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How Much Does Hydroseeding Cost?

Average National Cost
? All cost data throughout this article are collected using the RSMeans construction materials database.
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$0.05–$0.08 per square foot

Find costs near you.

Updated On

December 31, 2023

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Hydroseeding is a cost-effective and time-efficient way to get a new lawn, creating a lush, thriving landscape in just a few months. To help you understand more about hydroseeding costs, I’ve researched the rates for top hydroseeding companies and the current material prices from industrial suppliers.  

To get this information, I’ve combed through the current industry costs for labor, slurry mixtures, overhead, and baseline rates from numerous lawn care companies. Below, I’ll explain everything that affects hydroseeding prices, detail hydroseeding benefits, and compare services from the best lawn care companies with DIY applications. 

If you’re interested in finding local hydroseeding companies, you can fill out our forms for either of the following companies: 

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What Is the Cost of Hydroseeding?

When it comes to hydroseeding, expect to pay between $0.05 and $0.20 per square foot, with the national average ranging from $0.05 to $0.07. Since the average American yard is 23,301 square feet (about half an acre), you’re looking at a total cost range of $1,165 to $4,660. This price includes material, labor, and overhead costs but doesn’t include extra services such as mowing, additional fertilization, and aftercare. You can compare the cost of Trugreen and other top lawn care services to help you decide which company to go for.

LowAverageHigh
$0.03–$0.05 per square foot$0.05–$0.08 per square foot$0.10–$0.20 per square foot

How Do Hydroseeding Costs Differ by Square Feet?

When calculating the price of a hydroseeding project, the lawn’s size is the largest cost factor. The more square footage your yard has, the more slurry, labor hours, and team members are required to seed it. Here is a quick breakdown of the national average costs of hydroseeding different lawn sizes. 

Size (in square feet)Average Cost
10,000$500–$800
15,000$750–$1,200
20,000$1,000–$1,600
25,000$1,250–$2,000
30,000$1,500–$2,400
35,000$1,750–$$2,800
40,000$2,000–$3,200

Check out this video from a professional lawn care company for some ins and outs of the hydroseeding process:


How Does Acreage Affect Hydroseeding Pricing?

Some companies calculate hydroseeding cost by the acre. While these pricing models typically align with standard methods, they can sometimes differ. 

Below is a table showing the price of hydroseeding by acre. 

MetricAverage Cost
1 Acre $2,178–$3,485
2 Acres$4,356–$6,970
3 Acres$6,534–$10,455
4 Acres$8,712–$13,940
5 Acres$10,890–$17,425

Which Other Factors Impact Hydroseeding Cost Estimates?

Besides the size of your yard, several other factors can impact the total cost of your hydroseeding project. These factors include yard condition, application rates, soil quality, mixture type, aftercare, and additional lawn care services. 

Next, I’ll break down each of these factors and explain how they can affect your final bill. 

Yard Condition and Slopes

Your yard’s condition, along with its general landscaping, affects several aspects of your hydroseeding project. Things like weeds, overgrown plants, and poorly maintained areas can require the lawn care company to take additional steps in preparing and reseeding your lawn. Extra work like mowing, weeding, and additional tilling adds labor hours, raises service fees, and incurs additional charges. Overall, a healthy lawn will be less difficult to work on, lowering hydroseeding costs.

Additionally, if your yard has one or more steep slopes, expect to pay more for seeding. Steep slopes have increased runoff, making it harder to properly hydroseed them. As a result, the more slopes your lawn has and the steeper they are, the more slurry and labor hour your project requires. On average, sloped lawn sections require 50% to 100% more slurry to properly seed, potentially doubling the cost per square foot. 

Today’s Homeowner Tips
You can save on service fees for hydroseeding and other lawn care services by doing basic lawn maintenance once per week. Things like cleaning up sticks, raking leaves, and clearing debris can majorly cut down on service costs and avoid extra fees.

Application Rates

For an even application and growth pattern, lawn seed has to be applied quickly and simultaneously. If you have a large, multiple-acre lawn, a simple hand spreader won’t apply slurry quickly enough for an even coating. As a result, larger projects require bigger machinery, like a hydraulic pump sprayer. These machines, while quicker, require professional hydroseeding technicians to operate and carry much higher service costs. 

Soil Quality

Poor quality soil impacts any seeding project, hydroseeding included. Poor soil quality can result in a whole host of problems, like a lack of or excess drainage. This is why lawns with poor quality soil typically require more seed or slurry for the turf to grow properly. Additionally, you’ll have to pay for a soil test before work begins, costing between $50 and $100.

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Mixture Type

Lawn care companies offer numerous slurry mixtures to match your lawn’s needs. Standard blends consist of fertilizer, mulch, seeds, and water, but other varieties can include additional nitrogen and erosion control elements. Furthermore, different types of seeds can also alter the cost of your mixture, with more common options like Kentucky bluegrass costing less than high-end turfs like zoysia.

Aftercare 

For your hydroseeding project to be successful, the work doesn’t stop after the initial seed application. Aftercare refers to the maintenance required post-hydroseeding, like watering, fertilizer application, and spot treatments. Without aftercare, your lawn could grow bald patches or brown spots. 

While many homeowners opt to do aftercare themselves, professional aftercare services are the best way to ensure a full, even lawn. However, aftercare services can be expensive, especially for larger yards. Fertilization can cost $50 to $100 per visit, reseeding or overseeding can cost $0.03 to $0.015 per square foot, and watering can cost $30 to $70 per hour. 

