Hydro seeding is a fast, cost effective way to have a new lawn that will turn your neighbors green with envy. Hydro seeding costs only a little more than old fashioned methods using dry seeding techniques combined with a messy straw mulch. The cost to have your new lawn hydro seeded is less than 1/4 the cost of using sod, and in a few weeks you will have a better appearing lawn with no need to worry if the sod will take. The protective mulch covering has an attractive green appearance. A special blend of seeds will be used that will be chosen for the conditions and requirements you have. The factors that may go into the choice may be the amount of sun, shade, the terrain, the type of soil and if you have children or pets. Your lawn will be hydro seeded with a tested, high quality, certified turf mix. Germination time will depend on the weather, the time of year, the amount of water, the area you live in and other factors. Usually grass will be visible in 5-7 days, a few days slower in cold weather or the hottest part of summer
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Advantages of Hydroseeding over Dry Seeding
- Hydro seeded lawns come up faster. The contact of the seed with water will trigger the germination cycle. We often hear of grass up in 3 to 5 days.
- Hydro seeding has an attractive green appearance that looks far better than lawns dry seeded and covered with straw mulch.
- Unlike straw that is often used as a protective cover for a newly seeded area, hydro seeding mulch has NO weed seed. Straw is loaded with weed seed.
- Hydro seeding allows the custom tailoring of the proper seed for your job. It is not uncommon to use two or even three seeds custom spraying the right seed for different areas on the lawn or job. Many custom hydro seeding contractors will use one seed for shady areas, one for high traffic areas, one to make the front lawn a showpiece.
- Hydro Seeding mulch adds to the humus content of a lawn as it decomposes. The bacterial action of straw will leach nitrogen from the soil as it decomposes.
Advantages of Hydroseeding over Sod
- Sod is a good solution to the need for a new lawn. It is expensive. Sod generally costs 3 to 5 times more than hydro seeding. Hydro seeding will often produce turf as nice looking as sod within a very short time at a significant cost savings.
- With hydro seeding the new seedlings are grown on your soil. Sod can have a problem with the type of soil it was grown on, not having sufficient compatibility with the soil it is planted on. This is called "not taking". If you have ever seen sod that looks like it could be rolled right back up even years after it was planted. That is sod that did not take.
- With sod the roots are chopped off resulting in a less healthy plant
- With sod it is important to have sod installed by someone who has a lot of experience. Sod will shrink over the first month and if it is not installed properly gaps will open up between the sod rows.
Sod requires a lot of care. It can produce a beautiful lawn. Should you decide to use sod, or as some people do, decide to sod the front lawn, and hydro seed the back lawn. We hope that you will ask the trained professional who installs your sod about the watering and fertilizing steps you need to follow to insure that you have a successful and beautiful new lawn.