Seeding affords is much healthier, greener and longer lasting than sodding or hand seeding applications. The root establishment is grown deeper into the soil and avoids the shock of being transplanted into foreign soils, which is what occurs with sod methods. Hydro-Seeding typically yields superior results
the first time it is installed and the seeds are more resistant to external problems because it has been adjusted to its present soil conditions. Hydro-Seeding soils hold moisture better than sod or hand seeded types, therefore the seeds can germinate quicker. Additionally, Hydro-Seeding includes fewer weed seeds, no layering of soils, greater possibility of planting trees and shrubs, and incorporates a tackifier coagulant that will not experience wash out. Consequently, it is fairly common for a peat moss covered seed to wash out in the event of moderate inclement weather. With Hydro-Seeding, it is possible to customize the application of different grass seed preferences to meet the quality expectations of the client’s aesthetic appeal, traffic needs and surrounding environments.

COVERAGE
Hydro-Seeding provides a thicker, more uniform lawn that essentially consists of a mat of interlocking fibers creating the ideal growing environment that doesn’t have the threat of seams showing as with sod or sparse, patchy areas with hand seeding. Hydro-Seeding creates an evenly covered area that forms a barrier to keep seed stabilized and retain moisture, fertilizer and other healthy growth-enhancing nutrients, while ultimately resulting in a full, lush lawn.

Other beneficial coverage advantages of Hydro-Seeding are its ability to cover large, difficult and inaccessible areas, such as slopes, that are too steep for sod applications. Coupled with increased plant survival and faster germination, Hydro-Seeding is ideal for covering projects ranging from golf courses to roadside erosion control.

EROSION CONTROL
Erosion control is the most prevalent reason for using Hydro-Seeding in an effort to hold moisture and protect against erosion from wind, rain, sun and pests through the binding of seed, mulch, tackifiers and other soil conditioners that encompass the Hydro-Seeding slurry to bind with the ground surface soil.

VERSATILITY & USE
Hydro-Seeding has become increasing popular, overshadowing both hand seeding and sod, for a wide array of jobsites and applications. Some of these uses include residential lawns, erosion control, hillside stabilization, vegetation restoration, wildfire repair, roadsides, national parks, soil renovation, landfills, city parks, airport dust
control, and many other versatile uses. Hydro-Seeding is used primarily to establish permanent lawns or landscaping, however it is also known for serving as temporary cover for dirt that will eventually be moved. One of the benefits of Hydro-Seeding is that the seed varieties that are added to Hydro-Seeding slurry mix are as unique and varied as the jobsites themselves. It is accommodating to be able to mix and match different seed blends to satisfy the needs of the clients and job. One of the main separations between Hydro-Seeding and other methods of seeding is its ability to economically seed large, hard-to-reach areas where alternative seeding methods may not be easily accomplished.

HEALTH
Hydro-Seeding creates the ideal microenvironment for germinating seed because the slurry materials enhance the seeds germination process and stimulates the seeds to grow a healthy, deep-rooted system in the ground where moisture is at its greatest. In comparison to sod, Hydro-Seeding is grown right at ones home, rather than some distant sod farm, so the threat of transplant shock or soil adaptation problems are not an issue. A Hydro-Seeded yard maintains full growth and resists disease and weeds.

Because the Hydro-Seeding slurry is a combination of different elements to help maximize seed growth, each of those individual elements adds various benefits to the Hydro-Seeding process. Mulch fiber helps prevent wind and water erosion, while simultaneously protecting the surface from sun damage and soil temperature fluctuation. Ultimately the mulch fiber decomposes and adds nourishment to the soil to enhance the germination process. Working together with the mulch, fertilizers have high phosphorus content to enhance the root growth and soil amendments improve the pH levels of the soil. Traditional hand seeding methods will have considerably less grass growth than a Hydro-Seeded yard because Hydro-Seeding provides a moisture retaining mulch that allows the undisturbed seed to germinate and root faster.

SPEED
Although Hydro-Seeding doesn’t afford the “instant lawn” gratification, such as sod, the combination of cost, quality, coverage, erosion control and health definitely tip the scales in favor of the plentiful benefits of Hydro-Seeding.

Hydro-Seeding is faster and easier to install than sod, and this rapid application is managed without the downfall of outstanding labor expenditures. A properly Hydro-Seeded and watered lawn will start to grow in about 7 days, and under normal conditions, will be fully established and ready to mow in 3-4 weeks. In comparison to other methods of seeding, seed applied in a Hydro-Seeding mix will generally show growth and develop turf faster than if it was applied in a broadcast fashion.

SAFETY
Hydro-Seeding is a completely safe and non-toxic method of growing grass that is harmless to kids, pets and the environment.

LABOR
One of the major advantages of Hydro-Seeding is simply manpower. In a typical Hydro-Seeding application, one can fully depend on less than 3 men to accomplish what is would take 6 workers to fulfill given the same amount of work time using erosion blankets or sod. Not only is Hydro-Seeding the ideal seeding application to attain a beautiful lawn at a fraction of the material cost and labor expenses as sod, but ultimately it requires very little intense labor to install. In addition to sod, hand seeding can be even more labor intensive and physically demanding, and usually results in lumpy, inconsistent results that don’t warrant the challenge of the installation.

WATER RETENTION
With Hydro-Seedings' ability to retain up to 10 times its weight in water, it’s definitely proved to be the best method for fast, healthy germination, high plant survival and protection of seeds with a moisture sealant. No other method of growing grass, whether sod or hand seeding, has the advantages of Hydro-Seeding when it comes to water retention.

In the Hydro-Seeding mix, fiber mulch and tackifiers are used to anchor the mixture to slopes and help seal in moisture. The water is then slowly released, along with nutrients, to the root system to constantly replenish itself until the next rainfall. A Hydro-Seeded ground starts growing grass from the root first, allowing the root system to go deep into the ground where moisture is at its greatest, making a very drought-tolerant lawn. On the contrary, when using sod, the ground has a difficult time establishing a root system making it weak in drought type conditions, and
with hand seeding, the watering demands are twice as much as a Hydro-Seeded lawn.