Hydroseeding is a process of planting that uses slurry of mulch and seed. Often, it is used as a technique for erosion control on construction sites as a replacement of the conventional process of sowing dry seed.
There are some things that can affect the process and it may also encounter some hiccups. It may sound just straightforward; you just need to mix the seed, tackifier, mulch, and fertilizer and you are good to go. However, there are lots of occasions that things may go sideways. Here are some unknown facts that could affect your hydroseeding:
1. Prepping the seedbed – often, this is not done correctly. The seedbed needs to have proper soil loosening and nutrients, so the seed could get oxygen.
2. Picking the right seed – most of the time, people use seeds that are dependent on fertilizer, and often, that is not available once the seed has been planted. Using native seeds without a nurse crop would get lots of weed influence, and that will prevent the amount of growth it will get afterwards. A nurse crop takes a year to grow in order to prevent the weeds from taking over when the native seeds are being established.
3. Seed-to-soil contact – do not apply the seed the way that it is suspended in the mulch as it may burn up or dry out and not vegetate. You could spray the seed using hydromulcher, but the mulch must be put on in a separate process. When hydroseeding, you need to work the soil, test out the nutrients, apply the right kind of feed, and make sure the seed touches the soil, and you will be successful.