Hydroseeding works well for starting a lawn in large or sloped areas.
The average cost of hydroseeding is from $0.10 to $0.22 per square foot.
The hydroseeding cost for a 10,000-square-foot yard is between $1,000 and $2,200.
BanksPhotos / Getty Images
What Is Hydroseeding?
All ingredients are suspended in a water base, thus the term hydroseeding.
Most lawns will not occupy every open square foot of a property lot.
Even so, figuring the cost of hydroseeding on a 10,000-square-foot unit basis helps to prevent cost estimate surprises.
In some cases, the cost might be as high as $4,000.
Cost of Hydroseeding vs. Sodding
Sod is instant lawn that comes in rolls.
The rolls are laid out, much like carpeting.
The lawn is considered to be mostly established at first.
The edges will need to fuse and the grass will need to continue growing.
Sod costsbetween $0.30 and $3.00 per square foot.
Expect professionally installed sod to cost on the upper end of the price range.
The total cost ofgrass seedwould be $225 to $400 per 10,000 square feet.
This makes seeding a lawn from scratch about four times less expensive than hydroseeding a lawn.
Some mixtures and slurries also incorporate mulches (wood fiber, blended, or paper mulch).
Regrading a yard starts at around $900 and ranges up to $4,350.
The averagecost to regrade a yardis $2,600.
Leveling
The average cost tolevel a yardis about $2,400.
Low-end costs for leveling a yard start at $700 and range up to $4,100.
Fill dirt costs about $10 per cubic yard.
Rich topsoil costs about $34 per cubic yard.
Landscaping
After hydroseeding, landscaping may be needed to complete the project.
Landscaping costs between $2,600 for minor landscaping on up to $13,700 for a full overhaul.
Theaverage cost of landscapingis $8,150.
These canisters typically come with a starter seed mix that covers around 500 square feet.
Should You Hydroseed Your Lawn?
Truck-based hydroseed pumpers can even cover tens or hundreds of thousands of square feet in one load.
Hydroseeding works especially well for steep slopes, where seed would slide down or sodding would be impractical.
Hydroseeding is not a guarantee that grass will grow in the space.
Maintenance and constant irrigation are required after hydroseeding.
Hydroseeding can also be worth the money when compared to the higher cost of laying down grass sod.
Hydroseeding does have a number of disadvantages.
Hydroseeding is more expensive than starting a lawn with grass seed.
Hydroseeding uses a lot of water, both during the hydroseeding process and afterward, when establishing the lawn.
Finally, hydroseeding takes longer than sodding to establish a lawn.
Completion can take up to eight weeks.
Newly planted hydroseed requires constant watering for the first few weeks.
If the soil is prepared properly, hydroseed should not be washed away with a heavy rain.
You should wait about 4 weeks, or up to a month before walking on hydroseed.
Keeping the area fenced off will also prevent pets and wildlife from walking on hydroseed too soon.
At this time, it’s possible for you to also cut back on watering hydroseed.
Hydroseeding 101.Superior Groundcover, Inc.