SITE preparation INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Hydroseed time is from late March to Late November (weather depending)
  • Determine your seed requirements (sunny, shady, playground, meadow)
  • Rototil 4''-5'' of compost into the existing soil or cover existing soil with 4''-5'' of a lawn mix topsoil
  • Rake and smooth the soil removing sticks and rocks as you go
  • Try to make it as smooth as possible as a dip now will still be a dip later
  • Soil should be lightly compacted leaving a very small depression upon walking on it
  • Lightly water the soil just prior to hydroseeding
  • Measure the area by pacing off the average length and width then multiplying to obtain the square footage

Hydroseeding. Sod. Lawn Installation.

Installing a lawn can be done by three main methods. The traditional method is to broadcast seed by hand or spreader over a prepared area and then cover or mulch the seed with peat moss. This method is very time consuming and provides poor to average results. The drawback is that the seed needs to be properly and uniformly spread across the lawn area and that is hard to do by hand. Also, peat moss is hard to spread and it is prone to erosion during rains or watering until the seed becomes established. This method is best used for very small areas or for over seeding bare spots.

Sodding is a proven method and provides a quick result as the sod is all ready grown and provides an 'instant curb appeal' It is good for smaller lawn areas or where an quick usage is needed. The drawback is that it requires a lot of hand labor to move it from the pallet to the prepared area, and then unrolled and trimmed to fit. The scraps will need to be removed and discarded as well. Sod is also expensive, depending on the size. An average size yard of 4,000 sq. ft. can cost about $2,500 to install, not including any soil prep or topsoil. It is a good choice if it is needed to be installed during the colder months when seed will not germinate or for areas that have foot traffic or dogs that can not be relocated during seed establishment.

Hydroseeding is the best of all the methods for most installations. Hydroseeding can be recognized by its unique green color that is visible following its application. A hydroseeding machine is nothing more than a big blender that is filled with seed, green dyed wood cellulose fiber, tackifier/glue, fertilizer and of course water. Once it is thoroughly mixed, the slurry is then sprayed onto the prepared soil. Since the seed is completely covered by the mulch and fertilizer, it is quick to germinate often in 6- 10 days depending on soil temperature. The results are very uniform any shaped lawn can be precisely covered without fail. With the addition of the tackifier/glue, the seed is very erosion resistant and this method allows spraying of steep slopes with great success. The best advantage of hydroseeding is that it is quite cheap to apply about one-fifth the cost of sodding and it is even much cheaper as the size of the project increases. A typical lawn of 4,000 sq. ft. can be hydroseeded for about $500 labor included. Any type of seed can be installed from premium turf seed, playground mixes, wildflowers, and erosion control mixes. Unlike sod where it is predominantly for sunny areas, shade mixes can be hydroseeded with ease. With our state of the art hydroseeder, we can spray lawns up to 300' or more from a suitable parking area.

For all of your hydroseeding or sod projects, call Gracey Landscape & Hydroseeding for a quick free quote. We have been hydroseeding for over 25 years now and have installed millions of square feet of beautiful lush green grass. Since we are local, we stand 100% behind our product and will guarantee your satisfaction. Remember that the soil and site preparation are the same no matter how you apply the seed. Special uses like wildflower,erosion, pastures, ect have a different soil preparation than lawn or turf areas.