Mike’s Plant Farm
4850 North Ridge Road
Perry, Ohio 44081
It doesn’t matter whether you are installing a new lawn at a new house, replacing an old lawn at an existing home, or rejuvenating the lawn that you have, you have options of how the grass seed is applied or whether or not it makes more sense to just lay sod. Which is better? As you can guess, I am going to say; “It depends.”
How Big is Your Ego? How Important is Prestige to You?
Those sound like crazy questions to ask. You want to know about installing a lawn and I’m babbling about ego and prestige. But here’s the thing, often times people let those things get in their way when making an intelligent buying decision. Just because it costs more, doesn’t mean it’s better. If you spend more, that doesn’t mean that your lawn will be better than the neighbors.
Hi there! I’m Mike McGroarty from Mike’s Plant Farm here in Perry, Ohio and no, I do not install lawns. I used to. I’ve installed hundreds of lawns. Some sod, some hydro seed, some hand seeded. But I quit doing that years ago. Now I just grow my little plants here in Perry and write stuff like this for the Internet.
My goal with this article is to help you make an informed lawn installation decision.
Is Sod Better? Is a Sodded Lawn the Absolute Best Option for those that can Afford it?
Nah. Not really. Sod has it place in the landscaping industry and on many commercial installations sod is by far the best way to go. But along with sod come some issues that you only have with sod. For one, when you buy sod you don’t really have a lot of control over the blend of grass seed that’s going into your lawn. Years ago Kentucky Bluegrass was all the beans. Everybody had to have Kentucky Bluegrass. It’s fine textured and dark green. But Kentucky Bluegrass has some pest issues that other blends of grasses don’t. Many sod companies are still using a lot of Kentucky Blue in their sod.
Another problem with sod is shrinkage. When laid properly sod appears to be almost seamless. But if you miss a watering, or just can’t keep the sod wet enough, it can shrink leaving gaps all over the place. It’s not a huge issue but it happens. Sod needs to be watered! Lots and lots of water for at least the first ten days, then still watered on a regular basis. If something goes wrong with the watering, you can loose big areas of your sodded lawn.
Sod is also grown in some kind of a soil base. Some sod is grown on peat bogs and arrives at your house with the roots firmly attached to about an inch of peat. Other sod is grown on a muck type of soil. I’ve seen some that actually has a clay base. But here’s the thing: When you install your new lawn you have to feed and water it. As long as you are doing that properly the sod is perfectly content living in that one inch of soil that it came with. It’s resistant to root into the existing soil in your yard. So even after a period of a year or more, your sodded lawn can still be completely independent of the soil beneath it. That’s not a good thing.
The Seeded Lawn Rocked! The Sodded Lawn was a Sad Looking Disaster.
Years ago in Concord, Ohio I landscaped a new home and my client insisted on a sodded lawn so obliged him. He wanted an “instant lawn”. We did a good jog, prepped the soil perfectly, ordered perfectly good sod and laid it in a professional manner. The lawn looked great, the customer was delighted. Happy, happy story.
One year later I landscaped another house right across the street from where I installed the sod. This time we prepped the lawn and hydro seeded it. Typical soil for Concord, Ohio, hard packed clay, but we were able to get a good seed bed before we sprayed on the hydro seed. The lawn came in pretty good from the start, seems like I went back later in the year to touch up a couple of bare spots where the hydro seed washed away. The second season the lawn was beautiful. Grass actually thrives in clay soil as long as you feed it.
Two or three years later the hydro seeded lawn still looked fantastic! The sodded lawn right across the street? It was a mess! I don’t know what happened in those two or three years but that sod was a tragic mess and all of that money for that sod was straight down the tubes.
This Story Taught Me This . . .
Just because you spend more for sod doesn’t mean you get a better lawn. A seeded lawn really is superior to a sodded lawn because from the day of germination the grass seed makes it home in the soil that you have in your yard. Having installed thousands and thousands of yards of sod and having installed hundreds of seeded lawns, I’ll take the seeded lawn any day.
Secondly. When you install a seeded lawn, you get to choose the blend of grass seed that is best for your lawn. Today there are many different kinds of perennial rye grasses and fescues that truly are just as nice as Kentucky blue grass and they germinate quicker and hold up better. Kentucky blue grass truly is yesterday’s news.
What about Hydro Seed? Is it Really that it’s all Cracked Up to Be?
No. Not really. It’s a good process, and it some cases it’s the ideal way to apply grass seed. It’s perfect for big commercial jobs and along highway construction projects. But for your home? Will you regret having hand seeded your lawn instead of hydro seeding it?
No. If the soil is prepared properly hand seedling will deliver equal, if not better results that hand seeding. And despite what anybody tells you, the soil has to be properly prepared for both hand seeding and hydro seeding.
So What’s the Magic Potion in Hydro Seed that Makes it So Desirable?
Two things.
1. Water.
2. Marketing. Hydro seed is often marketed as a superior process. You decide after you read this article.
This is how hydro seeding works. You fill a big tank with hundreds and hundreds of gallons of water. Then you dump in the correct amount of plain ole everyday grass seed. You dump in some general lawn starter fertilizer and you dump in hydro mulch, which is just ground up newspaper or some other wood type of product.
Oh, oh, oh! I almost forgot to mention the glue!
Yes, sometimes landscapers dump glue into the mix to hold the hydro seed and mulch together. Yes glue. Truth be told it smells just like the glue that you buy for your kids to use in art class. I’m guessing it’s the same stuff but I don’t know for sure.
Let’s recap. Water, grass seed, fertilizer and mulch.
Pretty much the same exact ingredients that go into a seeded lawn. So what’s the magic. There is none really. The big advantage to hydro seed is that the seed is thoroughly soaked with water before it is applied, therefore germination is initiated immediately. The lawn tends to all come up at the same time, therefore it appears to be magical. But as with all magic, it’s a bit of an illusion. I don’t care if all of my grass comes up on the same day, what matters to me is how it looks six months or six years from now.
Is there a Down Side to Hydro Seeding?
I say there is and I base this on my vast experience in lawn installation and good old fashioned common sense.
First of all, let’s talk about the glue that goes into some hydro seed, it’s really up to the contractor or the landscape architect whether or not you put glue in mix. The logic behind the glue is to glue it all together so it can’t wash out. Sounds good, looks good on paper, but in reality not only does it not really work, it can make things worse.
It’s true that the glue will hold it all together for a bit. But in a heavy rainstorm all you need is for a little bit of running water to work it’s way under the glued down hydro mulch and the mulch raises up allowing more water to get under it and pretty soon away it goes! In big sheets.
Keep in mind, the glue doesn’t glue it to the ground. It just glues the hydro mulch together like a big bed spread. Once it starts washing away it goes in great big hunks.
What about Hydro Mulch? What Magic Powers Does it Have?
