Hydroseeding

Hydroseeding is the highly effective practice of revegetating land or restoring the soil’s pH and nutrition levels using vegetation.

Over large areas of land, restoration activities can be difficult and time-consuming to perform. Often, there are areas where humans can’t go if they’re relying on hand seeding, drill seeding, or even broadcast techniques. So hydroseeding services provide a safe and efficient alternative for mass revitalisation of the land.

Here’s how hydroseeding works:

• A container or a small tank/chamber known as a hydroseeder sits on top of a truck. Connected to this truck is a large hose or cannon that has a significant spray distance and velocity.
• Inside the hydroseeder, ‘tank’ sits a mixture of water, grass seed (or single-origin cover crops), fertiliser, and tracking dye. The mixture may also contain a binding agent known as a ‘tackifier', which ensures that the mixture adheres to the land when sprayed.
• The chamber or tank includes a built-in ‘paddle’ that constantly agitates the slurry mixture
• Once your hydroseeding companies apply this mixture, crops start to grow fairly quickly, between five to seven days. In the long term, these crops affix nitrogen and build up the soil condition so that it’s biologically active once more.

Hydroseeding costs depend on a variety of factors, such as the size of your site or property, the number of debris that needs to be cleared, the level of sloping or incline, and even the type of grass seed or cover crop you choose.

Generally speaking, the cost to hydroseed one acre can run you between $2,500 AUD to $5,200 AUD. The average hydroseeding cost works out to $1,300 AUD.

The most important thing to understand about hydroseeding costs, however, is the level of efficiency. A hydroseeding kit that spreads the mixture across a large area saves hydroseeding companies time and money. This is one of the undeniable advantages of hydroseeding because those savings transfer to you. That’s why you’ll see costs drop significantly over a larger portion of land than another method like laying sod or solid turfing.

Really, the only difference between hydroseeding services and hydromulching is that the latter uses a mixture with one more ‘ingredient’ — and that would be a cellulosic fibre (such as wood) to the slurry. The purpose of this is to help the soil retain added moisture and to ensure that soil particles aren’t stripped away by strong winds in case the land is in an area prone to these types of elements.

In almost every other way, the two techniques are the same. There’s no difference, for example, in hydroseeding costs versus hydromulching. The equipment that’s used is also exactly the same.

Can you hydroseed your own lawn? Absolutely! Should you hydroseed on your own? That’s debatable. Generally speaking, it’s doable, but it’s quite an involved process that is often best left up to the professionals at hydroseeding companies.

Here’s what professional hydroseeding services save you from doing:

• Seed selection — Knowing which seed type is right for your property and the weather conditions.
• Soil tests — Ensuring your soil has the right pH to support vegetation (or spend time amending it).
• Debris removal — Removing debris and clearing weeds, as hydroseeding requires bare soil.
• Grading the soil — Creating a grade 2.5 to 3 inches below the grade you’re aiming for. Failing to do this may result in the slurry reaching your house and causing moisture damage.
• Topsoil and compost application — Applying these before hydroseeding so your vegetation has the right nutrients to grow.
• Re-grading the soil — Smoothing out the soil once more.
• Use of the hydroseeding kit — Knowing how to operate these and where to rent or buy your own from.
• Spraying the slurry — Evenly and accurately spraying hydroseed mixture with the machine.
• Aftercare and maintenance — Ensuring the right moisture levels for the first two months to support germination and establishment.

There are several clear advantages of hydroseeding. These include:

• Saving time and money, as hydroseeding costs 75 per cent less than laying sod.
• Multiple-use cases, including agricultural, national parks, residential property enhancement, athletic fields, transportation projects, restoring landfills, and more.
• Results in stronger, robust, and longer-lasting vegetation.
• Can retain up to 10 times its weight in moisture.
• Can reach large distances and difficult terrain.
• Perfect for erosion control and soil stabilisation.
• Customisable seed blends that can use grass seeds, as well as native wildflowers, agricultural pasture, and other specialised mixes.
• Smooth operation and even application of slurry due to hydraulics system.
• Paddle-blade agitation within the hydroseeder mixes all parts of the slurry evenly.