Frequently Asked Questions

For most new lawns and almost all slopes, yes. It usually costs well under sod and more than dry seed, and the mulch and tackifier keep seed in place through rain and wind. On a small, flat, sheltered patch that you can water carefully, raking in dry seed can do just as well.

Cool-season grasses. For most western Oregon yards OSU Extension suggests a perennial ryegrass or fine fescue base with colonial bentgrass, more fine fescue for shade, and more perennial ryegrass for heavy wear. Tall fescue is better suited to hotter parts of the state.

Mid-August to mid-September is the strongest window, followed by early May to mid-June. Seeding after mid-October usually gives a thin, weedy stand, so late-season jobs are better treated as erosion cover with a lawn finish in spring.

In good fall or spring weather, perennial ryegrass shows green in about 7 to 10 days, and OSU says many seeded lawns need their first mowing about three weeks after planting. Slower grasses, cool weather and shade stretch that out.

Keep the surface damp, not soaked: two to four short waterings a day until it sprouts, then taper to once a day by the end of the second week and every few days after that. In July and August the rain will not do it for you.

Plain fiber mulch often slides on a steep cut once the November rain arrives. Steeper West Hills ground gets either a bonded fiber matrix spray or pinned erosion control blankets, with wattles or silt fence below, and seed early enough that roots are in before the wettest months if we can.

Landscaping that does not need a development permit is generally exempt from the city's permit and signage steps, but sediment still is not allowed to wash into the street or storm drains. If your seeding is part of a permitted build, the approved erosion plan governs.

National guides put residential hydroseeding cost somewhere between 7 and 35 cents a square foot, with many companies charging a minimum of $300 to $500 on small jobs. Ground that needs grading or topsoil costs more. Once we have walked the yard, you get the price in writing.

Not on top of living turf. The old grass and weeds need to be killed or removed and the soil loosened so the seed reaches dirt. If more than half the lawn is still decent grass, overseeding may be the cheaper route.

In good conditions you will see green in about a week. OSU Extension notes many seeded lawns need a first mowing about three weeks after planting; cooler weather and shade slow that down.

Usually, yes. Once established, a seeded lawn and a sodded lawn of similar grasses look and wear much the same. The difference is cost and how long you wait.

In fall or spring drizzle you may skip a watering, but light rain rarely keeps the surface damp all day. Check the mulch; if it is dry and pale, water.

Tell us when grading will finish and we will hold the date. During the October to April wet season the city allows no more than two days, so we plan around that.

Yes, as temporary stabilization. Germination is slow in cold weather, so winter work leans on tackified mulch or bonded fiber matrix, with permanent seed added or reapplied in spring if needed.

Yes. We order the specified mix and provide the seed tags.

Yes, throughout the metro in Oregon and in Clark County, Washington. Each city has its own erosion rules, and we follow the approved plan for the site.

Hydromulch is loose fiber held with tackifier; it suits gentler slopes. Bonded fiber matrix uses more binder and forms a continuous layer that resists heavy rain on steeper ground.

On steep cuts, long slopes, and any swale or ditch carrying concentrated flow. Blankets resist running water better than sprayed mulch.

Surface cover stops soil from washing off; it does not fix a deep slide. Deep instability needs a geotechnical engineer, and we install the surface protection their plan calls for.

For a full stand, usually yes. We put down protective cover now and overseed thin areas in spring.

No. Straw and coir rot away gradually while the grass roots through them, so we normally leave them where they are.

If it has a development permit with ground disturbance, the approved erosion plan says what controls you need. Even without a permit, sediment cannot leave the site or enter storm drains, so a barrier on the downhill side is usually wise.

Silt fence suits open perimeter runs in soil. Wattles fit tight lots, paved edges and slopes. Many sites use both.

Until permanent stabilization is established. On permitted work, the final erosion inspection checks that permanent cover is working and temporary controls are removed.

The site's erosion and sediment control manager is responsible for inspections. We can do the repairs and cleanouts those inspections call for.

Not always. Many Portland soils grow good grass as they are. If construction left subsoil or fill, or the soil is thin over gravel, topsoil helps a lot. We check on the site visit.

Deep enough to hold moisture through a dry August. For sandy imported soil OSU suggests at least 6 inches after compaction, laid as a layer over the existing soil.

Usually. Regrading low spots and shaping a swale solves many cases. If the subsoil drains poorly, a trench drain may be needed as well.

In drier spells, yes. Working saturated clay damages the soil, so we pick our days and cover finished ground quickly.

Yes, when grading leaves a surplus. It is listed separately on the estimate.

Mid-August to mid-September is ideal, with early May to mid-June as the backup. Seed sown after mid-October usually comes up thin.

If the soil is compacted, yes. Aeration loosens the surface and improves seed-to-soil contact.

Moss usually signals shade, compaction, poor drainage or low fertility. Fixing those, removing the moss and then overseeding works better than seed alone.

If weeds and bare soil cover more of the lawn than grass, or the soil is badly compacted or uneven, renovation or a new lawn is often the better choice.