None. There’s nothing at all magical about hydro mulch. It has the ability to absorb water and hold that water for a while. The reason they use hydro mulch is because it has to be able to pass through a pump and a fairly small hose without plugging up the lines and hoses. So it’s not chosen because it is the best mulch for your lawn, it’s the best mulch to make the mechanical application possible.
Here’s the Down Side to the Entire Hydro Seeding Process.
The grass seed is mixed with the mulch and the fertilizer in the hydro seeder. There’s a big agitator in there that mixes it up and keeps it mixed throughout the process of applying the hydro seed to the lawn. The mulch and the hydro seed are mixed together which means that there is no rhyme or reason as to which ends up on the top and which on the bottom. Think about that!
When installing a new lawn the most important part of the process is to properly prepare the soil to graciously accept the grass seed. You have to work the soil so when you apply water the soil is porous enough to take that water and not immediately shed it away. Once worked the seed bed needs to be packed down to the correct consistency so it is firm enough to remain stable once the lawn is installed. But the top 1/2″ or so should be a bit fluffy to give the seed a nice place to make it’s home.
The Best Place in the World for those Little Tiny Grass Seeds is Pressed Firmly Against the Soil.
This is important. Read this part carefully.
This is why a Hand Seeded Lawn is Better than Hydro Seed.
When you hand seed a lawn, after prepping the soil, the seed is applied directly on the soil, each and every seed is completely independent and in contact with the soil. That’s really, really important! Each seed is in contact with the soil. Then what I do is manually take a push broom and drag that broom with some down pressure across the seed bed. This rolls the tiniest amount of soil over the seeds and at the same time presses all of the seeds firmly against the soil. Grass seed cannot be planted too deep, but having it pressed against the soil is a huge advantage.
With hand seeding, lawns are usually mulched with straw. Is straw better than hydro mulch? I say it is and I’ll explain why. But first, let’s think about those little tiny grass seeds pressed against the soil. If they are firmly pressed against the soil what cannot get under them? Air. If the seeds are pressed right against the soil there is no air flow between the seed and the soil. Therefore any moisture that is applied after the seeding is done really sticks the seed to the soil, and the area right underneath of each seed will stay moist longer.
Think about this way. You throw a rug out on your driveway. It rains. The sun comes out and dries off the driveway. Except under the rug. It’s still wet under rug because the sun couldn’t reach that area and there was no air flow under the rug. Same with those little tiny grass seeds. The sun can shine on the seed and around the seed, which is really, really important because it also takes heat to initiate and speed the germination of grass seed. The moisture under the seed is being absorbed by the seed and the soil is staying wet longer under each seed giving the new grass plants full advantage to establish themselves in the soil.
Think about Straw as a Mulch over Grass Seed.
Grass seeds are tiny! They are pressed into the soil and some are ever so lightly covered with soil. So when you shake the straw over top it truly is laying over top of the seeds. The straw lands all criss-crossed, kind of like lattice work. In some areas the individual pieces of straw are three and four deep.
Think about that. Think about those layers of criss-crossed straw over top of those little tiny grass seeds. It’s truly just like you sitting under an arbor on a hot sunny day. The sun can’t beat down on us because the arbor is shading us. The sun is able to peek through, but as it moves across the sky a different set of boards overhead provide us with shade. Straw does exactly the same thing for the grass seeds. As the sun moves overhead as the day goes on each blade of straw is shading the area beneath it.
When is Your New Lawn the Most Vulnerable?
The day after the seeds germinate. Think about it. The seed has germinated. The new itty-bitty grass plant is born. There is no going back. If that tiny grass plant fails to survive, it’s over. The seed is spent. Grass seeds are pretty tough and can deal with adverse conditions. Little tiny grass plants are frail, thin as human hair, hours without shade or water on a hot sunny day will do them in.
That’s Why I Like to Use Straw as a Mulch Over Grass Seed!
The straw is a far better protector, far better shade provider than hydro mulch.
Okay, now that I’ve sold you on the virtues of hand seeding a lawn let’s compare that to hydro seed. When Hydro seed is applied on a small percentage of the seeds are in contact with the soil. They are not independent, they are entangled in the hydro mulch. Some are under the hydro mulch, some are on top of the hydro mulch and some are next to the hydro mulch. None are pressed into the soil, none are covered with a light layer of soil.
The hydro mulch will accept water as it applied and it will hold that water for a bit. But there really are very few grass seeds being shaded by the hydro mulch and when the new grass plants start to appear they will not be shaded by the hydro mulch at all.
Like I said at the beginning of this article. Hydro seeding is a good process. It’s a more manageable process for the contractor doing the application. In many respects it makes their job easier, they just spray it on with a hose. Some times they can just stand on top of the machine and spray it on from the turret. But . . .
Is Hydro Seeding Better than Hand Seeding?
Not all. It’s just a different process. In my book they are both far superior to laying sod.
I hope you’ve found this article useful and informative. I spent many years installing lawns all over northeastern Ohio. I put in a lot of lawns in Mentor, Perry, Madison, Geneva, Austinburg, Painesville, Concord, Willoughby, Willoughby Hills, Moreland Hills and Pepper Pike. I put in a lot of lawns. Some sodded, many hydro seeded, many hand seeded. This article is based on my real world experience and since I’m no longer in that business I hope I have been objective when writing this article.
Questions or comments? Post’em below!
Hi
We lost approximately 10,000 square feet of lawn of my 15,000 square feet lawn. I live in Connecticut and many folks lost parts or all of their lawns due to HEAT, DROUGHT and fungus infections. I have almost finished working on all of the lawn – one area at a time – and I have found I do not like the new seeds that are sold with coating, fertilizer and some kind of filler. I do hand seeding and sometimes I cannot see the seeds at all on the ground when there are mixed in with all that other stuff. Our Home Depot does not have JUST seeds so I have to go to a special store and buy some. There are some sparsely covered areas that I have to reseed because of this problem. I don’t need glasses by the way —
Good site layout. I especially like the part where you talk about the good and bad sides of the whole process!
I like your article. Thank you for the great advice!
1) Double aerate the lawn. 2) Spread seed. 3) Run thatcher/power rake/hand rake over same area to mix soil and seed. 4) Spread more seed (Don’t uses excessive seed). 5) Cover with hay (Salt Hay) 6) Roll for seed to soil contact. 7) Lightly water 10 minutes 3-5 times a day for 10 days and then slowly back off watering. 8) VERY IMPORTANT!! use a special pre emergent/starter fertilizer. If you don’t use pre emergent (like Tupersan) you will be fighting crabgrass and weeds all year.
Tip 1: You can cover with very light frost blanket. Lots of reasons why depending on conditions. Prevents run off, helps speed germination and water loss, stops wind from blowing away hay. Allows for foot and pet traffic. Esp in wet entrance areas. Remove after grass is 1-2 inches.
