Hydro Seed Watering Instructions
Dear Customer:
Thank you for your business, we appreciate the opportunity to work in your yard.
To help you “grow in” your lawn we have included this information. Following these instructions is essential to your lawn’s growth. Here are the things you need to do to have a successful seeding and have your lawn flourish:
The green slurry mix that you see on your landscape is wood fiber mulch, fertilizer, seed, water, green dye and any soil amendments, additives or pre-m herbicides that the job requires, all mixed together. The reason for the dye is to aid the hydro seed applicator to ensure an even application of the slurry mix. The dye is completely water-soluble, biodegradable, and will not stain anything it splashes on. After a few days of watering the dye will bleed out and the mulch will return to its natural wood color.
Turf grass seeds require heat, sunlight and water to germinate. (This means sprout or grow) Grass seeds will germinate on the sidewalk if heat, sunlight and water are adequately provided. Obviously, the sidewalk will not allow for root development or sustained plant growth, but the seed would germinate on the sidewalk, hood of your car etc, if these elements are adequately and consistently provided.
Your lawn needs these 4 things to grow: Heat, Light, Water, Food (fertilizer)
Heat/Light… Mother Nature takes care of this for the most part. This is why we don’t seed early in the spring or late in the fall, there simply is not enough heat and or light to germinate and grow the plants. You will also notice that areas that get the most sun will grow faster but, dry out quicker. Your first concern is to water in correlation with the heat/light Mother Nature is giving your yard.
Water… This is the most misunderstood part of new lawns. We will try to simplify this as best we can to insure success in your yard. Watering is not the same for everyone! Due to different soil types, sprinkler heads, seasonal conditions, temperatures, water pressure and general weather, you will need to take a “hands on” approach to achieve a healthy and beautiful lawn.
Watering is perhaps the most important aspect of the grass development process. If newly germinated seedlings dry out they will die!
After you water, the heat and sunlight will beat down on the moist hydroseeded area and will cause the water to evaporate off the surface. As this occurs you must continually re-apply the water to allow for this humid surface environment to persist. If you do not apply additional water, the heat and sunlight will dry out the mulch and eventually burn the newly germinated seedling and consequently they will die.
The main purpose of the mulch is to assist you in watering. The mulch will hold 11 times its weight in water. And therefore will hold the water on the surface of the mulch where the seed needs it to germinate. The mulch will also form a protective crust, which will keep the seed evenly distributed as well as not allow the seed to blow away.
Your job will be to keep the surface of the hydroseeded area moist at all times during the day. This is best accomplished by frequent, but light sprinkler system watering. Do not worry about watering at night, or too early in the morning, it is only during the heat of the day that the seeds need to be kept moist. Water frequently and light so the surface of the mulch is always moist.
Since there is no root system in place yet, there is no need to water deep. Only the surface of the mulch needs to be kept moist.
As a guide for setting your sprinkling system watering intervals, turn on the water and wait and see how long it takes for the mulch to reach its water holding capacity. When little pockets of water form on the surface of the mulch you know that mulch can’t hold any more water and is at its water holding capacity. Test each sprinkling system station (valve) separate to determine the watering interval time. Although you will have to adjust your watering intervals to fit the specific conditions of your yard and area, the following is a general guide of how long the watering intervals should be.
2-5 minutes for “stationary” spray heads.
7-10 minutes for “rotary” heads.
Sprinkling system stations (valves), that have “rotary” heads, water longer because the areas they cover are larger than those that “stationary” spray heads cover.
Valves with both “rotary” and “stationary” sprays heads should be avoided. Every effort should be made to replace heads with all of one kind or the other. If you have a station (valve) which has both stationary and rotary gear driven heads, you will need to monitor the area closely to avoid over watering, and hand water any dry areas.
The rule is water adequately everywhere, if uniformity cannot be reached with your sprinkler system you must hand water dry areas when necessary.
After you have established watering interval times for each specific station in your yard, set the automatic timer to begin watering at 9:00 A.M., again at 12:00 P.M., again at 3:00 P.M. and again at 5:00 P.M. for the pre-determined interval times.
You may have to adjust the sprinkling system after its initial setup, when for whatever reason the mulch is too dry or to wet! It is always a better idea to start out with less water and work up the perfect amount over the course of 2-3 days. Watch the mulch on a daily basis to amend the watering schedule as needed.
It is possible to over water. Constant puddles, “run off water” (water flowing to the low areas), or constantly saturated muddy areas are all signs of over watering. If you see a black or orange slim growing on the surface of the soil it also means you are over watering. This is algae and will need to be treated quickly. This condition is just as serious as under watering and more serious in many cases. What typically causes this is when watering intervals are set to run too frequent or too long. Remember to use short but frequent watering, only to keep the surface moist.
