Frequently Asked Questions

Published national guides range from about $0.06 to $0.35 a square foot for residential hydroseeding, varying by source. HomeGuide's figure for a 5,000-square-foot yard is $1,000 to $1,750. LawnStarter notes that many companies charge a minimum job fee of $300 to $500. Slopes, heavy prep and topsoil push the cost up. Once we have walked your yard, the total we put in writing is the one you are billed.

For sunny yards, Bermuda is the usual choice; OSU Extension lists Bermuda, buffalograss and zoysia as the warm-season grasses most often planted in the state. Buffalograss suits low-water areas and is better adapted to western Oklahoma. For shaded yards under large trees, tall fescue is the common pick because the warm-season grasses cannot handle shade.

It depends on what you are overseeding with. Tall fescue and other cool-season seed go down in late September and October, with March as a second choice. Thin Bermuda is better repaired with Bermuda seed from May into early summer, once the soil is warm.

Usually, and by a wide margin. HomeGuide's installed sod range is $1 to $4 per square foot; its hydroseeding range is $0.12 to $0.35. Sod finishes faster, though, so it can still be worth it for a small patch that has to look done right away.

Seed often starts to show within about a week in warm weather, and HomeGuide puts the first mowing at four to six weeks. Bermuda sprayed in late May or June usually gets there faster than seed sprayed at the edge of the season.

Not for a permanent lawn. Warm-season seed needs warm soil and fescue does poorly once November turns cold. In winter we can still spray hydromulch or a temporary cover to hold bare ground, then seed when the window opens.

Oklahoma DEQ requires OKR10 coverage and a stormwater pollution prevention plan when a project disturbs at least an acre, or when a smaller piece belongs to a bigger development that crosses an acre. The city or county may require its own permit too. A single backyard regrade usually falls well under that, but we still keep mud out of the street.

As national figures, HomeGuide gives $1,000 to $1,750 for a lawn of 5,000 square feet and $1,900 to $2,800 for a quarter acre. Topsoil, slopes and heavy prep add to that. We give you a written price after seeing the yard.

It is not a good idea. OSU Extension recommends getting most seeded Bermuda in by July 1 so it can root before winter. In fall we usually seed fescue or put down a temporary cover and seed Bermuda the next May.

Keep the top inch moist. That usually means several short cycles a day for the first two weeks in summer, then less often but longer once the grass fills in.

Not well without prep. We rip or till the compacted layer and add topsoil where needed before spraying. That step decides whether the lawn thrives or struggles.

Stay off it except to water until the grass is established. HomeGuide puts the first mowing at four to six weeks after spraying.

Oklahoma DEQ requires OKR10 coverage when construction disturbs at least one acre, and on smaller sites that belong to a bigger development covering more than an acre. Coverage must be in place before work starts, and the city or county may require its own permit as well.

Yes. Most subdivision work is phased. We spray common areas and ponds when they are graded and come back for lots as homes are completed.

It depends on steepness and how much water runs across them. Gentle banks get a heavier hydromulch rate; steeper banks and channels get erosion control blankets or bonded fiber matrix.

We look at it with you and agree on what needs re-spraying. On slopes and channels we try to prevent that by using a heavier product from the start.

On gentle slopes without concentrated water, hydromulch usually works. Steep banks, long slopes and anything that carries flowing water are better with bonded fiber matrix or blankets.

Straw blankets are meant for short-term protection while grass establishes. Coir and straw-coir blends last longer, which is why we use them on steeper slopes and channels.

Usually, by lining the flow path with blankets trenched in at the top and seeding beneath them. If the ditch is undersized or grading sends too much water to it, we will tell you that too.

Yes, but grass fills in more slowly under trees. We lean on blankets and shade-tolerant seed and expect it to take longer to close.

If the house is part of a larger subdivision covered by an OKR10 permit, the plan for that development applies to your lot. Otherwise, it depends on the city's rules and the site, but fence on the downhill side of a bare lot near a street is a good idea either way.

Usually because it was not trenched in, was placed across a ditch carrying concentrated water, or filled with sediment and was never cleaned out.

Until the disturbed ground is stabilized with vegetation. Then it is removed and the trench line is seeded.

Yes. Curb and area inlets get the barrier or filter type that suits the inlet and the traffic around it.

Yes. We can clean out, repair and replace existing fence and inlet protection.

OSU Extension recommends at least a one percent slope away from buildings. More is better near the foundation if the yard allows it.

It works poorly. Topsoil should be mixed into the top few inches of the existing soil so water and roots move through instead of stopping at the layer.

We do shallow drainage work tied to grading: swales, buried downspout lines and drain trenches. Deep or structural digging goes to an excavation contractor.

Right away if it is the right season. If not, we cover the new grade with hydromulch so it does not wash before seeding.

Late September through October is best, according to OSU Extension, with March as a second choice. Fall seeding gives fescue time to root before summer heat.

Some people overseed Bermuda with ryegrass for winter green; OSU Extension lists perennial ryegrass for winter overseeding of Bermuda. It needs extra water and care, and the ryegrass has to give way to the Bermuda again in spring.

Usually not. Bermuda needs full sun. A shade-tolerant grass like tall fescue, or a mulched bed, often works better under trees.

On compacted or clay-heavy lawns, yes. Aeration lets seed reach the soil and improves water movement.