Tip 2: If you unfortunately are getting a HEAVY rainfall then cover with tarps. You can leave the tarps on for a while if it is cool and overcast if more rain is on the way.
Tip 3: Water, water water. Not too heavy but more often if in very sunny areas.
Tip 4: Spot seed after roots are established and lawn is cut 2 times.
Tip 5; Don’y spray weeds/crabgrass till all seed has germinated. About two months later. there will still be some if you have used pre emergent.
Tip 6) You can use the above method on a thin lawn without killing existing grass. Just mow it down as far as your mower will go. It’s ok to scalp. It will grow back slowly allowing the new seed to establish.
Tip 7) Have fun and hire a strong kid to do the work.
Thanks Kyle, great information. Here’s a follow up article that I did in 2019. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2019/03/preparing-a-lawn-for-the-planting-of-grass-seed/
Hi great information, I have a question. I live in Texas and have sandy loam soil. What it the best for that type of soil?
Heather,
Sandy loam in Texas you will for sure need to water but the grass should love it. Visit a local, full service, garden center and get their recommendation for the best seed mix to buy. Actually consult with more than one.
wiill hydro seeding work in the high deserts in Nevada or
Airzona
Gene,
Hydro seeding is just another form of planting grass seed. If hand seeding works in your area then hydro seeding will work as well.
Hi Mike,
Nice article.
In my opinion, hydroseed is a great option for seeding your yard. The mixture binds the bluegrass seeds to the soil better than plain seed and straw. The fertilizer gives the seed better nutrients while it takes root, helping the bluegrass to germinate quickly.
I have had great success with straw that has tackifier already in it, and it works great as I say so no blowing away and almost 100% of the grass germinates, I used your suggestions from previous articles, but some little patches did not germinate well or not so well is that because the straw did not work so well or was this seed failure,; Mike? I have had Gophers as well which made my old lawn lumpy and uneven, we did fill these areas in with clay type dirt as I live in the desert in southern california, high desert as they call it
Darrel,
The seed in those small areas probably got washed away. I’d wait until cool weather, scratch up those patches and re-seed.
Mike,
I am renovating my yard. I used glysophate to kill it off and waited 1 month for a complete kill and re-sprayed any parts that came back to life. This week I power raked the entire lawn and removed all the dead material.
I’ve been going back and forth and the best way to seed and was pretty set on hydroseeding until I came across this article and I’ve switched my approach..
My plan is to use a high-quality mix of kbg,rye, and fescue, coat the seed with a product called “soil moist seed coat”, slice seed the yard, apply a starter fertilizer, roll it, top dress it with 1/4″ of peet moss, and then do a deep watering.
The peet moss is pricey, but for the amount I would need, less expensive than having the lawn hydroseeded.
Sound like a good plan or would you suggest doing anything differently?
Chris,
I like the plan but this time of year I would also add straw after seedling. It keeps the ground cool, moist and actually shades the tiny grass plants as they come. Consider it lawn insurance.
I live in Lewis Center, Oh. What type of grass seed do you recommend for this Ohio climate? I prefer a full dark green look.
Thanks,
Joe
Joe,
You need a good blend, some blue grass, some fescque, some fine textured rye. The more expensive the seed the better the lawn. Be careful at big boxes, go to an old fashioned feed store.
Mike (and other contributors), thanks very much for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Here in Boston, I am about to have some hydroseeding done in a new patch of lawn (cut down some trees in the woods, had the stumps ground, had it cleared/leveled, and new loam applied). I would like the hydroseeded area to match or blend well with the existing lawn (old and new are adjacent to each other). Since I cannot control the mix that the hydroseeder will use, this made me wonder if anyone has tried a “hybrid” approach. Can I do both — put down some seed sparsely by hand (first) and then allow the hydroseeding to proceed on the same patch? The old lawn was overseeded previously, using a blend from Pennington. I was thinking of using this same blend for the new patch.
Any thoughts on this? Just trying to avoid an obvious difference between new lawn and old lawn, particularly after the new grass has matured.
Omar,
Your idea should work just fine.
I am so lucky that I came across this site. We are gonna re seed a couple of areas that are bare from tree’s . The trees were trimmed up high now. If I understand you right….I can just use a rake…..hand seed….run a broom over it lightly. Now my question is can I use grass clippings instead of straw or hay>
Sue,
No, grass clippings can be wet and slimy. Straw is far better, but this time of year I don’t use any mulch at all.
So if I rake the area and put down seed in a few days………I should’t have to use anything on top of it? My husband keeps telling me the wind will blow it away…..
Sue,
Rake it, seed it broom it and water really well. Make no mistake, straw will help because I have no idea how many hot sunny days you are yet to have this year. It’s your call. Straw is always better. When you broom over the seed, that mixes the seed with the soil and it’s not likely to blow away. Still straw is always a plus. I’d hate to see you do it twice.
Mike – great article, very informative.
Question for you: If planting a new lawn from scratch via hand seeding, what are your thoughts about using tobacco netting in lieu of straw to protect the seed and hold it in place (in CT and nervous about wash-out after large rain storm)? My concern is I’ve heard you should rake out the straw after germination, where the tobacco netting disintegrates.
Thanks.
Jeff,
The straw creates a great deal of shade and that’s its true value. The tobacco netting over the straw would be the perfect situation and I do not rake up the straw. The grass will come right through it.
Do you have any professionals you recomend in Columbus Ohio (I just started building a infill home in an established area. I actually grew up in pepper pike Ohio and my parents built a home in 1992 that we used seed for… who knows maybe it was your company. I’ll have to ask them who it was. Thanks.
Sand,
No, I wouldn’t have any idea who to call in Columbus.
Hi, I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I have about 2000 sq. ft. of lawn space. I laid the sod last week of June and watered it as required, but after three days the grass wasn’t picking up color. I asked the supplier to come and check and she concluded that a bad batch of sod was delivered to me. She is willing to give me new sod, but is not factoring in the cost I will incur in removing/disposing the old sod and laying new one. At this point I’m thinking of removing it and hydroseeding the yard. Is that a reasonable action plan in your opinion? The backyard is also at a slight slope as it backs up to a rain water pond. Sounds to be that hydroseeding will take up twice the amount of water to create a healthy lawn but it’ll save me the hassle of relaying the sod tiles. Hassan
Hassan,
If you’ve read my article you’ll know that I’m not a big fan of hydro seeding. I’m also not a big fan of trying to establish a lawn in the dead of summer. It’s soooooo much easier if you just keep the weeds at bay and seed in mid to late September. If you seed now I would hand seed and straw heavily. Buy good seed, go to a real garden center or mill and not a big box store and take their recommendations.
I did get your response. Thanks. From what I gathered, I got the impression that you are pro seeding whether it’s by hand of hydro.