Example, if its 100 degrees outside and the water is evaporating off the surface faster than normal you will need to add additional watering intervals at say 11:00 A.M. and 6:30 P.M. to ensure that the surface of the mulch stays moist. Or if it is raining you may only need to water once all day, or maybe not even at all, because the rain may keep the mulch moist for you. Typically, you should turn off your sprinkling system when it is raining.
Because the terrain of your yard is not 100% level, when the water drains it will drain to the low spots first, and consequently your yard will not dry out evenly. Do not turn on your sprinkling system just because you see 1 or 2 dry spots. If you do, the low spots where the water drains will end up getting over watered. Although the hydro seeded area will not dry out 100% uniformly, you should wait until the area is predominantly dry before the next watering.
It is normal for the North facing of your house to germinate and establish slower, then the south facing areas because they will be exposed differently to the heat and sunlight. You may need to adjust your watering schedule in these areas to account for this. Remember, just watch the mulch, it will let you know if you need to water or not.
Growth: You will see your lawn, flowers or native grasses start to germinate at different times, some, much sooner then others. There are many factors that will delay or encourage this germination, many of which have been discussed in this packet. Here is a general guide line:
|
|
Early Spring, Late Fall, Cooler Weather |
Late Spring, Early Fall |
Summer, Warm Weather |
Non-Irrigated |
|
*Rye Grass |
7-10 Days |
5-7 Days |
3-5 Days |
1 Rainy Seasons |
|
**Fescue |
8-12 days |
7-9 Days |
6-8 Days |
1 Rainy Seasons |
|
*Blue Grass |
28-35 Days |
21-30 Days |
18-25 days |
1-2 Rainy Seasons |
|
Wheat Grasses |
14-28 Days |
10-25 Days |
7-21 Days |
1 Rainy Season |
|
Shrubs |
1-2 Months |
21-30 days |
14-21 Days |
2 Rainy Seasons |
|
Flowers |
21-60 days |
14-45 Days |
7-30 Days |
1-2 Rainy Seasons |
* Included in most turf mixes **Included in some turf mixes
Note: Because temperature is what primarily dictates how quickly seed germinates and becomes established, the germination and establishment times listed above are based on averages. If extreme temperatures prevail in any season, actual germination and establishment times could be longer or shorter.
Kentucky bluegrass is a sod-forming grass. Bluegrass will spread by shooting lateral rhizomes, which sprout and form new grass plants. So if you have any sparse or thin areas, these areas will thicken up.
Fertilizer: Your lawn has been fertilized with a commercial quality general purpose lawn and garden fertilizer. You will need to repeat this application at very specific intervals. They are as follows:
3 Weeks, 6 Weeks, and again at 9 Weeks from the date of initial installation.
Use a quality “starter” fertilizer, all-purpose lawn food or any other well rounded fertilizer with a N-P-K ratio of close to 16-16-8, 15-15-15. These are available at most home centers, fertilizer stores, or IFA. Most lawns, but especially clay soils and heavy silt soils, will need additional soil amendments such as Sulphur, Iron and Gypsum. These should be added ASAP to help root growth and seed establishment. Follow all manufacture instructions in applying any chemical product to your lawn.
Maintenance: Mowing should start when the grass has reached about 4 inches in height. That normally takes 5-6 weeks in the heat of the summer, longer in cool weather. After the first mowing, continue to mow when needed at the height you desire. Your lawn will continue to thicken up over the course of a whole growing season.
Weed Control: Because of the optimum growing conditions that are established through the hydro seed process, if you have weed seed in your soil it may take advantage of these enhanced growing conditions and come out of dormancy and germinate. If you get weeds do not go out and pull them. Do not do anything to the hydro seeded area but water for the first 30 days. Do not apply a weed and feed or any kind of herbicide to the newly germinating and actively growing lawn. If you need to eventually apply a weed and feed or liquid selective herbicide (recommended) wait at least 60 days after the initial planting or 30 days after you apply the follow-up fertilizer. After you apply the follow-up fertilizer, which will stimulate the growth of the grass and any weeds you may have, mow the lawn. This will help thin out the weeds and benefit the lawn. Hand weeding is always helpful and may be needed after the first 30 days.
It is very important that you re-direct the rain gutter drain spouts to drain away from the hydro seeded area. If the rain gutter spouts are left to drain freely during a heavy rainstorm, all the water on the roof will be concentrated into a single flow of water down the drain spout. The result could likely be a flooded rivulet that runs through your yard. The best way to redirect this potential water flow is to extend the drain spout with flexible extension pipe away from the hydro seeded area or bury the extension pipe to drain into a buried gravel bed.
We hope these instructions will assist you in growing a lawn you can be proud of for generations to come.
We have included charts for proper watering and fertilization for the mature lawn and these may be followed for mature lawns.
Any questions you have can be answered by calling Grass Master Inc. at (801)-501-0708
Good Luck!