Olympia Hydroseeding provides professional and affordable hydroseeding services to contractors and home owners in Olympia and Thurston County Washington including; Lacey, Tumwater, Yelm, Dupont, Lakewood, Spanaway, Parkland, Shelton, Puyallup, JBLM, Graham, Roy, Fredrickson and surrounding areas. We specialize in hydroseeding, allowing you to have the perfect lawn you've always dreamed of. You can have a beautiful new lawn at a fraction of the cost of sod with our hydro-seeding process. Guaranteed results.
How to take care of a newly hydroseeded lawn
Taking care of your hydroseeded lawn requires several days of special attention. The most important time in caring for your lawn is during its germination period, where you need to keep your lawn moist. If it dries out the seed will begin to die and you will end up with a patchy lawn. This will not be covered by the warranty. The following is an average watering schedule based on typical lawn conditions. Keep in mind that different sprinklers put out different amounts of water and you will need to monitor your lawn to be sure it is getting enough water. If your soil is very sandy you will need to increase the frequency. If it rains you’re ok. It is just as important not to over water. If water starts to puddle in the low areas of your lawn or is running off the lawn then decrease the amount of watering. The hydroseed mix includes tackifier which is a glue that helps hold everything together so there is less chance of it getting washed away by rain or the sprinklers. Don’t water for the first 12-24 hours so the tackifier can dry. Then follow these watering instructions.
When temperatures are below 70 degrees
Day 1-13 1 to 2 times per day (Minimum) for 20 minutes (until germination)
Day 13-24 1 time per day for 25 minutes
Day 24-44 2-4 times per week for 30 minutes
Day 44 plus 1-2 times per week for 35 minutes
When temperatures are above 70 degrees
Day 1-10 3 times a day (Minimum) for 20 minutes (until germination)
Day 10-21 1-2 times per day for 25 minutes
Day 21-31 1 time per day for 30 minutes
Day 31 plus 2-3 times per week for 35 minutes
If you have an irrigation system try to set it for the most cycles possible (say 5 to 7 watering’s per day) at about 5-7 minutes per cycle during the germination period. Keeping the mulch mat moist provides the grass seeds optimal growing conditions.
Once your lawn begins to show growth, shift the watering schedule to the post germination watering cycle. This is very important as you need to train the roots to “chase water” and grow deep. Not adjusting it will acclimate the roots to a high water table and cause wilting during the hot summer months. Grass roots are healthier when they grow deep and soaking your lawn more and more over longer periods of time promotes deep root embedment.
Mowing
When most of your lawn reaches 2 ½ to 3 inches mow it. Don’t cut off more than 1/3. When you mow your lawn it stimulates root growth and will help your lawn thicken up so it’s important to mow early and frequently. Be sure you have a sharp blade because a dull blade will tear the grass instead of cut it. Bag the grass clippings for the first year if possible so thatch doesn’t build up. This will give the new lawn a better chance to spread and fill in quicker. It’s also a good idea to alternate your mowing patterns. Mowing in the same direction all the time can cause wear patterns and also lead to soil compaction
Fertilizing
Fertilize your lawn after 3 weeks. Fertilizer is just as important as water for your new lawn. As your lawn is developing its root system it requires lots of nutrients. The hydroseed comes with fertilizer but it will be used up after about 3 weeks so it is very important to fertilize again or the lawn will stall out and turn yellow.
The best fertilizer to use initially is a starter fertilizer where the second number (phosphorus) is higher than the first (nitrogen) the third number is potassium which is for bloom development and is not really important in lawns. In the first year of growth special attention should be taken to root development. Phosphorus will stimulate root growth and is necessary for the plants development.
Once your lawn matures you can begin to use fertilizers with more nitrogen. Nitrogen is by far the element needed most by your lawn. It promotes root and blade growth and is responsible for the healthy green color of the grass. Without enough nitrogen your lawn will grow slowly and become yellowish. With too much, a lawn will grow too rapidly causing thatch build-up that can lead to disease problems. Nitrogen is also the element used up the quickest.
We suggest never going over a 3:1 ratio (in terms of nitrogen to phosphorus) in a mature lawn. 16-16-16, 20-10-10 and 18-6-12 are examples of well-balanced fertilizers that are readily available at your local nursery.
Don’t use weed and feed or moss killer on your new lawn until after three mowing’s. Selective herbicides generally require this amount of time for the grass to mature or damage can result.
When fertilizing start with a dry lawn. Using a broadcast spreader, apply one-half of the recommended amount in one direction then spread the remaining half at right angles to the first. After fertilizing, it is necessary to water your lawn to wash the material off the grass and into the soil.
Lawns in the northwest respond well to an application of fertilizer 4 times a year. Each of these four feedings is essential to the proper development and maintenance of a healthy turf. Because of the differences in the environment these are a general recommendations. The color of your turf will help tell you when to fertilize. A properly fertilized lawn will be a uniform, dark green throughout. Yellowed or stunted turf needs to be fertilized.
