Hydroseeding may sound high-tech and complex, but you can do it yourself in your own yard. It’s an effective way to seed a lawn that has begun to replace more traditional methods such as sodding and broadcasting.
We’ll explain how to hydroseed your lawn and how to care for it after hydroseeding with our complete DIY hydroseeding guide.
What is Hydroseeding?
Grass seed, fertilizer, mulch, biostimulants, and other soil additives are mixed into a watery slurry during hydroseeding. Through a high-pressure system, seeds and nutrients are sprayed evenly into the soil for lush, fast growth, while improving soil quality at the same time.
What Type of Grass Seed is Used in Hydroseeding?
We recommend using native grasses whenever possible, but you may use any type of grass seed. The grasses in this list will thrive in your local climate, require the least amount of water and feed, and will be resistant to local pests and diseases.
How Does Hydroseeding Work?
During hydroseeding, seeds are implanted as well as nutrients and other soil additives required by growing seeds.
You can improve the soil quality, implant the seeds, and feed any existing grass all at the same time by spraying seeds, fertilizer, and mulch onto the space.
How Much is Hydroseeding?
There are a variety of prices for professional hydroseeding services, but they are typically lower than the cost of installing turf. If you do DIY hydroseeding with a DIY hydroseeding kit, you will save even more money since all you will pay for will be the seeds, mulch, fertilizer, water, and spray hire.
Hydroseeding Your Lawn at the Right Time
Hydroseeding your lawn in the spring, early summer, or early fall is the best time of year. In mild climates, you can hydroseed your lawn in other seasons as long as the temperature stays between 50°F and 65°F.
For your own peace of mind, make sure you read the sowing recommendations on the seed product you’re purchasing.
The benefits of hydroseeding include:
- Installing a new lawn (residential, commercial, or housing development)
- The process of filling a flowerbed with lawn
- Putting grass back where it has died
- Overseeding an existing lawn
- Native grasses are used to replace existing turf
Various types of hydroseeding
You can hydroseed using different mulch types depending on the type of slurry you use. The following can be included:
Wood Fiber
Most hydroseeding projects can benefit from this method, especially if soil erosion is a concern. Look for a 100% wood fiber mix that contains an environmental-friendly tackifier (this helps the seeds adhere to the slurry and not wash away).
Bonded Fiber Matrix (BFM)
The mulch has been manufactured specifically for hydroseeding. It contains a water-resistant bonding agent that helps seed adhere to the surface and protects grass seed from heavy rainfall. The biodegradable material can be used as a soil additive after it breaks down.
Blended Mulch
There are around 60% wood fibers and 40% paper in this mulch. Do-it-yourself hydroseeding is very popular with this affordable product. To prevent seeds from being washed away and to protect the growing lawn from foot traffic and pets, high quality options contain a tackifier.
Paper Mulch
The mulch is made of pure paper and contains a tackifier to promote seed adhesion. It’s a very inexpensive method of hydroseeding and is best used for lawn seeding on a smaller, more protected area or for seeding established lawns.
Benefits of Hydroseeding Your Lawn Space
Here are some reasons why you should consider DIY hydroseeding:
Cost-Effective
The cost of laying new turf is high, and it can require multiple attempts if the grass fails to take or is damaged by severe weather. As a result of the availability of affordable and widely available components, hydroseeding is much more affordable than other methods.
Simple to do
If you have a weekend to spare, you can do your own hydroseeding (while hiring a professional).
By mixing the slurry, you seed, feed, and protect your lawn at once, and it’s not very technical.
Quality and Coverage
Compared to laying turf or broadcast seeding, this method delivers excellent results. With the grass seed tackifier and nutrients you use, the grass seed is primed for the best possible growth right from the start.
So there’s no patchy lawn when you use the sprayer, as it ensures an even coverage.
Speedy Grass Growth
In contrast to other methods of growing a lawn, you tend to get good results much faster with seeds given everything they need to flourish.
All you need to do is pull weeds and keep the soil moist by using good mulch, native seeds, and fertilizer for lawns to ensure the fastest growth.
Hydroseeding Prevents Soil Erosion
As a result of the mulch and tackifier in the slurry, soil erosion is prevented from wind and water, retaining moisture in the slurry and promoting strong grass growth, as well as dampening the soil below.
Range of Applications
In addition to growing lawns in parks and public spaces, DIY hydroseeding is an ideal method for establishing lawns in residential areas.
Additionally, it can be used to grow lawns for commercial or residential developments, reseed vegetation to restore growth and prevent soil erosion, control airport dust, and even plant large wildflower beds.
DIY Hydroseeding Process
Hydroseeding can be done at home by following these steps.
