Frequently Asked Questions

For most bare yards, yes. It costs a fraction of sod (HomeGuide's range is $0.12 to $0.35 a square foot for a hydroseeded lawn, compared with $1 to $4 for sod), and the mulch layer protects seed from heat and storm runoff far better than dry seed. The trade-off is time: you wait several weeks for a mowable lawn instead of laying it in a day.

It depends on sun and water. Bermuda is the common pick for full-sun lawns because it grows hard in heat and recovers by runners. Buffalograss, a native prairie grass used for low-water lawns, is worth a look where irrigation is limited. Heavily shaded yards are a different conversation, and we will tell you if seed is the wrong tool there.

For a warm-season lawn, usually yes. Austin's average first freeze is around December 1, and Bermuda slows down as nights cool, so October seed often goes into winter thin. If the ground cannot sit bare, we spray hydromulch or a temporary cover now and seed the lawn in spring.

The city's main supply is the Highland Lakes on the Colorado River. In 2018 storm runoff loaded those lakes with silt and the city went on a boil-water advisory for a week. That is one reason we push to cover bare soil quickly, and why we recommend grasses that can get by on less water once established.

Under good conditions, the first green from a hydroseeded yard tends to appear in 5 to 7 days (University of Nebraska Extension and HomeGuide). Expect the first mow at around 4 to 6 weeks. Cool spells, shade or missed watering stretch that out.

Keep the top of the soil damp, not flooded. Iowa State Extension's guidance for new seed is two light waterings a day in most weather and up to four in hot, windy weather, for about three weeks. On our clay, short cycles soak in better than one long run that sheets off.

Yes, if the clay is prepared at the right moisture. Worked too wet it smears and seals; worked too dry it is clods. We grade when it crumbles, roughen the surface and use enough mulch and tackifier to keep a crust from forming over the seed.

HomeGuide's national range for hydroseeding is $0.12 to $0.35 a square foot, which works out to $1,000 to $1,750 for a yard of about 5,000 square feet. Thin soil that needs topsoil, slopes and specialty seed push it up. We measure and give you a written number.

Not directly. Dead turf and weeds block seed from reaching soil. We kill or remove what is there, loosen the surface and then spray. For a lawn that is thin but alive, overseeding may be enough.

Bermuda for full sun, kids and dogs, and a lawn you are willing to water. Buffalograss for big sunny areas where you want less water and less mowing. Neither does well in heavy shade.

That is the mulch and a dye in the slurry so we can see even coverage. It fades within days and the grass comes up through it.

For the first three weeks or so, yes, light and often. The seed only needs the surface damp, but in Austin heat the surface dries fast. After the grass is up you water less often and deeper.

Yes. Builders, site contractors and GCs make up the bulk of our commercial jobs. We follow your plans and your schedule.

Total acreage or a site plan, the seed spec if there is one, the number of trips you expect, and whether there is water on site. Photos of access points help.

We can cover ground in winter with hydromulch or a temporary seed so it is protected. Permanent warm-season grass establishes best once the soil warms in spring.

We record what we installed, where and when, for your records. The plan itself and the inspections stay with the operator named on the permit.

As a rule of thumb, once a slope is steep enough that you have trouble standing on it, sprayed mulch alone is at risk in a hard rain. That is where blankets or bonded fiber come in. We decide on site based on the slope, soil and runoff.

Usually not. Straw and coir mats rot away over time while the grass roots through them. Some versions carry plastic netting; if wildlife passes through, or the area will be mowed, we can use a netting-free product.

Seed needs soil. On bare rock we add topsoil where it will stay, use blankets to hold it, or recommend another treatment. Spraying seed onto rock alone does not work.

Usually a smoothed channel lined with a channel-rated blanket over seed, and sometimes a change upstream to slow or split the flow. We look at both.

The TCEQ construction permit does not cover sites under an acre that are not part of a larger plan of development, but city or county rules and your builder or HOA may still require sediment controls. We can install what your plan or inspector asks for.

It should not. Silt fence is for sheet flow. In ditches and channels, rock checks, sediment logs or other measures are used instead.

Once the disturbed area is stabilized, we remove the fence, haul it off, rake the trench line and seed it.

Yes, but trenching into limestone is slow. On rocky ground we often switch to sediment logs or rock berms that sit on the surface.

It depends on what is already there. We probe the soil and recommend enough to give roots room. Where there are only an inch or two over rock, a few more inches makes a big difference in summer.

Often, yes. We reshape the soil so it drops away from the slab and, where needed, add a shallow drain or swale. If the problem is structural, we will tell you to bring in a foundation or drainage engineer.

Yes. Rock, roots and debris that come up in grading are raked out and hauled unless you want them kept on site.

Almost always. Seed follows the surface it lands on, so a lumpy, poorly drained yard becomes a lumpy, poorly drained lawn.

Sometimes, but the two often prefer different sowing windows. Warm-season native grasses do best once the soil warms in spring, while many wildflower mixes have their own recommended dates. We follow the supplier's dates for your mix and split the visit when that gives a better stand.

Usually not. Year one is often weedy and thin while perennial grasses root. Years two and three are when it fills in.

In sunny areas with light traffic, yes, and it needs less water. It does poorly in shade and under heavy use.

They need water to get established. Once rooted, many survive on rainfall in normal years.