Hydroseeding in Altadena, CA

Hydroseeding in Altadena right now is mostly about lots that lost everything. The Eaton Fire started on January 7, 2025 in Eaton Canyon during strong Santa Ana winds, burned 14,021 acres and destroyed 9,418 structures, with more than 1,000 others damaged. Once debris removal is done, many owners are left with a flat, bare pad on a slope, months or years before they can rebuild.

Why cover a cleared lot

A cleared lot is bare, often compacted soil. In wind it makes dust; in rain it sheds sediment into the street and storm drains. A temporary cover seeding with tackified hydromulch holds the surface, keeps weeds down and costs far less than leaving the lot to wash out. When construction starts, the cover is simply graded off.

A town built on a slope

Altadena sits at about 1,358 feet, higher than Pasadena, and the whole town is built on a slope. Water runs downhill across lot lines. On sloped lots we add wattles across the grade and silt fence on the low side, and protect nearby drain inlets so the next owner down the street is not dealing with your mud.

Heavy foothill rain

Altadena averages about 21 inches of rain a year, more than 6 inches above Los Angeles thanks to the San Gabriel Mountains. February averages 5.74 inches. The record day was 7.70 inches on March 2, 1938. Seed and mulch need to be down before the season's big storms, ideally by November.

Saving trees during rebuilding

Local groups such as Altadena Green are working to keep fire-surviving trees from being taken down during later cleanup and construction. Christmas Tree Lane, a 0.7-mile stretch of Santa Rosa Avenue, still has 110 standing giant deodars. We keep grading and fill away from tree roots and use hydroseed because it does not need heavy equipment driving over the lot.

Later, a permanent lawn

When a rebuild is finished, we come back for the permanent landscape: fine grading, topsoil, irrigation checks and a hydroseed lawn or native mix. Get a free estimate or call (213) 451-4997.