You’re right. Years ago I installed two lawns across the street from one another. The one guy had to have sod. The other we hydro seeded. The seeded lawn looked much better. Seeded grass establishes itself into the soil where sod often bare roots in. I’m not against hydro seed, but I know that hand seeding usually stays put much better. A lot of the lawns that I hydro seeded washed badly.
Mike only likes a hand seeded lawn. I have hand seeded 9 or 10, 5,000 to 10,000 sf lawns. From mid summer to November. Western Wash. State. I just 6 days ago had a 5,000 sf area hydro-seeded. It is coming up now. I expect it t0 be pretty green in a few more days. Be prepared to water w hoses and sprinklers ready, and time. It is looking great so far. The sticky mulch seems to work good. A few hundred more for the hydro seeding but if you do it by hand….seed…fertilizer…..something to cover the seed with. and the time to dink w bare spots, the costs add up. When hand seeding i have always had to reseed over thin areas and areas where the seed washed or was otherwise displaced. Boom it is done (Machine seeded). Do not go to late in the year. Cold temps and heavy rain can be big problems. Mis summer can take a lot of watering but the seed pops fast. I am sold so far on the hydro-seeding. Boom it is done in an hour and 6 days later it is coming up. Small areas scratching in seed is fine and cheep. Get good seed with mostly perennial seed blended for your area.
To Brad’s point . . .
There’s nothing really wrong with hydro-seed, people do it everyday because from a contractors point of view it’s quick and easy. Just fill the hopper and spray it on. The only differences between hand seeding and hydro-seeding are . . .
1. Hand seeding can be done by anybody, especially home owners.
2. Hand seedling works perfectly. If you wet the seed thoroughly as soon as you apply it, you have the exact same germination rate as hydro seedling. There is not magic inside of that hydro seeder tank. Water, seed, fertilizer, hydro mulch and maybe glue. The magic is getting the seed thoroughly wet and you can easily do that once it’s down.
3. With hydro seed the seed and mulch are churned together, therefore, 50% of the seed is not in contact with the soil, but stuck to, or laying on top of the mulch.
4. With hand seed, you seed then mulch. All of the seed is in contact with the soil.
5. Straw is messy to apply, but it is a far better mulch because it actually shades the seeds and tiny grass plants as they are germinating.
6. Wash out? I’ve had far more wash outs with hydro seed than I have with hand seed.
Timing? I hate trying to grow grass in the summer, you just can’t apply enough water in enough areas all at the same time. I love seeding in September (Ohio), it’s still warm enough for good germination but not so hot that the sun burns up and kills the young grass plants.
I’ve landscaped about 1,000 homes in my career and installed a lot of lawns. I do have hands on experience.
Hassan, I responded with details but I’m having connection issues, let me know if you don’t see my response.
Hello again Mike! Great article on grass seeding! I’m about ready to start work on my yards now that my veggie garden is doing well, but have a few issues to deal with. First of all, I’m in SE Oklahoma, just off the north side of Lake Eufaula, IN THE FOREST! Today the temperature is 92 degrees, 84% humidity. There is a mix in different areas of my yard where the ground is dark topsoil brought in, other areas of existing decomposed leaf mulch, and still other areas of …SAND. To confound things, there are two 125 year old black Oak trees in the front yard, one at either end about 50 feet apart, and two white Oak trees at the roadside between them. Temperature wise it’s great under them, about 20 degrees cooler. One thing I have to deal with every year is in early spring when those old Oaks drop their pollen fronds that make a heavy blanket on everything, and then this year the ground under the white Oaks is now solid moss.
I will be hand seeding, without a doubt, but with so many variations and issues my task seems to be quite a bit daunting.for that front yard area, of about 4,000 square feet, some always shaded, some always in sunlight. I’ve already planted Rye in the east upper yard, and the west upper yard is pretty much all natural native grass typical of the open areas before getting into the forest where I’m at.
With late summer temps typically in the 95 to 105 degree range, and mid winter usually well below freezing, I’m looking for suggestions on what mix of seed might withstand all of the above, or if any actually exist. Any suggestions?
Larry,
I suggest you apply some lime to that soil, should help with some of that moss. Seed mix? A good shade mix should be good, that should have enough perennial rye for the sunny areas. You can use two mixes if you want but I really don’t think you need to. The only thing that most shade mix lack is bluegrass and really fine textured perennial rye grasses are just as nice. This late in the season apply a heavy layer of straw.
We are preparing to put in a new lawn for our 1890 farmhouse in Portland Oregon. Your article really helped. We were wavering about the hydro and now will do hand.
The most exciting/coincidental part was where you have planted lawns. My family has had, for over 200 years, a home in Austinburg! I’m sure you haven’t done their lawn, but isn’t that fun!
I do have two questions – we re stripped to dirt and ready to prep.
1.we are planting in both a sunny area and an area the we stripped mostly moss under our old english walnut. We intend to do a shade mix under that tree and a different one in the sunnier area. any tips? 2. we were told both to till and to NOT till as that will cut and spread weeds – we had LOTS of dandelions.
so to till or not to till?
Thanks, Jeanne
Jeanne,
Spray the dandelions with roundup before you do anything. Spray any wide bladed grasses as well. Weed and feed will get rid of dandelions later, but not the wide bladed grasses. Then til lightly or disturb the soil. Better yet, rent an over seeding machine. It spreads the seed and slices the soil as well. If you till deep you’ll have a ton of work to do after. You just want to disturb the soil enough so the seed doesn’t wash on hard packed ground. Straw heavily, it’s already really hot here. And I have done a few homes in Austinburg.
Mike I have a maple tree whose roots are so condensed right under thr surface I don’t believe I could even begin to rotortil the ground.what do u suggest on how to grow grass.Thanks
Kim,
Add topsoil or just mulch that area. Going to be tough to get grass to grow in that much shade with that maple robbing the water.
I am happy to be learning more about hydroseeding. It is good to know that this method is effective because of the simple ingredient of water. Something to consider would be to seek professional help when it comes to accomplishing this task to ensure that the job is done right and that the grass has the best chance of growing.
We live in NH and just had 4 inches of lousy loam removed and replaced with 4 inches of new loam. The landscaper is recommending hydroseeding, only one company in the area that does it and it is scheduled for the 26th of this month. My question, a new neighbor used the same hydroseeder with a different landscaper. The landscaper seeded first. Have you ever heard of this? The cost of that seed would be an additional $400 for our yard,and we would have to do it ourselves. Any thoughts on this?
Judi,
It should only have to be seeded once, however you do it, one application is plenty.
I live in Ohio too and what exact seed should I use this fall TY o oversee as you have recommended
Bob,
For sure use a blend of seed that contains Kentucky blue grass, a couple of varieties of perennial rye grass and at least one kind of fescue. I recommend that you buy this seed from a feed mill that has bulk seed. I feel that the seed in the box stores is way over priced. The seed from our local feed mill is as good, probably better and far less expensive. Full service garden centers also have bulk seed and people who know about the product.
