Hydroseeding

[firstclasslawncareandplow]

How much do you guys charge to hydroseed and how do you charge....ie...by the square yard, foot, ect. I am thinking of getting into this but just trying to figure out if it is worth it finacially

[muddstopper]

I have several different pricing schedules for hydroseeding, depending on what they want done. A basic lawn starts around .06 a sqft but can go up to .10 or .12. Size also effects my pricing, as does the availability of water, distance I have to drag hose, or if I am using the tower. Large development roads I can get down to .04 sqft, less seed is used and less hose work, not to mention less windsheld time and its just plain easier to do.

[big_country]

This is my observation, I maybe wrong. An acre is about 62500 sq ft and at .08 a sq ft to hydroseed thats 5,000 dollars, is that just applying or prep included. I don't see people around here paying that much for seeding. There aren't any around here doing it, all straw cover. You can do an acre say 4-5 hundred pounds of seed, say 3 hundred pounds of fert., lime if needed, and about 100 bales of straw. Your cost would be about $400 for seed, $ 70 for fert., $250 for straw; say safely $800 in materials. And say what 1500 for labor start to finish, thats leveling, preping a seed bed, seeding, and strawing. So thats what about a $2500-$2800 job using straw; compared to $5000 for hydroseeding. Im probably off a few hundred dollars, but thats the picture I see.

[baddboygeorge]

1 acre is 44000 square feet were charging 3500 for complete reseed,strawed an rolled.

[PurpHaze]

This may not be a popular stance but in our area I've seen little advantage to hydroseeding over broadcast seeding. They both seem to germinate about the same time with comparable germination rates. Hydroseeding, of course, is much more expensive.

[muddstopper]

Originally Posted by big_country

This is my observation, I maybe wrong. An acre is about 62500 sq ft and at .08 a sq ft to hydroseed thats 5,000 dollars, is that just applying or prep included. I don't see people around here paying that much for seeding. There aren't any around here doing it, all straw cover. You can do an acre say 4-5 hundred pounds of seed, say 3 hundred pounds of fert., lime if needed, and about 100 bales of straw. Your cost would be about $400 for seed, $ 70 for fert., $250 for straw; say safely $800 in materials. And say what 1500 for labor start to finish, thats leveling, preping a seed bed, seeding, and strawing. So thats what about a $2500-$2800 job using straw; compared to $5000 for hydroseeding. Im probably off a few hundred dollars, but thats the picture I see.

Off more than a couple of hundred, more like a couple of thousand. Who in their right mind would use 4-500 lbs of seed to seed an acre, which is 43560 sqft by the way. Labor to level and prep would be the same whether hydroseeding or broadcasting seed. So dont even try to compare cost by throwing in hypothetical labor costs. In fact labor cost would rise if you are using straw simply because it takes longer to apply if by done by hand. Renting a strawblower, then add that to your cost. Own a straw blower, then add that to your cost. Truck and trailer for hualing the straw, and the blower. Durn, even more cost.

Hydroseeding cost per acre.
150 lb seed if a field, K31 fescue@$45 per bag----$135
and 300lbs TTTF if a lawn @$65 per bag------$390
350lbs of starter fert @9.35 a bag------$65.45
600lbs pulverized lime @$2 per bag-------$24
1500lb hydromulch @ $11 per bale-------$330
Tackifier to hold it all in place-----$18
Time depends on equipment, but for me 2 hrs, two people $40
Total not counting equipment cost, insurance, fuel, ect----
Field $612.45 or $0.0140 sqft lawn $867.45 or $0.0199 per sqft

Cost broadcasting and blowing straw
all materials cost the same, difference in hydromulch and straw. 100 bales of straw cost me $400 or $70 more than the hydromulch. Pus time going and getting it, trailer to hual it own, probably means more than one trip to a site or two seperate trucks. One to hual the blower and one to hual the prep equipment. Extra trailer for the straw. Takes three people to be productive blowing thru a tower on a blower. All this adds to the cost of a seeding job. For me its faster and cheaper to hydroseed using hydromulch. I will hydroseed without hydromulch and blow straw but dont expect a cheaper price.

[big_country]

I never claim to know anything. I was thinking a true acre was 250x250 wrong, thats were i got the 60xxx sq. ft. What is the approximate dimensions of an acre? I was thinking the rule of thumb was 400 lbs of seed for a bare acre, yall say 300 lbs will be thick? What is the best lawn fescue to use? Ive seen KY 31 seeded thick, but that was the 400lbs an acre come out really thick and nice. What is the right amount of fertilizer to apply on an acre?

[PurpHaze]

Originally Posted by big_country

What is the approximate dimensions of an acre?

About 207' squared. However, acres come in all shapes but the square footage stays the same.

[muddstopper]

Originally Posted by big_country

I never claim to know anything. I was thinking a true acre was 250x250 wrong, thats were i got the 60xxx sq. ft. What is the approximate dimensions of an acre? I was thinking the rule of thumb was 400 lbs of seed for a bare acre, yall say 300 lbs will be thick? What is the best lawn fescue to use? Ive seen KY 31 seeded thick, but that was the 400lbs an acre come out really thick and nice. What is the right amount of fertilizer to apply on an acre?

Didnt mean to criticize so hard, sorry. Misinformation on the internet is often taken as the truth if read by someone that doesnt know any better. One reason a person should seek more than one source of information to be sure the information they have found is acurate.

Seed rate for fescue, as well as other grass types, are usually increased to make up for seed kill created from artificial means. This is usually in the form of to much of the wrong blend of fertilizer. High seed rates also cause competition between the grass plants for available moisture as well as nutrients. In drought conditions, lower seed rates and low amounts of low salt content fertilizer can/will actually result in a thicker better looking stand of grass than high seed rates and massive amounts of starter ferts on non-irrigated turf. While heavy seed rates might create the appearance of a thick healthy turf, the turf can only be maintained by increaseing irrigation as well as fertilizers for nutrients. The increase of fertilizers and irrigation on cool season turfs during drought conditions also increases the opportunity for increased fungal activity which can destroy a new lawn. The cause and effect of lower seed rates is less moisture and fertilizer needed and the less chance of fungus and the better looking lawn in the long term.

[Old Red]

Acre , an Old English word meaning a field, derived from the Latin word 'ager and the Greek word 'agros', also meaning a field. In time an acre was defined as the area that could be plowed in a day by a yoke of oxen. It was in use in England at least as early as the eighth century, and by the end of the ninth century was generally understood to be the area of a field one furlong (40 rods or 10 chains) long by 4 rods (or 1 chain) wide. Thus an acre is 10 sq. chains, 160 sq. rods or 43,560 square feet.