Hydro Seed Lawncare Maintenance & Tips

H & K Landscaping Lawncare Tips

WATERING

Do not water until the hydro-seed application has completely dried. This allows the tack to set which helps hold the mulch, seed and soil together.

For optimum seed germination, the soil surface should be kept moist for a period of 6 to 8 weeks.

To prevent washouts, it is recommended that you avoid watering when heavy rains are predicted.

To prevent fungus, it is recommended that you water thoroughly every other day when temperatures are 85 degrees or higher.

MOWING

The lawn should be mowed after the grass has reached a height of 3 1/2 to 4.

The cutting height of the mower should be set no lower than 3.

No more than 25% of the grass should be cut off in one cutting.

The mower blade should be sharp to prevent tearing.

The clippings should only be picked up to prevent clumping of cut grass.

The lawn should be cut with the lawn mower set on 1/2 throttle to reduce the amount of suction generated by the mower blade.

The above procedures should be followed for the first 3 or 4 cuttings.

There are three very important conditions to obtain optimum seed germination and plant growth.

First you need a good soil. If your seed bed contains too much clay, your ground becomes too dense and hard making it very difficult to establish good root growth. If your seed bed contains too much sand, then it will be extremely hard for your seed bed to retain a sufficient amount of moisture to support plant growth. We suggest that if you have a clay base area to be seeded that you should add a minimum of 2" sandy base topsoil. If you are dealing with a sandy base area to be seeded, such as yellow sand or coarse sand, then we would recommend 3 to 4 inches of a clay based topsoil.

The next important thing is water. Your seeds must be kept moist, but not saturated. Kept moist could mean, not watering at all today because it had rained enough to keep the ground moist all day or it could mean that you need to water as many as 8 times a day because it is a very sunny, warm and breezy day resulting in quicker evaporation, which in turn will dry out the surface of the Hydro Seeding. It is likely that the germination process will be extended if you are watering only one or twice per day during time when there is little or no rainfall. Insufficient watering will more than likely have an effect on the germination and growth rate. It will usually extend the time it takes for the seed to germinate. For example, if your seed blend contains perennial turf type rye, it will take 7 to 10 days to germinate under optimum conditions. If the seed is not watered sufficiently, then it might take 15 to 20 days for the seeds to germinate.

H & K Landscaping
Hudsonville, MI
http://hklandscaping.com