Residential: Hydroseeding is a cost saving and effective alternative to sod, especially on large sites (around 1/5th the cost). In 2024 sod costs are at around
$.51 per SF and an additional $1.00 for installation totaling ~ $1.50 per SF. Hydroseeding a premium Bermuda will be around $ .25 per SF installed (depending on distance from our office). If you have the
time/patience for turf establishment, which may take 1 season or more to fully establish, hydro seeding is a “no brainer” decision.
Commercial: Hydroseeding minimizes the potential for sheet erosion and allows seeding and mulching in a a single step (reducing the time required for immediate groundcover).
Mulch options offer customers alternatives to blown straw, RECPs, truckloads of topsoil, while shortening installation times and reducing the potential for DENR or EPA citations. The larger the site, the lower the
per SF or per Acre fee’s.
The “Seeding Season” adds a scheduling consideration. Sod can be installed year round while hydroseeding is seasonally dependent. Warm Season turfs (Bermuda, Carpetgrass, Bahia,
and Centipede) are limited to Mar-Sep. Cool Season Seeding is limited to Sep-Dec. Commercial projects that include temporary and permanent seeding requirements can have dormant seeding as an option if a single
seeding installation is required.
Spreading seed uniformly appears to be a “what’s the challenge” question.
Warm Season and native seeds are typically extremely small… and EXPENSIVE. Centipede has around 450,000 seeds per pound, Bermuda is at around 2 million seeds – imagine 4-20 seeds per a grain of sand.
Premium Bermuda seed starts at around $30/#, Centipede is ~$50/# and both are applied at 1-2lbs per 1,000 SF (~50 to 100lbs/Acre).
“Native” seed mixes can cost $270 (or more) per pound with seeding rates of 4lbs per acre (or lower). These low rates can only be uniformly applied with a hydroseeder.
Sheet erosion is the largest contamination to water globally. As a general contractor both the EPA and DENR (Department of Environmental Natural Resources) look at projects and allegations of water contamination. We can help you address EPA or DENR citations, more importantly we can help you get ground cover to eliminate complaints before they start. A Stop Work Order is bad… it’s worse when daily fines are added, we can help.