Are you familiar with hydroseed? This is an efficient and inexpensive method of seeding lawns. It is best used on large areas or slopes where it’s tough to plant on.
Hydroseeding will involve using slurries of seed, water, fertilizer, mulch, like, polymers, and tackifiers for its biostimulants and moisture retention. Rather than scattering seed over the area, you will spray the slurry all over it instead! While effective, it may leave you, and other gardeners, questions like, ‘how long can hydroseed go without water?’
Read on to learn more about hydroseeding and its water requirements!
How Long Can Hydroseed Go Without Water?
Hydroseeding is a beneficial process as it is faster and cheaper compared to other methods. You will also get to see the results quickly and with minimal dust pollution and wee growth, even when it is done on a very large area. Plus, it mitigates soil erosion, preventing potential landslides at a more affordable cost.
But what about its maintenance, particularly its water needs? It isn’t an expensive or tedious process, but you’ll need to give your lawn what it needs!
Hydroseed must always stay moist to ensure proper germination. Germination can take about 5-10 days, or 14-15 days when in adverse conditions. The water requirements would depend on how long it has been since you hydroseeded your garden area.
For newly hydroseeded lawns, you need to make sure it stays wet for at least 11 days. After 4-6 weeks, you can begin to scale back on the water requirements gradually. As for the green dye included in the slurry, it will take about 5-10 days before it fades away.
You will need to water hydroseeded lawns thrice a day for 10-15 minutes throughout each watering cycle. It is best to water the hydroseeded lawn at 4:00 AM, 11:00 AM, and 4:00 PM. NEVER water after dark and avoid creating water pools on the lawn, as overwatering is just as bad as underwatering.
With its watering requirements, hydroseeded lawns cannot last over a day or two without water. This is because grass seeds require water for germination and need water before and after the seeding process. Without water, the seeds won’t grow, and the moisture levels decrease.
After germination begins, you should NOT stop your regular watering schedule or the seeds will dry out, causing death. So yes, if you leave your hydroseeded lawn dry and without water for over a day, then you risk killing the grass seeds, thus putting all your effort to waste. This especially goes for those who leave their hydroseeded areas without water during very hot days!
The Right Watering Schedule
I mentioned watering a hydroseeded lawn thrice a day above. Be sure to keep this schedule for at least 11 days, then water it lightly after 2 weeks to keep it moist. If you don’t have time to water your lawn on your own, you can always install a sprinkler system to make watering easier and more consistent.
You can begin watering your hydroseeded lawn less once the seedlings have grown at least 2 inches tall. You might have to water your lawn more frequently and for longer periods during the hot summer season and windy days.
During rainy days, you won’t need to water the hydroseeded lawn. If it is a humid day and above 85 degrees F, you also won’t need to water, as this might result in fungus. But if it is below 85 degrees or a hot, dry day, you can resume watering, as long as the areas under shades are dry.
I also want to mention overwatering, as we talked more about hydroseed lasting without water. Remember that if you will water over the regular watering schedule, it would cause washout and puddling. This can have your grass seeds develop weak roots from lower oxygen supplies to sources, resulting in a sparse lawn and slower establishment.
Take note that there are many other requirements that your hydroseeded lawn will need, such as mowing, fertilizing, and weed control. Watering is just one of the important parts of it!
Wrapping It Up
Hydroseeding is fairly easy to do, but you have to consider a lot of factors and prepare ahead, ensuring you can give the area what it needs to flourish. When it comes to water, it can live for a few days without it, but it’s best to water regularly to get the best results. If not, then you may end up having to start the process all over again!
Hopefully, you learned more about hydroseeding, and its water requirements, based on the information above. Take this information to mind as you consider hydroseeding your lawn soon. Good luck!