SOD VS. HYDROSEEDING: WHAT IS RIGHT FOR YOUR YARD?
When determining whether to use sod or hydroseeding for your new yard, several key factors should be considered. First off, let’s give a brief definition of each item:
Sod
Sod is typically used for lawns, golf courses and sports stadiums. In residential construction, it is sold to landscapers, home builders or homeowners who use it to establish a lawn quickly and avoid soil erosion. Sod can be used to repair a small area of lawn, golf course or athletic field that has died. Sod is also effective in increasing cooling, improving air and water quality, and assisting in flood prevention by draining water.
Hydroseed
Hydroseeding (or hydraulic mulch seeding, hydro-mulching, hydraseeding) is a planting process that uses a slurry of seed and mulch. It is often used as an erosion control technique on construction sites, as an alternative to the traditional process of broadcasting or sowing dry seed.
The benefits of installing sod are that the end product is almost instantaneous. You prepare the ground, install the new sod and you have instant lawn. You will have to water it up to three times per day until it roots in, and follow up with a starter fertilizer application, but essentially you have instant lawn.
Hydroseeding is great for installing on steep slopes where installing sod may be difficult. The outright benefit to hydroseeding vs. sod is the fact that hydroseeding is much cheaper. If you hydroseed at the right time of year, you can have germination in five to eight days and you can have a healthy established lawn in about three weeks time. You can end up with the same result of sodding your lawn but it will take more effort on your part to get there.
Pros and Cons:
- Sod, which is usually primarily a bluegrass blend, should not be installed in really shady areas. The sod eventually will not thrive in that spot and thin out dramatically.
- Sod requires more overall maintenance. Because it is typically a bluegrass seed blend, you will need to ideally have a sprinkler system and when the hot weather comes, make sure you are giving it the appropriate amount of water and fertilizer.
- If you are a self-proclaimed lawn nut, then sod is the way to go. It is by far the nicest looking grass seed blend and is instantaneous. If you water and take care of it properly it will be stunning to see when established.
- Hydroseed is a good option because you can seed with any seed blend you want. If you want a lawn that you don’t want to have to water and take care of as much, you can opt to hydroseed with a turf type tall fescue blend of seed. This will not require constant care and it will weather the hot summers better.
- By hydroseeding you can also use specialty seeds such as wildflower, meadow mix and wetland seed mixes.
Choosing which seed method to use can be a difficult decision because the approach taken is solely based off cultural environmental factors around your home.
Contact us today with your questions.
