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Everyone loves a good, green patch of grass. An evenly colored bed of grass of equal length can catch your eye from a distance. They make a simple backyard look like a million dollars and add value to the design aesthetic of any household.
So, what’s the easiest way to achieve this feat? Yes, regular chopping and trimming to keep everything in equal size is important, but you have to start from scratch. Growing good quality grass is the way to start. However, providing nutrients and water in ample amounts is a hard task.
One of the common problems when it comes to planting grass is that by the time you’re done with one part of the field and move to another, some part of the grass is already withering due to lack of nutrition.
Furthermore, planting grass manually is a labor-intensive process that takes 5-6 days minimum. So, the weather might change course, and your incomplete yard might already have two different kinds of grass.
Hydroseeding can do you a world of good in these cases. It’s a process where the seeds are mixed with mulch and fertilizer and added to the field with a hose pipe. However, due to a plethora of misconceptions and lack of availability, it’s not as popular as other conventional measures.
In this article, we’re going to discuss the advantages of hydroseeding in the perspective of 2020. Is it worth it right now? Let’s find out!
What is Hydroseeding?
Hydroseeding is a system of planting grass or other seeds across a large area. In this system, everything is mixed at once and then applied to the field. It’s a modern take on traditional grass planting.
In this process, a slurry is made by mixing seeds, mulching, fertilizer, supplements, and water in adequate amounts and mixed together. The slurry is a thick, paste-like mixture which is then added to the field with a highly pressurized hose pipe.
The main components in this process are making the mixture right and adding it to the soil properly. It might seem like too much for something like planting grass, but this is super efficient and time-saving.
Benefits of Hydroseeding
Time-Saving
Grass sowing is generally a labor-intensive, time-consuming process that can take up to weeks with multiple people involved, from preparing beds and the soil to planting every seed individually to regular watering and adding fertilizer.
This entire process takes a lot of effort and has a lot of room for error.
In hydroseeding, the entire process can be completed in a few days. Since the whole application process is done through pipes, a maximum of three people is required. Thus saving a lot of time and effort at the very beginning.
Less Labor Intensive
If you want to plant grass, you’ll need more labor than making an actual garden. The entire process of time-consuming on its own. Also, it takes 3-4 weeks to germinate and produce grass from it.
However, when hydroseeding is done, the mulch is made in a special process to pack as much nutrition as possible. As a result, it takes a maximum of two weeks for the grass to germinate from there.
Furthermore, keeping grass uniformly sized is a massive hassle. Since all the grass is not sown simultaneously, the grass grows in some parts quicker than the others.
So, you have to cut them and make sure they’re uniformly sized. The entire process takes a long time, and any mistake can ruin the whole look of your yard.
But when you’re hydroseeding, everything is planted at the same time. As a result, everything grows exactly at the same time. Making the process after sowing less labor-intensive
Controls Soil Erosion
Soil erosion is a massive problem. It damages the quality of the soil as well as creates a risk of damaging buildings on that soil as well. When soil lacks nutrients, it starts losing its integrity, causing erosion.
In hydroseeding, the soil is provided with nutrients and supplements uniformly. So, the soil gets the nutrients it needs. Thus, providing the soil with some much-required integrity, which can eventually save the soil from erosion.
Furthermore, planting grass and other shrubs have roots which plant deeply into the soil and hold the soil carefully. So, it can prevent hydroseeding to a great scale.
Preserves Natural Varieties of Grass
When you plan on manually planting grass, you’d generally opt for an easy growing, naturally available variety that doesn’t require much effort because you’re already going through too much effort.
As a result, you’d often overlook better quality but labor-intensive varieties that would have a better effect on your yard.
When you’re hydroseeding, the sowing, mulching, and planting generally take much shorter because everything is done by a pipe and a slurry. Since the effort has already been reduced, you can go for these rare varieties by putting in the effort.
These small bits of effort can have a positive effect on nature since natural varieties are better for soil and the environment.
Problems and Precautions
Use of Artificial Colors
Hydroseeding Contractors generally use colors with the mulch when working in large areas. This helps them keep track of what part is done and what is left undone. Even though these colors are non-toxic and don’t damage the soil or the slurry, they can be inconvenient.
Many countries discourage the use of colors to prevent the addition of any chemical substance with soil. They’re also hard to get rid of at times. So, make sure you know your legal rules before using colors.
Initial Investment
Even though the cost gets significantly reduced as the years go by, the initial investment is still a problem. Since there are more complicated techniques involved, the initial cost is a big deal. So, make sure to check your finances before trying it out.
Conclusion
In a world where we’re trying to maximize efficiency and save as much time as we can, using age-old techniques should never be the norm.
Hydroseeding is a great way to have your grass sowed and prepared in the easiest way possible. In this article, we’ve discussed everything you need to know about hydroseeding. We hope you find this useful!