Hello! I live in MD. We have a townhouse with a tiny yard but I have been so frustrated with the lawn since we moved in. My husband built a patio in 2013 and used the dirt he dug up to regrade the backyard to drain away from the house. We spread the dirt and tamped it down but it was very late in the season and we never seeded. Since then the weeds have filled in – mostly crabgrass. I find it to be very lumpy even though we tried to level it. My husband says it’s clumps of weeds. I would like to kill the weeds and reseed it but I feel like it’s a daunting task – that we have to till and smooth the soil to get it right…but maybe I;m being a perfectionist. Do we really have to do all that? Can I just scratch it with a garden rake? From everything I read, I feel like it’s such a huge project to get grass to grow.
Eva,
I would spray the entire area with roundup, then if it’s level just rent an over seeder and reseed that way. Or scratch it up with a rake. Don’t do it now. Do it in September, late September really.
I live in SC and want to plant Zoysia. What do you recommend for that.
Also doesn’t using straw cause a lots of weeds??
Tom
Tom,
I won’t pretend to be an expert on Zoysia installation, I know it’s sold as plugs but I’m curious if seed is available. Straw? No, straw does not cause weeds but bringing in topsoil most certainly creates a weed fest.
I need to do. 3 acke
Maybe a silly question but after you put straw over your grass seed and water it and the lawn starts to grow, what happens to the straw? Does it disintegrate and become part of the soil or at some point do you need to rake some of it out?
Lavon,
Some rake it off which I think is crazy. It will decompose just fine.
Thank you. The hydroseeder in my area is too busy to return my calls after leaving 5 messages in the last week but I came across your blog and you’ve convinced me to give hand seeding a shot.
Hi Mike,
I work with a guy that just sprayed his entire yard with roundup by accident. I am forwarding this article to him but am curious about something. I am guessing that his entire lawn will die because of this, but will the roundup mean that he needs to work the soil before trying to reseed or have sod laid?
Jeremie,
No, the roundup will kill his grass and any weeds it had but he sprayed at the recommended rate he can reseed right away. When I repair areas in my lawn I mark them with paint, spray with roundup, sprinkle seed the next day and it works perfectly.
Thanks Mike for this informative piece. I have just seeded my lawn (hand seeded), How long will it take it to grow if am watering it every day and how long should I continue watering after germination.. Im in Calgary and the current average temp for this June is 60F to 80F.. Do I really need to straw this seeded lawn if Im watering atleat twice a day?
Tbro,
This time of year? I’d straw it for sure. It will be money well spent. You’ll see grass in a week, but you need to water for at least 6 weeks when it’s not raining.
Hello Mike:
My grass has grown for over 14 days now but they seem so scatter even though I applied the largest size of the spreader when planting.. Would they still grow to cover the whole soil or I need to apply more grass seed to cover the empty spaces between the grown ones?
Thanks
Tbro
Tony
You can over seed the bare area and just keep watering. Don’t expect miracles this time of year, come fall you can scratch up bare areas and seed again.
Ok Thanks Mike
My Michigan lawn was installed as sod, 17 years ago. It has done great up until last year. And this year, Many areas are actually dead. I hired a lawn care company to re-seed it, and fertilize it, last year, but seems like the new grass only grew in our landscape beds!!
My grass looks terrible, and needs to be re-seeded properly. Some spots are alive, while other areas are dead.
What do you recommend on how to tackle the revival of my lawn? Do I have to remove all the dead thatch? Do I have to bring in topsoil?
Help!!!
Debbie
Troy, MI
Debbie,
I guess it couldn’t hurt to run a de-thatcher over you lawn before you re-seed. Topsoil? Not unless you have low area. The ideal way is to kill off the entire lawn, then re-seed the entire lawn. Mid to late September is the best time to do that because trying to establish grass when it’s hot and dry doesn’t work well and you may have to re-seed again. Also, find out what killed your lawn? Grubs? Or something else?
Hey Mike….Great article…..My backyard has about a 40 degree slope to it…Is there anything else that is required besides the straw to make sure the seeds don’t get washed out since I can’t really level the yard? I also have an irrigation system.
Thanks in advance.
Jimi
I am located near the Jersey Shore in NJ. Soil is somewhat sandy.
Jimi,
Sand shouldn’t be an issue but you really have to water young grass planted in sand.
Jimi,
Be sure to create a good seed bed by loosening the soil a bit before you plant. Straw and water well. They make a mesh you can put over the straw to hold it in place, but not sure where to find it. Would have to be some kind of a landscape supply outfit.
Hey there Mike,
I am from GA, temperature right now was 60-70 degrees
Last week I have someone install new lawn in my backyard, it was graded, hand seeded with fescue & place a straw on top of it, some straw were not evenly distributed, it rained for 3 days, my question is will it grow the seed evenly even if there is uneven distribution of straw, & how many time a day in a week should I water it, how long will be the germination? Thanks
Mae,
I’m sure the straw is fine. If you could water twice a day that would be great. You’ll see new grass in about 10 days, but that’s when watering really becomes critical. If you miss a watering the new grass plants will wither and die.
Hello, will seed not grow if the ground temp is too cold? I planted seed in early April in MA and was told its still too cold and it wont grow. Your thoughts? The daily air temps have been in the 50’s.
Jessica,
No, the seed will not germinate until the temps get up in the sixties. But the seed should be fine as long as it isn’t soaking wet and soggy. Then it could rot.
Can you please explain what a “good seed bed” in “hard packed clay” means? I have hard packed clay covered mostly with weeds. I was convinced that I needed to bring in truck loads of top soil ($$$) for any chance at having a stand of grass. However, in a reply to a post by Ryan (2-1-16) you state that “If you can grow weeds you can grow grass.”, I’m curious to know what steps you recommend to properly prepare a good seed bed in clay soil. Thanks for your time and consideration!
Jason,
Having done hundreds of lawns in all kinds of soil conditions, I am not a big believer in hauling in topsoil. Topsoil does have more nutrition than clay, but the grass will very quickly use up that nutrition and you are quickly right back where you started and will have to supplement with fertilizer so the time, effort and money on topsoil ends up being a big waste of money.
1. Get rid of the weeds. When I want to eliminate weeds I spray with roundup. I do it all the time in areas that I want to seed. It’s fine. I know the Internet is loaded with roundup haters, I am not one of them, see this https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/07/roundup-safe-use/
2. If you don’t want to spray til the area over and over and over letting it dry between tillings.
3. After all of that tilling you have created that “ideal seed” bed, just level the soil and follow the instructions in this article.
