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When hydroseed is watered the wood fiber mulch retains moisture like a sponge and gives the seed the ideal environment to grow in. If you just throw down seed out of a bag onto the soil, when you water it the water quickly goes down into the soil. The seedlings do not have enough time to absorb the moisture or the nutrients from the fertilizer. That is why hydroseeding is far superior to hand seeding.
We only use high-quality wood fiber mulch. Most contractors use paper fiber mulch because it’s cheaper, but it doesn’t retain water nearly as well as wood fiber mulch. Some contractors also have to use paper mulch because of the style machine they use. Any hydroseeder that is made from a plastic tank uses jet agitation & can not process wood fiber mulch. We use a mechanical agitation truck-mounted machine to mix the hydroseed. Our truck is a $150,000 truck compared to a small $5,000 trailer with a plastic tank that many contractors use. You truly do get what you pay for.
No, we only hydroseed over freshly prepared soil. You need to have a large majority of the existing grass and turf removed, the soil turned over, and the surface raked flat and soft- not packed down/compacted. We recommend 2-4″ of fresh loam also be applied to the area and raked out soft to where you can leave a footprint in it.
We do not need to come out to look at a hydroseed project ahead of time. If you or your landscaper are preparing it, we will just need you to give us a measurement or total square footage. We will give you the pricing right over the phone and then email you a proposal with our warranty information on it.
We will do a final measurement once on-site, and adjust the price accordingly. We will only visit the property if you are within our local area and also need us to do the prep work.
We don’t spray over any existing grass, dead or alive. The hydroseed needs to penetrate the soil to germinate and root into it properly. When there’s dead grass/root system in the way, it will germinate in the wood fiber mulch and then die off within a few weeks. The results are so bad, we would not put our name on that. You may want to consider a slice-seeding, this will help thicken up your existing lawn. You can rent a slice seeding machine and take care of this yourself.
Yes, it will grow anywhere; even on a rock, but without having a surface to root into, it will not thrive or last. It’s not a “magic” seed. It needs water, fertilizer, sun, and proper care forever to germinate properly and become a healthy beautiful lawn.
If you are local to our home office, we will take your information and have an estimator touch base with you to set up a time to provide you with a quote on the prep work and the hydroseed. We hydroseed all over New England, but only do the prep work locally, and we are typically booked out 6-10 weeks through the entire year.
You can have any landscaper who is local to you prepare it for you and then call us to come hydroseed. Also, many clients do the prep work on their own.
We do not provide this service. We recommend you contact a fertilization company for this service. You can also rent the equipment from any equipment rental store and do the work yourself.
About 2-4″ of thickness. A yard of loam will typically cover about 100 square feet at a depth of 3″.
No, you want it soft enough to leave a footprint in it. If it gets packed down/compacted by rain or from sitting for too long, you will need to rake it again before we apply the hydroseed.
Yes, we guarantee at least a 90% germination rate if seeded prior to June 15th* and after August 15th* up until October 15th*, but you MUST have an underground sprinkler system installed to assure the lawn is being properly watered for us to provide this guarantee. You must also have the lawn properly fertilized on a regular schedule by a fertilization company. If you need a respray for any reason, the cost is 50% of the original price.
*these dates are subject to change based on seasonal temps.
It’s not needed, but you are welcome to. It needs to be a high-quality seed. Seed from a building supply store typically has too high of a weed content. Be sure to check the weed seed content, or go to a SiteOne store for a New England Mix of fescue, rye, and Kentucky Bluegrass.
We have many seed options available. If you have any special seed requests we can calculate the price and email a quote to you.
Yes, and no. Shade seed still needs some sun to grow. If you have so many trees in your yard that you have almost 90% shade from dawn until dusk, it would be best to have the branches thinned or some trees removed to allow light in for the grass to grow. You will end up needing to re-hydroseed in a year or two, or see almost no growth at all. Some shade is good, but too much shade will work against you.
You can buy a Sun & Shade mix at a SiteOne Landscape store. Be careful buying seed from other garden centers and DIY stores as those seed bags often contain a high percentage of weed seed. Our seed contains less than .007% weed seed. It’s microscopic if at all present.
