Frequently Asked Questions

For residential hydroseeding, published national guides put the price somewhere between $0.07 and $0.35 per sq ft, depending on which guide you read; HomeGuide's example of a 5,000 square foot lawn comes to $1,000 to $1,750. Expect a minimum charge on small jobs too: HomeGuide lists $300 to $500 or more. Grading, topsoil and slopes are usually the bigger variables in Cleveland, so we quote once we have seen and measured the yard.

Late August and September are our first choice for cool-season grass here: warm soil, cooler nights and fewer weeds. Mid-April through May is the second window. A lawn sprayed in June can work but needs steady watering through July.

You do not get an instant lawn the way sod gives you one; expect sprouts in about a week and a first mow in four to six weeks. It needs regular watering for the first few weeks. And on bare clay subsoil it will struggle like any seed, so prep matters.

Small hand-held kits exist, but a professional machine mixes seed, mulch and tackifier evenly and sprays it at a steady rate. For a whole yard or a slope, most of the result comes from grading and topsoil, which is the heavy part of the job anyway.

The fiber mulch and tackifier bind to the soil and hold seed through ordinary rain once dry. A severe storm on a steep bank can still cut channels, which is why slopes get heavier mulch or blankets and why we grade so water does not concentrate.

For roughly the first three weeks, sprinkle lightly several times a day so the mulch stays damp without water running off. Iowa State Extension notes hot, windy days may need up to four light waterings. After the grass is up we taper to deeper, less frequent watering.

Early October can still work for erosion cover, but grass started that late often does not root well before lake-effect snow and frozen ground. For a lawn we usually recommend waiting for spring and putting down temporary stabilization if the dirt cannot sit bare.

Per sq ft, national guides fall between roughly $0.07 and $0.35. HomeGuide prices a 5,000 square foot lawn example at $1,000 to $1,750. The bigger swing here is prep: how much topsoil and grading the lot needs. Once we have walked the yard, you get the price in writing.

Stay off it until it has been mowed once or twice, usually five to eight weeks. Walking on it earlier pulls up young roots and leaves thin paths.

If a few inches of dark, loose topsoil remain, we can often work with it. If the surface is gray or yellow-brown clay left from excavation, we recommend bringing topsoil in, because grass rooted in subsoil stays thin.

Hydroseed costs much less and develops roots in place, so it adapts to the soil from the start. Sod looks finished on day one. For large lots most people choose hydroseed; for small, high-visibility strips some choose sod.

No. The green is a dye in the mulch so we can see coverage. It fades in a week or two as real grass comes up.

Under Ohio EPA's Construction Stormwater General Permit, construction disturbing one or more acres needs coverage, with a stormwater pollution prevention plan prepared first. Some cities also regulate smaller sites. Your engineer or the city should confirm what applies.

Temporary stabilization covers ground that will be disturbed again later, often with fast-sprouting seed and mulch. Final stabilization is the permanent vegetation that closes out the site. We do both and can switch mixes area by area.

Yes, and on most developments we recommend it. Seeding areas as they reach final grade cuts the amount of bare ground exposed to rain.

By the acre, adjusted for slope, seed and mulch rates, access, water and the number of trips the phasing needs. We put it all in a written estimate.

Yes. If the plans call for specific seed mixes, mulch rates or blanket types, we price and install to that spec.

Gentle lawn slopes do fine with standard hydromulch. Once a bank is steep enough that you lean into it walking up, or water visibly runs down it in rain, we move to bonded fiber matrix or blankets.

No. Straw and coir break down naturally while the grass roots grow through them. Some have plastic or photodegradable netting; near wildlife areas we can use all-natural netting.

Often yes, if it is surface erosion. We fill and shape the gully, address the water feeding it, and seed under a blanket. Active slides or creek bank failures need an engineer first.

For residential banks and swales, a hydroseeding company with blankets and BFM is usually the right call. For streambank work below the high-water line, permits and an engineer are usually involved.

The lower edge of the fabric gets buried in a trench and backfilled so water cannot run underneath. Your site plan or the local standard sets the exact depth, and we install to it.

It should not. Silt fence is for sheet flow, not concentrated water. Ditches and channels need check dams or other controls designed for flow.

After the area above it is stabilized, usually with established vegetation, and the inspector or plan allows it. We remove it and seed the disturbed strip.

Yes, when the plan or the city calls for it. We use inserts, socks or barriers suited to curb inlets so traffic and drainage still work.

It depends on the city and the size of the disturbance. Some local codes reach down to one-tenth of an acre, so check with your building department; we can install to whatever they require.

Enough to give roots a real layer above the clay. On a lot where the topsoil was stripped, we measure and recommend a depth on the estimate. On lawns that still have good topsoil, we may only need to fill low spots.

Often, yes. Regrading so soil falls away from the house, plus moving downspout discharge, solves many cases. If water is coming through the wall itself, a waterproofing contractor may be needed too.

Fill dirt is subsoil used to raise or shape grade and has little organic matter. Topsoil is the darker, richer layer grass roots need. We use fill under topsoil, not instead of it.

Shallow drainage trenching for downspouts and drain lines, yes, as part of grading and seeding work. Basements, foundations and deep utility digs belong with an excavation contractor.

Late August through September is the most reliable window. Mid-April through May is the second choice, with more watering needed through summer.

You can, but on compacted clay seed often sits on the surface and dries out. Aeration or slit seeding gets seed into the soil and usually pays off here.

If half or more of the lawn is healthy grass, overseeding usually works. If it is mostly weeds, bare or badly compacted, a renovation with hydroseed gives a better result for the money.

Salt, plowed snow piles and compaction are common causes. We loosen and amend the soil, use a tougher seed blend, and suggest where to pile snow next winter.