SPRAY TECHNIQUES FOR HYDROSEEDING ISN’T ALL THAT IMPORTANT

Many people feel how you hydroseed is critical for success.  It is not.  Hydro seeding is very forgiving and as long as you have a reasonably even application and have material applied at somewhere close to the proper amount the odds of success are very good.

Some people like to spray out.  Spraying somewhere close to horizontal will give you the best build up of a mulch layer compared to other techniques.  Some will put the hose over their shoulder which is a very comfortable way to hydroseed and give you great control.  Sometimes you will find you want to hold it over your head which will give more distance and allow good visibility.

Some like to spray down, pointing the hose directly at the ground.  The concept of this style of hydroseeding is that it will bury the seed deeper than spraying out and with the seed deeper it will be in an area where water is retained better.  The negative is that the mulch will also be deeper in the soil and won’t shield the soil from the sun as much and the job will not have as bright a color as with a mulch build up on the surface.

Some like to do a combination of the two.  Making a pass pointing down and then spraying out to build up a protective layer of mulch.  This may be an excellent choice but most any technique is capable of producing a beautiful lawn.

Trimming is easy when hydroseeding.  By closing the gun valve a little over half way and holding the gun close to the surface you can trim with precision.  When trimming close to walks and buildings when possible it is better to point the gun vertical and not towards the surface you don’t want to splash onto.

Platform guns are a great way to seed large open areas quickly and with less effort than using a hose.  Platform guns usually have a narrow spray pattern or a straight stream nozzle so working close to your machine may make it difficult to get an even layer of mulch but even a straight nozzle will spread as it get further from the gun.