We try to work around the weather. We do our best to avoid this, but it can happen when the weather changes quickly. If you have a washout due to rain, we will come back and re-spray for 50% of the original price.
We do not recommend you let your dogs or kids onto the hydroseed until it’s fully grown (About 8-10 weeks). It’s safe for them but the wear and tear will result in poor growth.
We leave a care sheet for you at the time of hydroseeding.
3 times per day, about 15-20 minutes per zone for the first few weeks. Multiple light waterings are better than one heavy watering. You want to keep it moist, not sopping wet & puddling.
Keep as much traffic as possible off of the newly seeded areas for the first 6 weeks. At 4-6 weeks after it is sprayed, you can carefully push mow it. Never remove more than 1/3 of the blade when you mow. Do not go away on vacation and leave it to grow without being mowed for much longer than 7-10 days. We cannot repair this type of damage, you will have to start from scratch.
We do not need to inspect hydroseed in the first 16-20 weeks. You must give it time and be patient with it. You need to hand seed bare spots and follow our care instructions. You will see faster growth in some areas and slower growth in others. This is completely normal. Also, judging your growing hydroseed from a 2nd story window view should be avoided until the lawn is established.
We always carry 200 feet of hydroseed hose on the truck. We do have extra hose we can bring upon request.
Yes, you need to water your lawn for the life of it. Once it fills in, you can taper down the frequency at your own discretion. The care sheet you receive will go over that. Rain alone will not be sufficient enough to keep your lawn healthy and thriving for years to come.
Keep the lawn moist at all times by timely light sprinklings.
As a general rule, set irrigation for 6am, 12pm and 4pm. (On hot, sunny days 3 watering cycles may not be enough).
Allow the lawn to dry before sunset to avoid potential disease.
Continue watering cycle daily until the seed has germinated. Generally within 21 days.
If the seedlings dry out too much during this time, they will not grow successfully.
In the first 3 weeks, don’t worry about weed growth, this provides fertility in the soil and can be treated once the lawn is established.
Watering is most effective if done in the morning or late afternoon.
In the afternoon, some evaporation will occur during the day, but the cooling effect of the water on the grass plants is of greater benefit than any water that may be lost.
Once the lawn is ESTABLISHED, it will require approximately one inch of water per week in the Spring and Fall and 2 inches of water in the heat of the summer.
Try not to overwater during this time period. The soil should be firm and moist, not muddy or soft.
Watch for dry spots or puddles which will show you areas that may need a little extra water, or a little less.
When your hydro-seed was applied, it contained seed, mulch and a starter fertilizer.
A starter fertilizer should be applied 4-5 weeks after seeding.
Follow-up fertilizer applications should be made every 4-5 weeks throughout the first growing season.
Mow as soon as the grass blades are 2.5” high.
Mow at this height for the first 3-4 weeks, twice a week, if possible. (Low mowing allows the slower germinating varieties to get adequate sunlight to grow.)
After the first 3-4 weeks, raise the mower a little each week until it is set at 3” – 3.5” high. (this is the optimum height for grass health and density)
THERE WILL BE WEEDS THAT GROW IN YOUR NEW LAWN. THIS IS NORMAL.
Weed seeds are in the soil, get blow in with the wind or spread by birds.
A healthy lawn is the best prevention against weeds. Proper watering, fertilizing and mowing will help grass out-compete the weeds.
In 4 to 5 mowings, your lawn will be able to tolerate a broadleaf herbicide.
A consistent weed control program should be in place to keep weeds to minimum and not allow them to compete with your new lawn.
-Proper soil preparation is crucial to the final results of your hydroseed.
-Sure, hydroseed can technically grow “anywhere”, but to get it to grow into a thick, lush, emerald green lawn that is the envy of the neighborhood is the goal.
-The existing root system should be removed from the area to be seeded via rototiller, Harley rake, power rake, Bobcat etc.
-We do not advise spraying the existing root system with Round-Up or a similar herbicide to kill off the weeds. We advise in removing that root system completely & keeping the chemicals out of the soil.
-This is the perfect time to fill any low spots or dips in your yard.
-Any drainage or pitch issues should be addressed at this time.
-Now is the ideal time to install an Underground Sprinkler System to protect the investment in your lawn.
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