Hello, I’m from MN. I plan on seeding my new yard this spring. It’s new construction & the yard will be graded. Maybe i missed this in your article but when you talk about mulching with straw, how heavy should we be covering the yard with straw? Thanks
Dave,
That’s a good question and I would say at least one bale per 1,000 square feet but 550 feet per bale is really more like it. You really want it pretty heavy to shade the seed and the new grass plants.
Thanks for this great article! We have moles that make lots of bumps in our yard and we would like to level the yard before reseeding the bad areas. (We are selling the house in 6 months) What is the easiest way to get the lawn somewhat level?
Peggy,
Roll the lawn in the spring when the ground is still soft. That’s really the easiest thing to do.
Hi Mike, I’m a lawn novice looking to tackle, what is for me, a very large job. Our family recently purchased a 1 acre lot to build our “raise the kids and live for many many years in” home. Desert type of climate, so I’ll be installing an irrigation system after we level our lot. Here’s the steps I believe I’ve marked down from your post.
1) clear and level lot, which we are planning on for early april.
2) immediately after leveling, I will install irrigation to provide water, plus dust control.
3) topsoil? I’ve seen 6″ for recommended depth… curious on your advice.
4) roll topsoil and lightly rake at this point?
5) hand seed in at least two different angles (2 passes) to reach seeding coverage recommended for whatever type (s) we choose.
6) roll, rake, or drag at this point? To embed seed.
7) spread bedding straw.
8) water diligently to keep appropriate moisture, but not too much.
Having the sprinklers in place will really help me out there, but with a mostly dry and wind prone environment, I’m most concerned about raking, rolling, topsoil, etc to get those little seeds embedded best for them. Also, when or if fertilizer is needed? Thank you for your article. My contractor was just assuming hydroseeding, since the house is their only real concern… but your story makes me think doing it myself with hand seeding may be a better long term and less expensive choice. Especially since we have about 6 months before even moving into a completed home.
Ryan
Ryan,
I’m not a big fan of bringing in topsoil unless you absolutely need to. I’ve installed plenty of lawns on really poor soil from packed clay, to clay and slate rock to just flat out rocks and more rocks. Every lawn came in beautifully. I quit installing lawns around 1982 and sometime after that somebody decided that every new lawn needs topsoil. Are there weeds there now? That’s a great sign. If you can grow weeds you can grow grass. A lawn need fertilization anyway so those nutrients in the topsoil will be depleted in no time. That’s why I think it’s a waste.
Don’t over think getting the seeds embedded into the soil. You’ll end up with them being too deep. All I do is drag a broom over the seed, apply the straw then turn on those sprinklers. You’ll be fine. Rolling the seed after your broom it? That would be fine and put your mind to ease.
Apply a seed starter fertilizer when you seed, then don’t fertilize again for 90 days.
You have a sprinkler system, in my opinion hydroseeding would be a waste. Install the lawn in the spring or the fall, not the dead of summer.
Hi mike,
What do you think about hydro seeding just before the first snowfall? I have about six thousand square feet to do and I am not totally sure if it is the way to go. We live in Montreal canada so winter is right around the corner, first snowfall will be in about two or three weeks. Do I have to water it like crazy before snowfall or will I be just fine in the spring with the melting of snow?
Steven,
I think that depends on your soil. If you soil is a sticky clay it might stay too wet over the winter and the seed could rot. If that doesn’t happen it would work perfectly. This time of the year you most certainly don’t need hydro seed and could just hand seed the area. Me? I’d probably wait until spring, but if the soil is already and weed free I’d probably seed now. I planted some seed about three weeks ago and it’s up, but it’s been warm here.
There are no guarantees, it’s a small area, take the chance.
Thanks for the reply,
It is 6000 square feet, not the smallest backyard lol. It is totally free of weeds, there was about 3-4 inches of top soil completely clean. I have the seeds already but would like the pros to do it. I’m stuck on what to do.
Steven,
If it’s ready to go I’d seed it. If you don’t it will be a mess by spring. I really see no advantage to hydro seed this time of year, probably more disadvantages as explained in my article. Exposed seed and a bigger chance of it washing.
Hi there,
We have about 6000square feet in the backyard. We just recently put top soil everywhere and levelled it off. Now I’m leaning towards hydro seeding, but not entirely sold on it. Especially after reading a few articles. What scares me the most is the winter. It is coming very soon, we are in canada(Montreal), the company tells me that they will seed before first snowfall but I’m responsible for watering, there’s not much I can water as it does drop below freezing at night. What do you think? It’s most likely going to snow in two or three weeks.
Steven,
This time of year watering is not really a concern unless it gets hot and dry. I intentionally wait until fall to seed so I don’t have to water it.
Our front yard is pretty much washed away due to heavy rainfalls and lack of good drainage. We are in the middle of fixing the drainage but need to either seed or sod now before winter sits end so it doesnt continue eroding. We will also be bringing in top soil. The front yard is on a slight slope with more slope toward the road. We live in Oklahoma so what would your recommendation be for best results. We do have a well so watering isn’t an issue.
Jackie,
I would try and get the lawn seeded as soon as possible. Grass seed needs warm weather to germinate. If doesn’t germinate in the fall it will germinate in the spring, but it can wash out, or the seed can get too wet over winter and rot.
Hi Mike,
My husband and I bought a new house in 2003. It was a “model home” and the lawn was already in place. Unfortunately, the lawn had been sodded with a product that has a plastic mesh to hold it in place. Now, 12 years later, that plastic mesh is still there and every time I want to plant something or put in a new garden, I have to deal with cutting through it and pulling that up. What a pain! I wish I knew why they used such a product, it is awful!
Thanks,
Nancy
Nancy,
I know what product you are talking about and I don’t know why they don’t make it out of Jute twine or maybe they do and the plastic is cheaper. I see them using the same stuff over hydro seeded areas that have been strawed to hold the straw down.
If you use straw on newly planted grass seed, how long do you leave it on? Or do you not remove it?
Also, on another note, one of the reasons we lost a good part of our lawn was to chipmunks building tunnels all over. We thought it was mole damage, but set up a night camera near one of their holes and got some great photos of the little devils. We caught 24 with mousetraps and rat traps. If you walked on the grass, your feet would sink in two or more inches in some good sized areas. How can we prevent that when our new lawn comes up next spring? We have used grub control, and have repellants that run on batteries.
Mae,
I would make another application of grub control just to be sure. Some people rake up the straw once the lawn comes in, I don’t. I leave straw in place and the grass undisturbed. The straw will decompose and be just fine. Here’s the thing, it takes Kentucky Blue Grass 28 days to germinate. So even though the lawn looks pretty good in six weeks, those blue grass plants are just getting started. Raking the straw off is sure to damage a lot of them.
I just came across this blog/post. i just recently bought a house in Massachusetts (Brockton) and the lawn was/is a mess.
