Tag Archives: Hydroseeding

To sod or hydroseed…that is the question! There are pros and cons to both…let’s discuss.

Sod:    is grass with part of the soil beneath it held together by the roots. Usually it comes in rolls from sod/turf farms to be unrolled and installed and consists mainly of high-maintenance Kentucky Bluegrass species of grass.

The most common misconception about sod is that people expect it can be grown anywhere; they expect success in any soil condition with little or no preparation, or under very shady areas. While sod is an established plant it still must be treated as a new lawn and prepared exactly the same way you would if you were seeding a new lawn.

Especially in the newer subdivisions, sod is being planted on top of sometimes pure clay with less than 2 inches of top soil. While the lawns stay alive -barely, they are a permanent yellow, half dead state and they look extremely unhealthy. Some are not so lucky and turn completely brown.

Therefore, we recommend at least 4-6 inches of good quality, manure based topsoil that has been raked and compacted. Sod is comprised of established plants, although they are still being transplanted, which is a big shock to the plant especially in hot weather. Before installing the sod the prepared subsoil should be watered and moist, and fertilized according to soil test recommendations.

Hydroseeding:     (or hydraulic-mulch seeding, hydro-mulching, hydraseeding) is a planting process which utilizes a slurry of seed and mulch in a water base. The slurry is train transported in a tank, either truck or trailer-mounted, and sprayed over prepared ground.

Hydroseeding is a much quicker and cost effective way of installing a lawn and an alternative to sod. Firstly, the lawn area must be prepared the same way as described above; raked, and leveled, etc. However, hydroseeding can be much more useful than sod when dealing with hard to access areas, steep banks, or larger areas (over 2500 sq ft). This is because all that is needed is hose access (up to 200 ft). The seed/slurry is then sprayed accurately onto the desired areas using a special blend of quality seed, or for banks/erosion control wildflower mixes can also be used.

Any seed type can be sprayed out of the hydroseeder onto your lawn area and within 3-4 weeks (in the growing season) you will see some growth and 6-8 weeks it should be ready for the first mow.

Estimates of the cost difference between sod and hydroseeding, peg the latter at 1/2 to a 1/3 the price of sod.

If you’d like to discuss further, please feel free to contact us anytime.

Article compliments of Wallpro Landscaping

Rapid Lawn Hydroseeding and Erosion Control is always looking for new and innovative ways to grow better vegetation, faster. Once such product that we really like is called Biotic Earth by Verdyol Plant Research company.

Verdyol Plant Research is home to a line of Biotic Earth hydraulic growth mediums that take erosion control and soil growth to the highest performance level. Looking for superior vegetation establishment without having to import top soil? You are in the right place.

After construction, soil left for revegetation is often severely degraded and lacks many of the essential organics, nutrients and microbial properties to establish, grow, and sustain effective mature vegetation that can withstand the forces of erosion. The Biotic Earth™ hydraulic line of products are a series of erosion control mulches combined with our specially blended soil amendments of Canadian peat moss, micro nutrients and active Endomycorrhizae inoculants that will help your soil come alive and allow vegetation to thrive even on severely degraded or poor subsoils. When used in conjunction with our specially engineered EarthBound® Soil Stabilizers and Tackifiers, you are also ensured the most effective immediate erosion control on nearly any application.

Make poor soils grow! The combination of organics (peat moss) to HydroGold product adds the much needed organics to the mineral subsoil that is being amended, giving you the base for which topsoil improves and vegetation grows. Through the addition of various materials, the subsoils will start to exhibit better aeration, reduced compaction, improved nutrient storage and transfer, improved soil solution management and other essential traits for vegetation establishment and growth. This reduces soil crusting for improved water infiltration and plant establishment.

For many hydroseeding contractors and erosion control specialists the development of Flexible Growth Mediums could just be the next big innovation; hydroseeding contractors can now hydraulically apply an erosion control solution that outstrips the performance of other techniques, offering superior results whilst achieving major labour savings.

FGM’s are at the cutting edge of soil erosion technology, bettering the performance of high quality Bonded Fire Matrix products and erosion control blankets. This has strengthened the position of specialist hydroseeding contractors in the soil erosion marketplace, who can now use the hydroseeding equipment they already own to carry out market leading erosion control works.

For hydroseeding contractors and clients the major benefits of this new technique include.

• Effective application-bonds directly to the soil
• Stellar erosion control-99% effective in major testing laboratories
• Rapid turf establishment-vegetation can grow eight times faster than bare soil and twice as fast as blankets
• Quicker to lay and lower installed costs than blankets
• Seduced soil preparation required
• Safe for wildlife-no nets, threads or staples to snare wildlife or become caught in mowing equipment

Once a hydroseeding contractor has applied FGM it effectively acts to seal off the soil from the impact of rain and concentrated flows, to out performing erosion control blankets in rainfall simulation tests. Once applied the FGM is able to hold on to water and maintain air space, this results in superior and accelerated growth.

A combination of Thermally Refined® wood fibres, crimped man-made fibres and performance-enhancing additives form an interlocking matrix that creates air space and water-absorbing cavities to accelerate germination, reduce the impact of raindrop energy and minimize soil loss once hydroseeding is complete. After hydroseeding Water-resistant tackifiers and flocculants chemically bond the matrix to the soil surface, absorbing water and enabling superior vegetation establishment. Some FGM’s are able to achieve 98% effectiveness just 2 hours after hydroseeding and are proven to be 99% effective once cured.

As with BFM’s, Flexible Growth Mediums hydraulically using a range of hydroseeding equipment. This hydraulic application carries all of the cost saving benefits of hydroseeding and BFM products by keeping labour and ground preparation requirements minimal.

Recently Profile Products has introduced the new Flexterra high-performance, flexible growth medium (HP-FGM). This is designed to be used by hydroseeding contractors and is capable of achieving 600-percent greater initial seed germination and more than a 250-percent greater biomass than its predecessor, whilst being totally biodegradable.

The original Flexterra FGM, initially set the standard in the market and it was widely used by hydroseeding contractors; It led the march towards hydraulically applied techniques that could be delivered using hydraulic machinery.

Tests following EPA protocol concluded the product is completely safe for aquatic and terrestrial life forms and after hydroseeding it immediately bonds to the soil surface to reduce turbidity of runoff for up to 18 months.

These products have revolutionised the market and changed the direction of erosion control solutions from blankets towards hydroseeding and has strengthened the position of the hydroseeding contractor in the market place.

Oliver Brown, Managing Director of Oliver Brown Ltd, Specialists in Hydroseeding and Erosion Control

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5918983