What Is Hydroseeding?

Also known as hydraulic seeding, hydroseeding is a planting process that involves spraying a combination of seed, fertilizer and mulch to layer the top soil with seeds that produce grass. It is one of the fastest and most cost-effective strategies for achieving and maintaining a healthy lawn all year round.

Results are often quick with high germination rates producing grass growth in about a week and mowing maintenance beginning around 3 to 4 weeks from the date of application.

Seeding Options

Understanding your seeding options is important to prevent erosion. While sowing seeds and broadcast seeding both are traditional and cost viable options, they are only ever planted in a way that means they are either left completely exposed to the elements or with a loose layer of soil over the top, meaning that the seeds are particularly susceptible to erosion. Using sod grass in another alternative and is much better for preventing erosion. However, it can only be used for planting grass and can be very expensive.

This is where hydroseeding comes into its own. A slurry, made up of seed, fertilisers and mulch held together by a bonding agent, is sprayed over the whole area that needs to be planted, evenly covering hills and ditches, while providing a layer of bonded seeds that sticks to the soil. Therefore, hydroseeding has many benefits over normal seeding methods when it comes to erosion control, but here are the top reasons:

How Do I Care for My New Lawn?

WATERING YOUR LAWN

It’s important to keep the mulch wet at all times. This will help promote the growth of a healthy lawn. Two or three light sprinkles with water each day should be fine. Then, you can reduce to only one or two sprinkles for the next couple of weeks after that. You’ll just want to be careful not to allow puddles to form on the lawn.

MOWING YOUR LAWN

Your new hydroseeded lawn should be ready for the first mowing in about 3 to 4 weeks during the growing season.

The height of your mower should never be any less than three inches and you should only cut off 1/3 of the grass blade in one mowing. Keep your mower blade sharp to get the best results.

FERTILIZING YOUR LAWN

Your lawn will need to be fertilized within one month and every second month thereafter in the growing season to ensure continued growth even after it is well established. A granular fertilizer should be applied with a broadcast spreader at this time.

WEED CONTROL

First, consider whether you wish to control the weeds using non-chemical means, such as digging out. Where these methods are not feasible, chemical controls may be needed. Choose a weedkiller that is most appropriate for that purpose by reading the label carefully before buying or using.

BIOSTIMULANTS

Biostimulants are specialist substances designed to foster plant development from germination to maturity. They can be applied to plant, seeds or soil, as well as any other growing media that may enhance the plant’s overall ability to develop and gather nutrients.

In the hydroseeding industry, biostimulants are typically used by contractors to stimulate grass seeds. More widely, these mixtures are made up of diverse formulations of compounds, substances and micro-organisms that help improve crop vigour, the size of yields and quality.

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We hope you enjoyed these top tips for hydroseeding in the UK. Please feel free to contact us if you require any further information.