When i bought the place, the weeds (huge stick looking things) were coming up to about 3 feet or so. took a lot of trimming to get the whole yard done (approx 3000 sq ft). However, since i know nothing about lawns and the fact that it hasnt rained in over 2 weeks, my lawnmower kicked up a dust storm when i mowed what i perceive to be about 6 different types of weeks out there and 2 types of grass in opposite corners.
ive never had to worry about having a green thumb as ive been urban living my whole life. now its different. i want that golf course green blanket in my back yard and ive been looking at doing it myself. mainly because if it fails i dont want to have spent tons of money and also if i do it i can blame it on me!
ive been looking into weed killer sprays, sod cutting, rototilling, underground sprinkler systems etc etc. my yard looks like a baren dessert and im done. i dont want to kick up dust when i mow my lawn. i want lawn clippings. we are coming right up on fall temp here and its the perfect time to do this. any advice?
Jean,
1. Spray all of the weeds in the lawn with Roundup or another non generic product that contains glyposate. Apply just enough roundup to wet the weeds, don’t soak the soil. The roundup will have no affect on the grass seed that you are about to sow. See this that I wrote; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/07/roundup-safe-use/
2. Level any areas that need leveling.
3. Re-seed and apply a starter fertilizer and or better yet the green mulch that looks like hydro mulch but contains starter fertilizer.
4. Mulch with straw if you want, it really helps.
5. Water at least twice a day until it cools off.
If you do it now it should work out perfectly.
Mike,
We are building a house on 10 acres of loamy farmland in a valley in west Montana that has constant wind through the whole spring and June. Our neighbor said their first 2 attempts at hand seeding failed horribly due to the wind blowing mulch away. Do you have any advice for us? We thought hydro seeding would help but now not sure it will.
Angela,
Hydro seeding might make a difference in your situation, but if hand seeding failed, it probably failed because enough water was not applied and not applied often enough. If you get your seed down as early as possible and really stay on top of the watering you’ll be fine. Hydro mulch will not blow away. But you can also use the green pelitized mulch that works just like hydro mulch.
But here’s the big take away. When you seed, no matter how you apply the seed, as soon as the seed gets wet germination is initiated. Within six days in warm weather, you’ll have millions of grass plants that desperately need a drink of water at least once, if not twice a day. Miss a watering and all of those millions of grass plants will die and fail. Once that happens, those seeds are spent and are not about to re-germinate.
Think about how frail those little tiny grass plants are. They are like human hair with a itty bitty root system. They need water when they need it, not two hours later. Hydro seed can’t help that situation. If you don’t feel as if you can keep up on the watering, install the lawn in sections.
So it probably wasn’t the mulch blowing away that caused the hand seeding to fail, I’m betting a few waterings were late or missed all together.
Mike,
Thanks for your fast response! I think you may be right as the neighbor clued me in that when they were using standup sprinkler water guns it failed but when they installed pop up sprinkler irrigation in the entire lawn area it succeeded at about 75%. She said it was because the pop ups delivered a more even water which kept the mulch and seed wet enough that it didn’t blow away as badly. But now I’m wondering if it had a lot more to do with drying out then blowing away as you said.
Thanks for your help!
Angela,
You’re welcome, glad I could help.
Hi, Mike: Once again, great article! You initiated it in 2014 and not a word had to be changed cause it is just the truth. Bravo.
I’ve communicated with you many times, and you know that I’ve been at it for awhile, also. Just a brief note. Especially for slight hills, I’ve used loosely applied burlap over the grass seed to help with erosion till the grass roots could take hold good.. But even on flat land, the burlap helped keep the soil and seed moist, and to some degree, protected it from the sun.
You still have to be diligent about watering and you have to be observant to take the burlap off when the grass seedling start to come through so you don’t pull up the plants when they get thicker.
Joe,
I’ve never done it but burlap is an excellent idea. We use wet burlap to cover our bare root cuttings as we are potting them.
I’ve been following you for several years now, after my wife turned me on to your blog. It was something she had begun to follow, hoping to surprise me with some new tidbit of knowledge. You see, I’m a ninth generation horticulturist. I grew up doing this stuff. Punishments were often weeding our ever present vegetable gardens. At the age of 15, I built my first greenhouse, (the structure survived a hurricane that swept up through Virginia) which I was informed was the largest non-commercial one in the Commonwealth in the ’70s. When we moved, I made a small fortune (to a teenager) by selling off all the varieties of fern I had filled it with.
When my wife and I first met, I was running my own landscaping business with both commercial and private clients. Beyond basic maintenance, the most common jobs I took on tended toward fixing what some college educated dim-wit had created. It seems they are educated on a short cycle, re-landscape every five to seven years paradigm. Sales people in the the industry are even less educated on the matter! I’d take this one with a grain of salt.
I’m, also, a full on bibliophile and learn easily and readily from books, but there is no substitute for the hands on, getting your fingernails dirty sort of knowledge. Experience is, by far, the best teacher. Keep up the good work.
Now for a favor. I’m currently living in Arizona in a house with absolutely NO yard what-so-ever. My house and patio plants are a poor substitute for getting out into the gardens. It would serve my soul well if you and any in your network would pick a random planting of whatever you are working on and give it Jackson’s blessing.
Well crap! I miss my gardens so much that the tears welled up and it took me five minutes to write those last two sentences. I’ll feel it and I’ll know…
Thank you!
Jackson,
You got it buddy! I’m expanding the donkey pen and along the outside of the pen will be a garden. We just planted a golden curls willow with the intention of it hanging over the pen and calling attention from the drive as a person enters the property. From here on out that will be Jackson’s corner! When the tree is bigger in a few years I will be found there often, maybe swinging in a hammock.
Good for you Mike. I just can’t stand when the big companies think they know it all and try to cram down our throats that their way is better. Intimidation never works with me. You are correct Mike that hand seeding is always the best way, however huge projects like malls, etc. do use hydro-seeding and they do cover with straw because I have seen it done. Most consumers that hire their lawns to be put in have no idea of how to do it or maintain it and that is why, in most cases, their lawn fails. They fail to take proper care of it, and has nothing to do with the way you put it in. It is reassuring to know that good people like you still guarantee their work…….no matter what. Most don’t in this day and age. You are such an informative and hands on guy and have helped so many new gardeners. I have gardened for 42 years and I know, that you know, what you are talking about. Keep up your good work. V. Langbehn, Florida
Thank you so much, I appreciate your kind words and your support.
You comments on hydroseeding are completely erroneous and show a complete lack of knowledge for the process.
Hydroseeding is the process of combining seed, fertilizer and a mulch product into a homogenous slurry. When properly applied the process will produce a superior germination of turf seeds.
The key to proper germination is retaining soil moisture. Hydromulch does that much better than any type of straw. Straw incidentally if not anchored will blow away or clump, both produce areas that create poor germination.
