Hydroseeding has gained a ton of reputation for gardeners and yard owners alike. Hence, Sydneysiders are eventually adopting this process over sod application and hand seeding due to its low cost and efficiency.
Currently, people use hydro seeding applications for residential and commercial yards, natural parks, sports grounds, and sloped or hilly areas.
Moreover, many people think about how they do hydro seeding is vital in achieving positive results. But in reality, hydro seeding is very forgiving ‒ and depending on how well you’ve prepared the soil beforehand, the odds of success are in your favour.
Instead, the critical area of concern for every hydro seeding project is how efficient and uniform you apply your materials. With that, here are different techniques used in hydro seeding:
Hydroseeding Process
Most of the steps involved in hydro seeding aren’t entirely different from hand planting grass seeds ‒ except for the spraying. Regardless of the application, you should prepare a healthy and welcoming soil, or else every penny and time you spend on hydro seeding will go to waste.
Before every hydro seeding process, you should strip the ground of rock and debris and improve the soil quality by adding organic matter to help hold the moisture and nutrients. Then, smooth the soil to the desired grade using a rake, and lightly compact the ground.
After preparing the land, the ingredients are then mixed into the hydro seeding machine to create a slurry mixture. This is composed of mulch, seed, water, and other additives. Afterwards, the hydro seeding machine pumps the slurry through a hose and exit to a spray nozzle.
Techniques in Hydroseed Spraying
There are several techniques applied in spraying the slurry all across a piece of land. These methods depend on many factors such as precision, distance, and thickness of application.
Spraying Out
Many hydro seeders prefer spraying close to a horizontal angle. Spraying out will give you the ideal build-up of a mulch layer versus other spraying techniques. Some applicators even put the hose over their shoulders, allowing for a comfortable movement and better control over the large nozzle.
Additionally, some people feel a need to hold the nozzle overhead, which gives more spray distance and provides them with excellent visibility.
Spraying Down
When it comes to precision, pointing the hose at the ground and spraying down offers better results. Because the nozzle projects the slurry closer to the surface, it buries the seeds deeper into a spot where the soil has better water retention.
On the other hand, since the mulch also penetrates deeper in the soil, it cannot shield the components from the sun as much as spraying it out. Besides, the hydro seeding job won’t have a brighter result compared with more mulch build-up on the soil surface.
Combined Spraying
When hydro seeding a significantly vast garden space, you’d need to have both precision and coverage for an efficient job. That’s why some people prefer switching between spraying out and spraying down.
Using a combined approach when hydro spraying is an excellent technique for creating a beautiful and uniform lawn. You can use do this by making a spray pass that is pointing down and then spraying out. Besides, this method is reliable in building up a protective layer of mulch.
Trimming
Most of the time, we will be hydro seeding near path walks, structures, and other plots of land. In these cases, trimming is an excellent technique in ensuring a precise and uniform distribution near borders and other surfaces.
By slightly closing the nozzle valve and pointing it closer to the surface, you can trim with accuracy and precision. Moreover, you can use a piece of cardboard and use it to cover the surfaces you don’t want to get splashed. It is also better to spray the slurry vertically when trimming to avoid splattering.
Platform Guns
Using a hose and nozzle in hydro seeding a wide area can take hours of labour under the heat. Hence, hydro seeding platform guns are great in covering larger areas with minimal effort versus a manual distribution.
Larger hydroseeding machines and tanks are mounted onto a platform where it sprays the slurry using a platform gun. This process is highly efficient as the powerful pump can spray the materials on longer distances without having the operator move an inch.
On the other hand, maintaining an even layer of mulch might be difficult with a narrow spray pattern. However, using a straight stream nozzle will allow the slurry to spread as it gets farther from the platform gun.
Conclusion
There are several task-specific hydro seeding techniques for every patch of land. With the right tools and skills, you can achieve great results for your lawn and garden. To ensure quality and cost-effective grass seeding, having a gardening professional do the task is still the most practical choice.
For your garden needs, Trees Down Under is the only partner you’ll need for your residential and industrial garden landscapes. Our team of expert landscapers will gladly level up your humble landscape and make it stand out, anywhere in Sydney’s Northern Suburbs.
You can put your trust to us in making your dream garden a reality. Call us now on 0475 463 597, and we’ll respond with a free estimate. We are the perfect solution to all your budget-friendly garden and landscaping needs.
