Frequently Asked Questions

For most lawns and slopes, yes. It costs more than dry seed but generally less than sod, and the mulch layer protects seed from sun, wind and runoff, which matters a lot in a dry city. On steep or burned slopes it is often the only practical way to get seed to stick.

You wait several weeks for a usable lawn instead of one day with sod, and the area needs light, frequent watering until the grass is established. A heavy storm right after spraying can wash seed on bare slopes, which is why we add blankets or bonded fiber matrix on steep ground. Foot traffic and pets have to stay off for the first few weeks.

For cool-season fescue, late October and November, after the autumn heat and ahead of the winter rain. For warm-season grass like bermuda, late spring into early summer with irrigation. Erosion control seeding on slopes should go down before the first storms of the rainy season.

In warm weather, short sprinkler runs a couple of times a day, maybe three, so the mulch stays damp without puddles or runoff. On sandy valley soil you may need the shorter, more frequent cycle. We give you a schedule based on your sprinklers and your yard.

Yes. On burned ground we focus on holding soil first, usually with bonded fiber matrix or blankets, wattles and silt fence at the toe, and we often use a native mix instead of turf. A slope that is unstable or actively sliding needs a geotechnical engineer before seeding.

Seeding by itself usually does not need a permit. Grading does, and in the rainy season, permitted grading over 200 cubic yards cannot start until an erosion control system is approved. Projects disturbing an acre or more also need coverage under the state construction stormwater permit.

It will, but sandy soil dries fast, so we often blend in topsoil or compost before spraying and use a heavier fiber mulch rate. The mulch layer keeps moisture at the seed between watering cycles.

Grass usually shows in 5 to 14 days depending on weather and seed type. Most lawns get a first mowing at about 4 to 6 weeks, when the blades reach roughly 4 inches. Keep heavy use off until after a few mowings.

Across the national guides, residential hydroseeding runs from about $0.06 per square foot at the low end to $0.35 at the high end, and minimum job fees are commonly $300 to $500. Soil prep, slope and access add to that. Once we have walked your yard, you get the price in writing.

Using the per-square-foot ranges in published guides, 3,000 square feet works out to a few hundred dollars up to roughly $1,000 for the spray, and many companies have a $300 to $500 minimum. Turf removal, topsoil or grading are extra. Your estimate lists each item.

Fescue stays greener through the year and suits coastal, shaded and family yards. Bermuda takes full sun and heat better and uses less water once established, but goes dormant and brown in cold months. Many Valley homeowners choose bermuda; many Westside homeowners choose fescue.

If the lawn is thin but alive, yes, after mowing short and aerating. If it is mostly weeds or dead, renovation with full prep gives a much better result.

The usual causes are dry spots where sprinklers do not reach, runoff on a slope, or heavy traffic before the grass rooted. We look at the pattern and tell you which one it is.

It does if one acre or more of soil gets disturbed, counting the whole development when your parcel is one piece of a bigger project. That threshold brings in California's Construction Stormwater General Permit. Your engineer or stormwater consultant handles the filing; we install the seeding and controls the plan calls for.

Yes. Send us the specification sheet and we will quote to the listed seed mix, mulch type and rate. If a product is hard to get, we will propose an equal and get your approval first.

Small and mid-size sites can usually be sprayed in a day once we are scheduled. Before the rainy season, booking early matters, because many sites need cover at the same time.

We do not install sprinkler systems. We coordinate with your irrigation contractor so seed goes down when water is ready, which the hillside planting rules expect on graded slopes.

On moderate slopes, a heavy mulch rate with seed is often enough. On steep or long slopes, or where water concentrates, we add bonded fiber matrix, blankets or wattles. The slope and the water above it decide.

A sprayed mulch with a strong binder that cures into one connected, breathable layer over the soil. It protects soil from raindrops and runoff better than standard hydromulch and is used on steep, highly erodible ground.

Late summer or early fall, before the October 1 start of the city's rainy season. Covering a slope later is still far better than leaving it bare.

In designated hillside areas, the city's grading code requires planted cut and fill slopes to be irrigated, with sprinklers applying no more than 3/10 inch per hour. Natives may need less water once established, but they still need help getting started.

If bare soil could wash onto the street, a neighbor's yard or into a storm drain, you need some kind of sediment control. Larger projects and permitted rainy-season grading have formal requirements, and city code bars letting soil flow onto adjoining property on any job.

Usually through one construction project if it is maintained. Sun, wind and sediment build-up wear it down, so it should be checked after each storm and repaired as needed.

A barrier or filter at a storm drain inlet that catches sediment before it enters the drain. Gravel bags, drop-in filter fabric and fence barriers are the common types.

No; it has to be trenched into soil. On pavement we use fiber rolls or gravel bags instead.

On sandy or debris-filled ground, a few inches blended into the top layer is common. On decent soil, loosening and a light amendment may be enough. We decide after looking at a test dig.

Usually, yes. We reshape the grade so the soil slopes down and away from the foundation, and where needed we trench in a drain line to carry water to the street or a drain.

Small reshaping usually does not. Larger earthwork, especially on hillside lots, often does. We will tell you if your job looks like it needs one and work from approved plans.

Yes. Haul-off is listed separately on the estimate so you can see what it adds.

Fall, ideally before or with the first rains. That gives seed the whole wet season to germinate and root before summer.

Yes, at first. Most need regular water through the first season or two. After that, many need little or none beyond rainfall, though planted hillside slopes must still have irrigation under city code.

Yes. We remove the turf, prepare the soil and seed a native grass and wildflower mix. Expect a wilder look than a lawn and some weeding in year one.

No planting is fireproof. The city's slope rules favor fire-retardant, deep-rooted plants, and keeping the area trimmed and cleared each year is what reduces risk.