Hydroseeding in Philadelphia, PA

Hydroseeding in Philadelphia covers more variety than most people expect. The city sits on the Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line, the boundary between the flat Atlantic Plain and the rolling Piedmont, so a yard in Pennsport and a yard in Chestnut Hill are two different jobs. The low end of the city is at sea level along the Delaware; the high point, on Summit Street in Chestnut Hill, is about 446 feet up.

Two kinds of ground

Below the Fall Line, river-side neighborhoods tend to be flat, and water sits after a storm. Above it, the Northwest and parts of the Northeast roll and dip toward the Wissahickon, Pennypack and Cobbs creeks. Wissahickon schist is the main bedrock under the region, and on steep cuts near those creek valleys you often find thin topsoil over weathered rock. On flat lots we focus on grade and drainage before seed; on the slopes we lean on hydromulch with tackifier or a bonded fiber matrix to hold the seed in place.

Growing season and timing

Philadelphia's average freeze window runs from about November 6 to April 2, which leaves a growing season of roughly 217 days. That long window is a gift for cool-season grass: late summer into early fall is the strongest time to hydroseed a new lawn, and spring works if the lawn can be watered through the first heat. The city averages about 30 days a year at 90 degrees or higher, so a June seeding needs a plan for irrigation.

Heavy rain is part of the plan

The wettest day on record at the airport dropped 8.02 inches on July 28, 2013. Storms like that are why we treat erosion control as part of the seeding, not an extra. On any bare slope we look at where the water will run, add silt fence or a compost sock along the low edge if soil could reach a sidewalk or inlet, and use erosion control blankets in swales.

Typical city work

• Vacant lot and side-yard seeding after demolition or new construction
• Backyard lawn installation behind twins and rowhomes where sod is hard to carry in
• Slope stabilization on hillside lots in Roxborough, Manayunk and Chestnut Hill
• Topsoil and fine grading before seed on fill-heavy lots

Hydroseed works well in tight city spaces because the hose can run 100 feet or more from the truck, through a gate or down an alley. Get a free estimate or call (215) 770-9013.