Step 1. Check Soil pH
You should conduct a soil pH test before laying a new lawn or installing a new grass species because different grass species grow best in different pH ranges.
It is ideal for your soil pH to be between 6.5-7. Here are some tips on how to adjust soil pH, as well as some inexpensive test kits.
Step 2. Clear Your Lawn
The lawn space should be cleared of any debris, and the grass should be mowed as short as possible. When hydroseeding, it is best to dig up dead grass, weeds, old plants, and other debris in order for the seed to go into soft soil.
Step 3. Loosen Soil
For a completely new lawn area, churn up the first 2.5-3 inches of soil and pull out weeds using a tiller or a cultivator.
If you have poor soil quality or the area has been eroded, you can also apply topsoil at this stage. To achieve the best results, the topsoil layer should be about three to four inches deep.
You can even out bumpy areas in your lawn, fill in ditches, and edge flower beds to make your lawn as level as possible. As a final step, make sure the lawn space is wetted down without flooding.
Step 4. Create Your Slurry
The seeds, fertilizer, mulch, and water should be mixed together in batches to make your slurry. In order to obtain accurate measurements, you should refer to the instructions on the mulch. Manufacturers differ in how much slurry to use, so make sure you follow the instructions.
In order to get the best results, you need to make it very liquid, without the chunks – just like a soup.
Step 5. Start Spraying
Make sure you choose a day with no extreme weather – you don’t want to do this work during a heatwave or a storm, but a light rain or cool day is ideal.
Make sure you are wearing sun protection, closed shoes, and gardening attire as directed on the sprayer (also known as a seed accelerator).
If you don’t have that mulch, you’ll have to remember where you’ve worked if you don’t have an organic dye in your mulch.
For larger spaces, you can mark off strips with string, especially if you’re working on the project over a few days. While walking, move the sprayer in an arc in front of or behind you, starting the furthest away from your home.
Allow each pass to overlap the previous one a little, spraying as evenly as possible.
When can I expect to see results?
You should see new growth within a week, depending on the grass species and the climate.
Your DIY Hydroseeded Lawn: How to Care for It
It’s important to ensure that your lawn stays healthy and looks great after all that work. You can do it this way.
Growth in the first month
When your lawn begins to grow, you will need to take good care of it during the first month. Keep the soil moist by gently watering (using a sprinkler system is recommended) early in the morning or late in the evening.
Seeds are in the top layer of the soil, so the first inch of soil must be moist at all times, so don’t water so heavily that the water pools.
If you live in a dryer area, you may have to check on the lawn 2-3 times a day and water for a few minutes. Install a rain catchment system to reduce mains water use and costs, and you’ll be helping the environment at the same time!
Make sure that all traffic stays off the newly hydroseeded areas, including children, pets, and vehicles. The new grass will be protected in this way.
Growth in the second and third months
The roots have now become firmly established, so you can water only once a day. It depends on your climate, so if you’re experiencing a heatwave or very dry weather, you might need to water more frequently.
The first time you mow your lawn during this period is also a good time. It’s best to do this when the soil is quite dry, and the grass should be 1.5 inches high at minimum.
Rather than using a riding mower, use a lightweight lawn mower and tread carefully to avoid damaging new grass. In order to help the soil absorb nutrients from cuttings, mulching blades should be used.
From Three Months On
Depending on the weather and the species of grass, you can reduce your watering to once or twice a week by the third month.
You should be able to find the number of days that it takes for your grass to mature in your seed mix. In order to boost growth and restore the nutrients that the germinating grass consumed, we recommend giving your lawn a dose of organic fertilizer.
For a nice, even spread of liquid fertilizer, use a fertilizer spreader or backpack sprayer, and gently water the nutrients in. In general, 10-10-10 fertilizer is the best choice for most types of grass.
To reduce competition between weeds and grass, remove weed growth frequently during this period. Using a weed killer is likely to kill the grass seed or germinating seeds as well, so it’s best to do this manually.
Try out a weed and feed product if you want to use a weed killer. Keep your hydroseeded lawn in good health by following the usual lawn care guidelines.
Start Your DIY Hydroseeding Project Today!
In addition to being incredibly effective for reseeding damaged areas of your lawn or planning new turf, hydroseeding is very easy to do yourself. A hydroseeding trial is definitely worth considering if you are on the fence about whether to try it or not.
If you take the time to select a good native grass species, use a high-quality mulch with tackifier, and prepare your lawn by removing debris and preparing the soil, you’ll be enjoying a lush, level and fully-established lawn in no time.
Let our team share their best advice if you need any help with your DIY hydroseeding journey!