Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on whose guide you read: HomeGuide's range is $0.12 up to $0.35 a square foot, Angi's $0.07 to $0.26 and HomeAdvisor's $0.06 to $0.20. Many hydroseeding companies also charge a floor for small jobs; LawnStarter's figure for that minimum is $300 to $500. Grading, topsoil and slopes add to the total, and once you accept our written proposal, that number stays put.

Usually not. In HomeGuide's numbers, laying sod runs $1 to $4 a square foot, several times the cost of hydroseed. The trade-off is time: sod is a lawn on day one, while hydroseed needs about 4 to 6 weeks before the first mow.

Bermudagrass grows from seed, forms a dense mat and recovers quickly from wear, so it is the usual choice for a seeded lawn. St. Augustine has typically been planted as sod or plugs, and centipedegrass is lower maintenance with medium shade tolerance but shallow roots. We match the grass to your sun, shade and use.

For warm-season grass, April into early fall. The airport's daily mean temperature stays above 70 degrees from April through October, which keeps warm-season seed growing. Late-fall seedings have little time to establish before winter.

With warm soil and steady moisture, HomeGuide says germination can begin in 5 to 7 days, and Angi says sprouts on most hydroseeded lawns appear somewhere in the 7 to 14 day window. Keep the mulch damp the whole time. Thin spots usually show by the third or fourth week and can be touched up.

Light and often. The University of Nebraska Extension calls for a minimum of two to three light waterings daily during hot spells, and Iowa State Extension says light watering should continue for about three weeks. A soaking thunderstorm can count for a day; a dry, hot spell cannot be skipped.

Yes. Even when grass grows slowly, hydromulch with tackifier covers bare soil right away, and federal construction rules require disturbed areas to be stabilized when work stops for more than 14 days. We adjust the seed mix to the season and come back to touch up as it warms.

Federal construction stormwater permits start at one acre of disturbed ground, and smaller jobs count when they are part of a bigger development plan. Many single lots fall below that, but builders and the city can still require sediment controls. We can tell you what is typical and set silt fence and inlet protection either way.

National guides span roughly $0.07 up to $0.35 a square foot. HomeGuide's estimate for a lawn of 5,000 square feet is $1,000 to $1,750. Minimum fees of $300 to $500 are common for small yards. Topsoil, slope and access change the total, so we price each yard after a visit.

St. Augustine has typically been planted as sod, plugs or sprigs, because viable seed only recently became available commercially. If St. Augustine is what you want, sod or plugs are usually the better route, and we will say so.

Keep off it until the first mow, roughly 4 to 6 weeks after seeding. Light traffic before then pulls up mulch and seedlings.

Tackifier binds the mulch to the soil, so normal rain does little harm. A cloudburst on a slope or in a drainage path can still move it, which is why we raise mulch rates there and touch up any washed spots.

Yes. Seed needs contact with bare soil. We clear or kill existing growth, then rake and grade before spraying.

Yes. Most of our site work is for builders, GCs and site work firms. We can seed lot by lot as homes finish or cover a whole phase at once.

Once the area is graded and accessible, the spray itself goes quickly. Mulch and tackifier cover the soil the same day, before the grass comes up.

Yes. Growth slows, but mulch and tackifier still stabilize the surface right away. We adjust the seed mix and return to touch up in spring.

We prefer a water source on site. If there is none, we haul water, and the estimate shows that cost.

Those usually need erosion control blankets or heavier mulch rather than standard hydroseed. We price them separately.

Hydromulch is sprayed and suits gentle slopes where water only crosses during storms. Blankets are rolled out and stapled, and they hold up in ditches and swales where water runs in a channel.

Straw is meant to protect the soil until grass takes over. Straw and coconut blends and coir last longer and are used where flow is stronger or establishment will take more time.

Usually not. A ditch carries concentrated flow, so it needs a blanket pinned into the soil, seeded through, and sometimes regrading of the bottom first.

If the bank is on your property, yes. If it is part of a public drainage canal, levee or servitude, the agency that owns it has to approve any work.

A state highway department's 2025 rates list hydraulic mulch at $98 and blankets at $468 to $532 per 1,000 square feet. Prep, access and slope length change the total, so we quote after a visit.

Federal permits start at one acre of disturbance, or less when the lot is one piece of a bigger development plan. A single lot may still need sediment controls under builder, subdivision or city requirements, and they protect your neighbors' drains either way.

Until the disturbed ground behind it is stabilized, usually with grass. Removing it too early lets the last of the loose soil wash out.

Most failures come from fence that was not trenched in, stakes on the wrong side, or sediment piled against it. Regular cleaning and repairs keep it standing.

Yes, with gravel and mesh or a below-grate filter that still lets water through. We avoid blocking a street inlet so fully that water ponds in the road.

Yes. We pull fence and stakes, rake out the trench and seed the strip.

Soft and organic soils under much of the area consolidate over time, and drained marsh soils settle as they dry and oxidize. Fill and regrading fix the surface, but settling can continue, so expect occasional touch-ups.

In HomeAdvisor's guide, leveling a lawn runs $1 to $2 a square foot, and Lawn Love's range for resloping a home lot is $770 to $3,000. Fill volume, access and drains change the price.

Yes. We work between and around piers by hand and with small equipment, sloping the ground away so water does not stand under the house.

Yes. When grading alone cannot move water, we trench and install French drains or buried downspout lines.

It depends on the native soil. Dense clay benefits from a fuller layer than loamy soil. We measure the area and recommend a depth at the site visit.

Not in the usual sense. St. Augustine has typically been planted as sod, plugs or sprigs. Bare spots are best patched with sod or plugs and left to spread.

Possibly not. Warm-season grasses go dormant in cold weather, and centipedegrass browns with light freezes but re-greens as it warms. We can check in spring before you spend money.

From April into early fall, when temperatures keep warm-season seed growing. Late-fall seedings have little time to establish before winter.

When most of the lawn is still healthy grass, repairing it usually makes more sense. If it is mostly weeds or bare, renovation is often cheaper over time.

Yes. We fill and level ruts, loosen the compacted soil, and replant to match the lawn.