Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. A hydroseeded lawn is not finished on day one the way sod is, it needs steady watering for several weeks, and it has to stay off-limits to kids, dogs and equipment while it fills in. It also costs more than spreading dry seed yourself. In exchange you get faster, more even germination than dry seed at a lower price than sod, and mulch that holds seed on slopes.

Late August through September is the strongest window. Penn State Extension names late summer as the optimum time to seed cool-season grass in most of Pennsylvania, with mid to late spring second. Summer seedings fight heat and disease, and seed stops germinating once the soil turns cold in late fall.

Published national figures run from about $0.06 up to $0.35 a square foot, varying by guide. HomeGuide prices a 5,000-square-foot yard at $1,000 to $1,750. Minimum job charges of $300 to $500 are common. Grading, topsoil and slope work show up as separate lines, and once you approve our written estimate, its bottom line is your bill, with no add-ons later.

Cool-season mixes. For sunny, well-drained yards that is usually turf-type tall fescue or a Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass blend; for shade, fine fescues lead the mix. We pick the mix after seeing the site.

Often, yes. The hose can run through an alley, a side gate or sometimes through the house with protection, so the truck does not need to reach the yard. On very small patches dry seed may cost less, and we will say so.

Seeding a lawn by itself usually does not. Philadelphia Water requires an Erosion and Sediment Control Plan when a project disturbs 5,000 square feet or more, and every project must use controls suited to the site. If your grading or construction triggers a plan, we work to it.

Grass usually shows in about 5 to 7 days in warm soil. The first mow comes when it is about 4 inches tall, often around six weeks after spraying. Keep heavy traffic off for the first full season if you can.

The fiber mulch and tackifier bind the seed to the soil, so it holds much better than loose seed. A cloudburst on a bare, steep slope can still cut rills, so on banks we add more mulch or an erosion control blanket and fix any washouts during establishment.

For 5,000 square feet of lawn, HomeGuide's range is about $1,000 to $1,750, and HomeAdvisor gives $650 to $2,200 as the normal span for a job. Topsoil and grading are added when the ground needs them. You get a written price from us once we have seen the site.

Once established, yes, and it can be better matched to your shade because you pick the seed. Sod gives an instant result but is usually Kentucky bluegrass and costs much more. Hydroseed takes about six weeks to first mow.

Keep the top of the soil damp. In hot weather that usually means short, light waterings two to three times daily through the first several weeks, then fewer, deeper soakings once the grass roots. Sandy ground near the river dries faster than silty upland soil and needs water more often.

Not well. Seed needs contact with soil. For a worn lawn we either strip and prep the area for a full new lawn or use our renovation and overseeding service instead.

Normal rain helps. The tackifier and fiber mulch hold seed in place once the slurry has set. If a severe storm cuts washouts on a slope, we look at it and touch up the spots.

Yes. Most of our commercial seeding is for builders, site contractors and developers, and we work to their schedule and plan set.

Under 25 Pa. Code 102.22, permanent stabilization means a minimum uniform 70 percent perennial vegetative cover, or another approved practice, dense enough to resist erosion. Temporary controls stay until that is reached.

Yes. Phased seeding is common and helps meet the rule that ground idle for more than 4 days be seeded or mulched. Each mobilization is priced in the estimate.

Finished grade and topsoil in the areas to be seeded, access for the truck or a hose route, a water source if one is available on site, and the seed and mulch specs from the plan.

Seed will not germinate in cold soil, so late-fall and winter work is usually mulch-only or temporary cover, with permanent seeding when the season allows. We follow what your plan requires for off-season stabilization.

It depends on steepness, slope length and whether water concentrates there. Moderate yard banks usually hold with heavy hydromulch. Steep banks and channels usually need blankets or bonded fiber matrix.

Straw and coir both decompose with time while the grass grows up through them, and the photodegradable netting some blankets carry breaks down too. We explain what to expect from whichever product goes on your slope.

Yes. We fill and compact the gullies, reshape the face, address where the water is coming from, then seed and cover the slope.

Often, yes, especially on banks that are hard to mow. They need the same erosion cover while they establish. Fall seedings should go in by the end of October.

Yes. We install blankets, hydromulch and BFM on development sites to the approved E&S plan, as well as on residential slopes.

Philadelphia's stormwater manual says all projects, regardless of size, must install E&S controls suited to the site. On a small job that may be a short run of fence or sock along the low edge and protection on the nearest inlet.

The fabric toe goes into a trench and is backfilled and compacted so water cannot flow under it. The approved plan or the PA DEP manual details set the exact dimensions for permitted work.

Check it after every significant rain and remove sediment before it builds up too high against the fabric. Torn or undermined sections should be fixed right away.

Once the area it protects is permanently stabilized, which state rules define as a uniform 70 percent perennial vegetative cover or another approved practice. Ground disturbed by removal is then stabilized too.

Penn State recommends at least 4 to 6 inches of good topsoil, firmed or settled. At 4 inches, 1,000 square feet takes about 12 cubic yards before settling, so plan a bit more.

Watch where water goes in a heavy rain or lay a long level on the ground. Grade should fall 1 to 4 percent away from the foundation, and standing water near the house means it does not.

Yes, for yard drainage: swales, buried downspout extensions and shallow trenches tied to grading. Larger excavation is coordinated with an excavation contractor.

We avoid it. Silt loam soils smear and compact when worked wet, which hurts drainage and root growth later.

Late August through September is the strongest window. Spring works but the new grass has less time before summer heat.

If most of the lawn is still decent grass, overseed. Once weeds or bare ground take up over roughly half of it, or the grade and topsoil are poor, renovating or starting a new lawn is the better call.

Yes, with fine fescues, which Penn State recommends for partial and full shade. Some very deep shade will never support a dense lawn, and if your yard is like that we say so up front.

Yes. Bare patches are prepped and seeded, often with hydroseed so the mulch protects the seed while it germinates.