How to Use a Hydroseeder for Best Results

[@mark02tj41]

Another great video from the Bulldog team!! Great to see "Sarah the Wife" as the star of this one! You've got a keeper there, Justin!!

[@BulldogTractor]

I keep raising the bar trying to scare her. But she keeps up with my antics lol. Thanks for the view and the comments 👍. Cheers from the Bulldog 🍻

[@BillyP55]

Loved the teaser about the wardrobe change... had me glued to the end. lol

[@BulldogTractor]

I was going to edit that out…but i was out voted 😂. Glad you liked it!! Cheers from the Bulldog 🍻

[@Keith.Zielinski]

Great job! I think you may have found your calling, industrial instructional training videos 😄

[@BulldogTractor]

I hope so! Cheers lol

[@TheTennesseeFrontier]

New Subscriber! 👋🏼 How much does it cost to rent one of those hydro seed units?! And forgive my ignorance, but I thought the seed was in with the mix that you spray. I was wondering why you also spread seed beforehand. Could you explain that a bit? lol Thank you for putting this video together! Have a great rest of your weekend, and stay safe out there! - Samuel

[@BulldogTractor]

Hi Samuel! And thanks for subscribing 👍. To be honest, I’m not sure what a hydroseeder would cost to rent, as there is such a wide variety of units out there? I wasn’t able to buy a new unit as supply chain issues had new units at a 12 week minimum lead time. So I had the family road trip to a neighboring state to buy a used machine. Got a video on that, not super informative- but mildly entertaining to watch 🤷. As for feeding the seed in the slurry or broadcast, that’s really an option I have. The grass seed itself, is just your average grass seed. There’s no difference, or i should say the seed used for hydroseeding is the same as you would purchase at a store. So here is my opinion on the matter. One of the most important application procedures is “seed to soil contact.” Well because i have a tractor and cultipacker (the steel notched rolling drum) I know i can bed the seed properly using that method. Now if I added seed to the slurry, the seed would only be germinating at the very top surface of the soil. Effectively that would have zero seed to soil contact. Second issue is Nitrogen will corrode steel/iron so I really don’t want to prematurely wear out my expensive hydroseeder. Effectively my approach is “hydromulch” and not necessarily hydroseed but that is splitting hairs. After the first important step of seed-to-soil contact is performed during the application. Absolutely the next most important step is to continually feed the seed water. That’s where the hydromulch really takes germination/ yield to the next level. Lot’s of other contractors will place Seed & Fertilizer in with the hydroseed slurry. It’s my own personal opinion that doing things the long way, is a better way. But again, i want to stress that is my opinion and many other contractors get fine results hydroseeding the more traditional approach. On highly sloped areas, using a tractor and Culitpacker may not be an option? But on residential city lawns, if nothing else it makes for a convenient excuse to hop on the tractor! Hope that helps to clear it up? Let me know if you have any questions! Cheers from the Bulldog 🍻

[@TheTennesseeFrontier]

@@BulldogTractor Thanks for the detailed response, and have a good one! - Samuel

[@tmr1331]

How much do you charge to hydroseed per square foot for labor and materials?

[@BulldogTractor]

Loaded question lol. Depends on the area being worked. I’ve overseed with near zero labor prep and charged as low as $0.12 SqFt. On the other hand I’ve had to charge $1.00 Sqft due to labor required to get the seed bed prepared. Then some jobs are only Hydromulch where others are full Hydroseed and fertilizer.

[@tmr1331]

@@BulldogTractor thank you

[@landonjohnson3475]

@@BulldogTractor how are you doing mulch jobs with no mechanical agitation

[@BulldogTractor]

@@landonjohnson3475 remove Seed & Fertilizer from hydroseeding and you are left with liquid applied mulch. Simply put, Hydromulch. How it is agitated is not significant. Only difference between jet and mechanical is the option to run a higher concentration of wood fiber with a mechanical unit. A liquid paper slurry is a form of mulch. Just like a liquid fibrous substance. Same is same. It’s not how the slurry is agitated that changes the substance. You can’t put paper into a tank and have it come out as wood. However the change in substance (paper Vs wood) can change the intended application use. I run a paper mulch that is jet agitated to stabilize soft/ low slopes. But for my purposes it is mostly for water conservation where infrequent watering is identified. Mechanically agitated machines really outperform jet machines in steep terrain where use of a binder (wood) is desirable. I don’t do aggressive slopes or inaccessible areas. For me a mechanical unit would be overkill. Hope that helps? -Bulldog