Depending on time of year a two step hydroseeding technique produces better seed to soil contact and is preferred.
As for the glue issue – tackifier to the trade. Your comments here, are so off the mark that its not even worth commenting other than to say you obviously lack the knowledge to make intelligent comments.
Well Ed, I will disagree with your disagreement. I am knowledgeable, long time member of the trade, I’ve installed hundreds of lawn, hand seeding, hydro seeding and sod. You’re right about the fast germination with hydro seed. But if you water a hand seeded lawn as soon as you apply the seed you’ll get germination just as quickly.
Straw can blow away, but once it wet it stays in place pretty well. I often see construction crews blowing straw on areas along a highway that that has been hand seeded. I wonder why they would apply straw to an area that was hydroseeded? Because straw is a great mulch for any seeded lawn.
Straw truly is a superior mulch because it provides the most important ingredient of all, shade! Place straw over a seeded lawn is like building lattice shade work over those tiny seeds.
I really don’t think we’ll agree because it appears that you are in the business of selling hydro seeders and I was in the business of installing lawns. When a hydro seeded lawn washed out on me the money to correct the problem came out of my grocery money. And in my book that makes me an expert. Boots on the ground, hands in the dirt, guaranteeing my customers a lawn no matter why we had a problem with the installation.
Not sure how long you’ve been selling hyrdo seeders but I first started using the process of hyrdo seed 38 years. I do know what I’m talking about.
There are more than one ways to do just about anything which is why I wrote a complex article that included the pros and cons of hydro seeding.
Put
Hi Mike,
After reading your article and Ed’s comments, it appears Ed shows a complete lack of reading comprehension. It seems like Ed’s comments are more about germination, not what happens after germination. Also, you didn’t say hydroseeding was a bad process, you just pointed out the problems you experienced first hand. Let me break it down:
Hydroseeding is the process of combining seed, fertilizer and a mulch product into a homogenous slurry. Pretty much how you described it in your article. Maybe he was restating it for the rest of us that have a complete lack of knowledge for the process….
When properly applied the process will produce a superior germination of turf seeds. What exactly is “superior germination”? You conceded that hydroseeding produces a more uniform germination. Is that superior? As you opinionated, you don’t care if it all germinates at once or not. Maybe it is to someone else. Just an opinion.
The key to proper germination is retaining soil moisture. Hydromulch does that much better than any type of straw. Maybe. Maybe not. Just an opinion without backing up the claim. Also, the straw is important after the seed has germinated.
Straw incidentally if not anchored will blow away or clump, both produce areas that create poor germination. Which is exactly why they quit using straw. Oh wait, they still use it. I guess the hydroseeding industry hasn’t explained it good enough yet. (Yeah, a little sarcasm.) :p All processes have shortfalls. Failing to recognize them is the biggest shortfall. When Ed states, “When properly applied”, that pretty much means there are shortfalls to the hydroseeding process he doesn’t want to mention.
Depending on time of year a two step hydroseeding technique produces better seed to soil contact and is preferred. A two step technique? Time of year? Ed, please explain, what is the two step technique, how does the technique produce better soil contact, and why does the time of year matter? What exactly is preferred? If soil contact, then Mike has already stated that.
As for the glue issue – tackifier to the trade. Your comments here, are so off the mark that its not even worth commenting other than to say you obviously lack the knowledge to make intelligent comments. Ed, although you don’t think “its not even worth commenting” on, we know what Mike’s credential are, but we know nothing of yours. Mike speaks from the school of hard knocks. You speak from the, well, we don’t know what school you speak from. Can you point us to any non hydroseeding industry related studies that back up your claims?
Capt Rob
Hi Mike,
After reading your article and Ed’s comments, it appears Ed shows a complete lack of reading comprehension. It seems like Ed’s comments are more about germination, not what happens after germination. Also, you didn’t say hydroseeding was a bad process, you just pointed out the problems you experienced first hand. Let me break it down:
Hydroseeding is the process of combining seed, fertilizer and a mulch product into a homogenous slurry. Pretty much how you described it in your article. Maybe he was restating it for the rest of us that have a complete lack of knowledge for the process….
When properly applied the process will produce a superior germination of turf seeds. What exactly is “superior germination”? You conceded that hydroseeding produces a more uniform germination. Is that superior? As you opinionated, you don’t care if it all germinates at once or not. Maybe it is to someone else. Just an opinion.
The key to proper germination is retaining soil moisture. Hydromulch does that much better than any type of straw. Maybe. Maybe not. Just an opinion without backing up the claim. Also, the straw is important after the seed has germinated.
Straw incidentally if not anchored will blow away or clump, both produce areas that create poor germination. Which is exactly why they quit using straw. Oh wait, they still use it. I guess the hydroseeding industry hasn’t explained it good enough yet. (Yeah, a little sarcasm.) :p All processes have shortfalls. Failing to recognize them is the biggest shortfall. When Ed states, “When properly applied”, that pretty much means there are shortfalls to the hydroseeding process he doesn’t want to mention.
Depending on time of year a two step hydroseeding technique produces better seed to soil contact and is preferred. A two step technique? Time of year? Ed, please explain, what is the two step technique, how does the technique produce better soil contact, and why does the time of year matter? What exactly is preferred? If soil contact, then Mike has already stated that.
As for the glue issue – tackifier to the trade. Your comments here, are so off the mark that its not even worth commenting other than to say you obviously lack the knowledge to make intelligent comments. Ed, although you don’t think “its not even worth commenting” on, we know what Mike’s credential are, but we know nothing of yours. Mike speaks from the school of hard knocks. You speak from the, well, we don’t know what school you speak from. Can you point us to any non hydroseeding industry related studies that back up your claims?
Capt Rob
Thanks Capt Rob, my thoughts exactly. I don’t get the two step process either, but I do know that few contractors can deliver a two step process and still be competitive. Most jobs are obtained through competitive bidding.
With the long hot Sumer last year my lawn was looking very sickly. So I hired a lawn service. (First time ever) They seeded, they fertilized & they got rid of whatever was eating/killing my grass besides the heat. Going into winter it looked the beautiful! BUT then a mysterious bugger the “Mole” moved into my yard last fall & has had a field day under the snow all winter! Now that the snow is gone I can see the mess they have made of my lawn. How do I get rid of the Son-of-Guns (edited version) they are eating everything. HELP
Thank you,
CarolZ
Carol,
You have to get rid of their food source Japanese Beetle grubs. The grubs are probably what ruined your lawn in the first place. Get rid of the grubs and the lawn will be fine. https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2010/07/how-to-get-rid-of-japanese-beetles-and-grubs-in-your-lawn/
Thanks for the info. Many are straying away from having sod installed in their lawn and exploring other options. Hydro-seeding will become a popular option.