Early Spring (March-April) Late Spring, Early Summer (May-June)
Early Fall (September) Fall – Winter (November-December)
Our Warranty
Olympia Hydroseeding warrants that high quality certified ingredients are used in our hydroseeding process. If your hydroseeded lawn does not establish properly because of product or workmanship, those portions of your lawn that are not growing will be re-hydroseeded at NO COST! Be sure to water, fertilize and maintain your lawn as directed in our care instructions. If your lawn is not watered, fertilized and maintained as directed the warranty is void. The warranty does not cover a lawn that has not been properly prepared with 3 to 4 inches of new top soil, that has been washed out because of heavy rain fall or over watering, lacking proper growth because of lack of fertilizing, using the wrong fertilizer or improper use of chemicals to kill weeds. Guarantee applies to hydroseed applied between April 1st and October 15th (depending on weather).
When temperatures are below 70 degrees
Day 1-13 1 to 2 times per day (Minimum) for 20 minutes (until germination)
Day 13-24 1 time per day for 25 minutes
Day 24-44 2-4 times per week for 30 minutes
Day 44 plus 1-2 times per week for 35 minutes
When temperatures are above 70 degrees
Day 1-10 3 times a day (Minimum) for 20 minutes (until germination)
Day 10-21 1-2 times per day for 25 minutes
Day 21-31 1 time per day for 30 minutes
Day 31 plus 2-3 times per week for 35 minutes
If you have an irrigation system try to set it for the most cycles possible (say 5 to 7 watering’s per day) at about 5-7 minutes per cycle during the germination period. Keeping the mulch mat moist provides the grass seeds optimal growing conditions.
Once your lawn begins to show growth, shift the watering schedule to the post germination watering cycle. This is very important as you need to train the roots to “chase water” and grow deep. Not adjusting it will acclimate the roots to a high water table and cause wilting during the hot summer months. Grass roots are healthier when they grow deep and soaking your lawn more and more over longer periods of time promotes deep root embedment.
Mowing
When most of your lawn reaches 2 ½ to 3 inches mow it. Don’t cut off more than 1/3. When you mow your lawn it stimulates root growth and will help your lawn thicken up so it’s important to mow early and frequently. Be sure you have a sharp blade because a dull blade will tear the grass instead of cut it. Bag the grass clippings for the first year if possible so thatch doesn’t build up. This will give the new lawn a better chance to spread and fill in quicker. It’s also a good idea to alternate your mowing patterns. Mowing in the same direction all the time can cause wear patterns and also lead to soil compaction
Fertilizing
Fertilize your lawn after 3 weeks. Fertilizer is just as important as water for your new lawn. As your lawn is developing its root system it requires lots of nutrients. The hydroseed comes with fertilizer but it will be used up after about 3 weeks so it is very important to fertilize again or the lawn will stall out and turn yellow.
The best fertilizer to use initially is a starter fertilizer where the second number (phosphorus) is higher than the first (nitrogen) the third number is potassium which is for bloom development and is not really important in lawns. In the first year of growth special attention should be taken to root development. Phosphorus will stimulate root growth and is necessary for the plants development.
Once your lawn matures you can begin to use fertilizers with more nitrogen. Nitrogen is by far the element needed most by your lawn. It promotes root and blade growth and is responsible for the healthy green color of the grass. Without enough nitrogen your lawn will grow slowly and become yellowish. With too much, a lawn will grow too rapidly causing thatch build-up that can lead to disease problems. Nitrogen is also the element used up the quickest.
We suggest never going over a 3:1 ratio (in terms of nitrogen to phosphorus) in a mature lawn. 16-16-16, 20-10-10 and 18-6-12 are examples of well-balanced fertilizers that are readily available at your local nursery.
Don’t use weed and feed or moss killer on your new lawn until after three mowing’s. Selective herbicides generally require this amount of time for the grass to mature or damage can result.
When fertilizing start with a dry lawn. Using a broadcast spreader, apply one-half of the recommended amount in one direction then spread the remaining half at right angles to the first. After fertilizing, it is necessary to water your lawn to wash the material off the grass and into the soil.
Lawns in the northwest respond well to an application of fertilizer 4 times a year. Each of these four feedings is essential to the proper development and maintenance of a healthy turf. Because of the differences in the environment these are a general recommendations. The color of your turf will help tell you when to fertilize. A properly fertilized lawn will be a uniform, dark green throughout. Yellowed or stunted turf needs to be fertilized.
Early Spring (March-April) Late Spring, Early Summer (May-June)
Early Fall (September) Fall – Winter (November-December)
Our Warranty
Olympia Hydroseeding warrants that high quality certified ingredients are used in our hydroseeding process. If your hydroseeded lawn does not establish properly because of product or workmanship, those portions of your lawn that are not growing will be re-hydroseeded at NO COST! Be sure to water, fertilize and maintain your lawn as directed in our care instructions. If your lawn is not watered, fertilized and maintained as directed the warranty is void. The warranty does not cover a lawn that has not been properly prepared with 3 to 4 inches of new top soil, that has been washed out because of heavy rain fall or over watering, lacking proper growth because of lack of fertilizing, using the wrong fertilizer or improper use of chemicals to kill weeds. Guarantee applies to hydroseed applied between April 1st and October 15th (depending on weather).