Frequently Asked Questions - Hydroseeding

GeoGrow's Hydroseeding is a planting process that uses a slurry of seed and mulch in a liquid medium which can also consist of wood or paper fibre applied by our specialist team using state of the art Hydroseeding machinery. It is often used as an erosion control technique on construction sites and quite commonly used for large areas or inaccessible areas for its fast application and quick vegetation. This is a great alternative to the traditional method of sowing dry seed saving time and money offering great results.

When hydroseed is watered the wood fibre mulch retains moisture like a sponge and gives the seed the ideal environment to grow in. If you just throw down seed out of a bag onto the soil, when you water it the water quickly goes down into the soil. The seedlings do not have enough time to absorb the moisture or the nutrients from the fertilizer. That is why hydroseeding is far superior to hand seeding. The mulch also binds the seed to the soil and protects the seed from blowing away in the wind and washing away during heavy rain.

All of our mulch is of premium quality. We use 2 different types of mulch. HP-FGM (High performance flexible growth medium) - for slopes above 45 degrees. Tackified wood fibre mulch for slopes below 45 degress.

Ideally no. All dead vegetation needs to be cleared to ensure optimal growth.

Its not ideal.

We will always do an on site assesement to provide an accurate quotation.

Yes. Soil needs to be turned over and tampered down.

The best practice will always be to start over from scratch by completely redoing the lawn or preparing your soil for Hydroseeding vegetation. To quickly transform your lawn's brown patches into lush green grass, you can hydroseed.

Hydroseed can literally grow anywhere providing it is applied to soils with sufficient nutrient and PH level, we can also conduct soil tests to provide you with the recommended seed specification or required remediation work to get the soils suitable for your desired seed specification. Like any seed it will need water, fertilizer and sun to germinate properly.

Due to many factors that effect vegetation growth it is difficult to guarantee. However if you have any concerns regarding growth progress we would be happy to reasses and provide a solution.

This all depends on the time of seeding. The growing season runs March - October with optimal growth March - June in which you should see germination within the first few weeks. Growth naturally slows down outside of this window. Full growth usually takes up to 2 growing seasons.

This will not be required as we will Hydroseed the area with the recommended sow rate of the seed specification.

We can tailor our seed mix to your specification, alternatively we offer the below seed mixes as standard.

Suitable for areas that require the minimal amount of maintenance, it may take longer to establish but its slower growing will allow for it to be cut as little as twice a year. It will develop into a low maintenance grass sward that is suitable for areas that are difficult to mow, such as steep slopes or areas that are designed to be left to grow. By adding clover & legume species to this mix naturally fixes nitrogen to the soil benefitting the grasses and increasing drought tolerance and disease resistance.

Suitable for areas that require the minimal amount of maintenance, it may take longer to establish but its slower growing will allow for it to be cut as little as twice a year. It will develop into a low maintenance grass sward that is suitable for areas that are difficult to mow, such as steep slopes or areas that are designed to be left to grow. By adding clover & legume species to this mix naturally fixes nitrogen to the soil benefitting the grasses and increasing drought tolerance and disease resistance.

GeoGrow Woodland & Heavy Shade Grass Seed Mix

Suitable for establishing a grass sward beneath mature trees in heavy woodland landscape areas or in shade beside large buildings. This balanced blend of species suitable for cold, damp/dry nutrient hungry soils often found in these situations, will produce a green grass cover in these often-difficult conditions.

• 25% Dwarf Perennial Rye Grass • 40% Strong Creeping Red Fescue • 10% Rough Stalked Meadow Grass • 10% Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass • 10% Wood Meadow Grass • 3% Yorkshire Fog • 2% Creeping Bent

• 25% Dwarf Perennial Rye Grass • 40% Strong Creeping Red Fescue • 10% Rough Stalked Meadow Grass • 10% Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass • 10% Wood Meadow Grass • 3% Yorkshire Fog • 2% Creeping Bent

GeoGrow Drought Tolerant Grass Mix

The Drought Tolerant Grass Mix will be an advantage to any drought area with the use of tall fescue, due to its fineness of leaf and the density of the shoot it produces. This means that the mix will provide an attractive, low maintenance but also hard-wearing alternative to the typical ryegrass mixtures. This mix is ideal for Rootlok walls steeper than 70° which can be drought prone as the roots of the tall fescue can reach depths of over 1m, which means that it can cope with extreme heat, drought but also the occasional waterlogging. The species included in this mix will tolerate the dry conditions, once established, and this will provide you with a good quality, thick covering. Although this is a “drought” mixture, it can also tolerate shady conditions, and therefore is a good, all round mix.

Hydroseeding is suitable to undertake in almost all weather conditions. The only unsuitable weather condition is very heavy / torrential rain.

We do not recommend that you allow children or animals on the hydroseed until it has fully grown (About 8-10 weeks). This is not because of a safety risk but to help promote growth and lessen wear and tear when in the early stages however it is very safe for walking on once the mulch has dried out.

We provide all customers with an after care guide that outlines how to care for and maintain the vegetation. This is bespoke to each seed specification.

After the area is first Hydroseeded, allow the mulch to dry before watering. (Usually dry by the next day.) During the first two weeks, water all areas every day keeping area slightly moist to speed up germination. Water 10 to 20 minutes per section, twice a day, if possible. (do not water after dark).

Keep as much traffic as possible off of the newly seeded areas for the first 6 weeks. At 4-6 weeks after it is sprayed, you can carefully push mow it. Never remove more than 1/3 of the blade when you mow. Do not go away on vacation and leave it to grow without being mowed for much longer than 7-10 days. We cannot repair this type of damage, you will have to start from scratch.

We do not need to inspect hydroseed in the first 16-20 weeks. You must give it time and be patient with it. You will see faster growth in some areas and slower growth in others. This is completely normal. Ensure you follow our after care instructions for optimal growth.

Our Hydroseeding machine alone has a 50m hose. For harder to reach areas we can attach a 20m extension, therefore providing a maximum reach of 140m.

The fixed sowing rate (grams per m²) for GeoGrow’s hydroseeded drought tolerant grass mix is 40g/m².