Don’t be intimidated by hydroseeding—though the name sounds fancy. It’s actually an efficient and cost-effective technique for planting grass seed. The goal of hydroseeding, also known as hydromulching or hydraulic mulch seedling, is to create a completely customized, uniform ground layer of lush, green grass.
The growing interest in hydroseeding has made the necessary equipment available for homeowners to DIY the project or hire a lawn care company that provides the service. Before you get started, it’s important to understand the process so you know what results you can expect.
We’ll cover everything you need to know about what hydroseeding really is, how it works and the benefits and downsides to the method so you know what you’re getting into before pulling out your gardening gloves.
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What Is Hydroseeding?
Hydroseeding is a planting process that uses a slurry sprayed onto the ground to establish vegetation and control erosion. A slurry can be any combination of a hydroseeding mulch (seed and mulch), water, and additives such as fertilizer, biostimulants and even green-tinted dye or other organic materials. The hydroseeding technique is the process of spreading the slurry evenly over bare ground, which helps the seeds take root more quickly and prevents ground erosion.
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This method is much more efficient and convenient than traditional seeding and more affordable than laying sod.
The benefits of hydroseeding extend beyond creating a beautiful lawn for homeowners: The speed and effectiveness of hydroseeding have also popularized the technique in the construction and erosion control industries.
How Does Hydroseeding Work?
The slurry gives seeds everything they need to thrive in one mixture. The organic mulch bonds the seeds to the soil, provides added nutritional benefits while decomposing and protects the seeds from the elements (such as extreme temperatures, too much wind or sunlight). Meanwhile, the fertilizer provides all the nutrients for quickly-established roots and vegetation growth.
How to Get Started With Hydroseeding
Regardless of whether you go the DIY route or hire a professional lawn company, complete your hydroseeding process between March and October for optimal results.
For DIY hydroseeding, you’ll need the following equipment: grass seeds of your choosing, a hydraulic machine, a soil test kit, a landscaping rake for grading, topsoil and compost.
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Your steps should be as follows:
1. Start With Seeds
The benefits of hydroseeding start with your ability to customize the species of grass that you like and that thrive in your area. You can select grasses that have characteristics that will work to your advantage, such as a resistance to extreme temperatures, droughts or diseases.
If you aren’t sure what your options are, a local garden center or a professional lawn care company can guide you through your options.
2. Don’t Skip the Soil Test
The majority of grasses do best at a soil pH that is between a 6.5 or 7; if your soil is too acidic or alkaline, all your hydroseeding efforts may be in vain. A professional lawn care company will test your soil for you, but if you’re going the DIY route, you can buy a commercial or at-home test kit and send it to a company for analysis.
If your soil pH needs adjustments one way or the other, you can add both organic or inorganic materials to bring it back to where grass will grow.
3. Prepare the Ground and Grade the Soil
Hydroseeding should only be done on bare soil, so give yourself a blank slate by removing any weeds or debris. Then, grade the soil.
Grading the soil is the process of leveling your landscaping and preparing your yard for optimal drainage in the right direction, i.e. away from your home. This prevents runoff from pooling around your foundation and causing serious damage. For this step, gently slope the bare soil away from your home to keep the slurry from settling against structures where excess moisture could cause a problem.
4. Apply Topsoil and Compost
Start your seeds off strong with the best nutrients new grass needs. Similar to best practices for applying mulch, apply a two-inch blend of topsoil and compost over the whole ground where you plan to spray the slurry.
5. Re-Grade the Soil
Although it may sound tedious to grade the soil twice, this is the step where it really counts to smooth the surface of your soil. The slope away from your home should stay, but the more flat and smooth the surface, the better your hydroseeding will take to the ground.
6. Prep the Hydroseeder
This is the part when you get to create your slurry. Combine your custom seed blend with all the other additives—mulch, fertilizer and other biostimulants—and add the blend to the hydroseeder. Turn on the agitator to create a thorough, even mix.
Don’t sweat it if you don’t already have a hydroseeder laying around: you have lots of options. Due to the growing demand for hydroseeding, businesses that offer the equipment and lawn services have also increased their supply.If you really enjoy the process and plan to hydroseed more than once, you can purchase your own hydroseeder.
If hydroseeding DIY once is enough for you, renting a hydroseeder is an option too. And if you hire a professional lawn care company to do the job, they’ll already have the best tools for the job, including commercial-grade hydroseeding equipment.
7. Spray
Using your hydraulic machine, spray the hydroseed across the soil in a uniform layer. (You have our permission to have fun with this part!)
8. Maintenance
You’re not done yet; now, you are literally waiting on your grass to grow. The first two months require the most intensive care, and you’ll have to keep your lawn moist at all times. You should also avoid allowing anyone walk on the lawn during this period, including pets—sorry, pups.
As a general rule, watering your lawn several times a day (two to three) for the first few weeks is important, but if you live in an area that receives a healthy amount of rain water — or alternatively, in an area that is bone dry—adjust accordingly. For the next six to seven weeks, you can taper off your watering schedule gradually.
Grass species germinate at different speeds, but you may see grass sprouts starting within the first week to 10 days. You can start mowing after about a month, but wait another month before letting anyone else play or lay in the new grass.
Pros of Hydroseeding
- Customizable seed blend for grass that will thrive in your area
- More efficient than traditional seeding
- More uniform look; less patchy than laying sod or traditional seeding
- Compared to other planting methods, middle-tier cost of time and expense
- Creates a hardy, healthy lawn
- Prevents erosion
- Can be DIY friendly or can hire a lawn company
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Cons of Hydroseeding
- Takes approximately two months to establish grass after hydroseeding (so if you need an instant lawn or can’t keep the kids/ pets off of the grass, sod may be a better choice)
- Less DIY-friendly than laying sod or traditional seeding, requires more prep, equipment and maintenance
- Requires intensive watering while seeds are still getting established (so plan for a higher water bill and make sure your area does not have watering restrictions during the season you intend to start hydroseeding)