Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the grass. Clemson Extension's target for warm-season grasses like bermuda and centipede is the first two weeks of May, and mid to late September for tall fescue. We can spray outside those windows for erosion control, but a lawn does best when it is seeded on its own calendar.

Yes. It is not instant: you wait a week or so for sprouts and several weeks before it looks like a lawn, and the seedbed has to be kept moist the whole time. It also costs more than dry seed. If you need a finished look right away, sod is the better option.

Small spray kits exist, but a truck-mounted machine mixes and agitates the slurry and lays it at an even rate over a large area. For a few hundred square feet, hand seeding with straw may be simpler. For a whole yard or a slope, the equipment and the mulch rate make the difference.

It will once the clay is loosened and fed. Packed clay sheds water and crusts after rain, so we break it up, add topsoil where needed and work in lime and fertilizer. A soil test tells us exactly how much.

Usually, by a wide margin per square foot. HomeGuide's published range for hydroseeding runs between $0.12 and $0.35 a square foot, against $1 to $4 for sod installation. The figure on the written quote for your property is what you actually pay.

Hold off on any foot traffic until the grass has had its first mow, which is usually four to six weeks after spraying. Before that, the seedlings are shallow-rooted and easy to tear out.

Seeding an existing lawn does not need one. Grading or clearing can, depending on how much ground is disturbed and which county or city you are in. If your project has a permit, we plan the seeding and sediment controls to match it.

Published guides put typical projects around $650 to $2,200 (HomeAdvisor). For a lawn of about 5,000 square feet, HomeGuide's range is $1,000 to $1,750. Prep work like topsoil and grading is extra. The quote you sign for your yard is the amount you pay.

In good conditions, the first green shoots generally appear within 5 to 7 days. The green color you see on day one is the mulch dye, not grass.

When the grass is about a third taller than your normal mowing height, often four to six weeks after spraying. Use a sharp blade.

We can, but the old turf and weeds need to be killed or removed and the soil loosened first, or the new seed never touches dirt.

Tall fescue handles shade better than bermuda, which needs full sun. Very heavy shade under dense trees is hard on any lawn grass.

Yes. Much of our commercial work is seeding and erosion control for builders and grading contractors.

We can spray a temporary cover and mulch to hold the ground, then return in season for permanent grass. Permanent warm-season grass will not establish in cold soil.

Usually per acre or per area, based on the spec, mulch rate, slope and access. The written estimate lists each item.

We carry water in the truck and refill from a hydrant or site source where allowed. Tell us what water is available on site.

Hydromulch is wood fiber and tackifier that holds seed and moisture on moderate slopes. BFM uses more binder and cures into a continuous mat that holds on steep faces right after spraying.

When water flows across the surface, like in a swale, ditch or creek bank, or on slopes too steep for spray alone.

Straw and coir blankets rot away gradually while the turf comes up through them. Some netting lasts longer, so tell us if the area will be mowed.

Yes. We fill and reshape the rills first, then seed and cover. Large gullies may need regrading.

Often, yes, especially when the lot slopes toward a street, inlet, neighbor or creek. Your permit or local office sets the requirement; we follow it.

Until the disturbed area has permanent vegetation and the inspector signs off. Then we remove it and seed the strip.

Usually because it was not trenched in, was run downhill, or was placed across concentrated flow. Proper installation prevents most failures.

Yes. We can inspect, repair and clean out existing controls.

On bare clay, Clemson Extension suggests up to 3 inches. Yards that still have some topsoil may need less.

Usually by regrading the surface away from the foundation. If that is not enough, we can add a French drain or pipe the downspouts.

We can, and we will list hauling separately on the estimate when it is needed.

Yes, as soon as possible. Freshly graded clay is at its most vulnerable to washing in the first storms.

Mid to late September is the target Clemson Extension gives for cool-season grasses. Spring overseeding is possible but the seedlings face summer heat young.

On compacted clay, yes. Aeration gives seed a place to land and roots room to grow.

Hold off. Most herbicides can damage newly germinated grass, so wait until the new seedlings are well established and read the product label.

When a good part of the lawn is still healthy, usually. If most of it is weeds or bare clay, starting over can make more sense.