Extra Lawn Care Services

The last major factor that can impact the cost of your hydroseeding project is additional lawn care services. These services can be as simple as extra watering to full landscaping work. 

Here are some of the most common add-on services provided by lawn care companies and their associated costs:

  • Lawn fertilization: While hydroseeding slurries contain basic fertilizer, some climates and soil types require additional treatments for grass to flourish. On average, you can expect to pay between $75 and $300 for fertilization from a lawn care company. You can apply fertilizers yourself after the hydroseeding is complete as a DIY, cost-saving alternative.
  • Lawn mowing: Mowing is a basic service most lawn care and landscaping companies provide. On its own, mowing can cost anywhere from $25 to $75 per visit, but for a full-cutting service, including weed-eating and trimming, it can range from $50 to $150
  • Pest and insect control: Some regions of the United States can be prone to certain yard-destroying pests, like lawn grubs. Thankfully, some lawn care companies like Sunday offer yard pest control services. The cost of yard pest control can vary greatly depending on the insects and the severity of the infestation, but on average, you can expect to pay between $150 and $500
  • Lawn aeration: This process drives holes into your yard, allowing roots to more easily access water and nutrients. Lawn aeration is an invaluable lawn care service that helps existing turf and improves new seed germination. This process is extremely helpful with hydroseeding, increasing new seeds’ ability to take hold and prosper. You can expect to pay between $150 and $250 for professional lawn aeration. 
  • Dethatching: Dethatching removes excess thatch (dead plant matter) from the top of the soil. This thatch inhibits the growth of new grass seed and chokes out existing turf. This is why dethatching can be an extremely helpful service that aids new seed growth. You can expect to pay between $50 and $700 for lawn dethatching, with an average cost of around $250.
  • Leaf removal: Many professional lawn care companies offer leaf and debris removal. These services can be great for homes with many trees or nearby forests. Additionally, hydroseeded areas must be cleared of all debris before work can begin, making this service necessary in many cases. Depending on your yard’s size, leaf removal can cost between $75 and $400.
Lawn Care Services
Residential lawn care plans will typically cost you around $150 per month. Individual services may start at $50.
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Hydroseeding Service
Hydroseeding involves applying a water, seed, and mulch slurry to a bare lawn. It costs $0.05–$0.08/sq. ft.
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Lawn Aeration
Aeration promotes healthy grass growth & soil drainage. Professional aeration may cost you $150–$250.
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What Are the Benefits of Hydroseeding Your Lawn?

Hydroseeding services have several benefits over traditional lawn seeding and sod installations, but each method has pros and cons. Compared to normal seeding, hydroseeding can sow much faster and more efficiently. However, traditional seeding is cheaper and easier to apply yourself. On the other hand, sod costs much more than hydroseeding but takes less time and effort to apply. Sod has no waiting time and is fully usable in only a few weeks. 

Navigate the tabs below for a high-level look at the benefits and drawbacks of each seeding option:

Cheaper than sod
Quick application
The best solution for large lawns
Built-in fertilizer
Provides erosion control
Provides a thicker, more consistent lawn than traditional seeding
Takes longer for a full lawn to grow compared to sod
Requires large amounts of water to apply
DIY hydroseeding is more difficult than sowing seeds and more complicated than laying sod
Cheapest option overall
Easiest to apply
More grass options
Easier for spot treatments
Longest wait time for a full lawn
Early-growing grass seed is vulnerable to heavy rains and temperature fluctuations
Often requires additional applications or overseeding for a full, lush lawn
Your lawn is ready to go in a few weeks
Dead patches are uncommon
Provides erosion control
Most difficult application method
DIY is tough for larger lawns
The most expensive choice
Fewest options for different types of grass
Even for small yards, laying sod is extremely difficult and labor-intensive

Professional Vs. DIY Hydroseeding

Hydroseeding is suitable as a professional service and as a DIY project. However, DIY hydroseeding is tricky, and you may not save as much money as you’d think by doing the job yourself. Additionally, DIY hydroseeding can lead to a patchy lawn filled with bald spots when incorrectly done. 

Most homeowners can handle small hydroseeding projects independently, but I recommend hiring a professional like TruGreen for any serious project. The amount of money you’d save by doing a hydroseeding project DIY isn’t worth the risk of a subpar lawn. 

Hydroseeding Your Own Yard

Homeowners have two options for DIY hydroseeding: buying a kit or renting a hydroseeder. Kits are the easiest option, but they’re small and don’t come with enough materials for anything more than a patch job. These kits cost $18 to $50 at a home improvement or big-box store. 

For larger jobs, you’ll have to rent a hydroseeding machine. These machines have large tanks atop a dolly or trailer with a pump and sprayer attached. Using these machines isn’t difficult, but they can be expensive — most hydroseeding rentals cost between $200 and $500 per day.

On average, a single hydroseeding bag costs between $20 to $90 and covers 800 to 2,000 square feet. You’ll also need to purchase a hydroseeding mulch mixture, which can cost between $15 to $50 per bag. So, to cover a full acre with hydroseeding mix, you’d need at least 34 bags, with an average price of $1,843. This price doesn’t include mulch, machine rentals, or water, meaning you’ll likely pay close to what it would cost for a professional application anyway. 

Remember that these are very rough estimates, as hydroseeding mixtures are complex, and the lawn’s slope, the seeder’s application rate, and the mulch-seed-to-water ratio all affect how much seed you’ll need to cover a given area. 

Hiring a Professional Lawn Care Company

While hiring a lawn care company can be intimidating (especially for those not used to working with home service professionals), it’s much easier than hydroseeding your lawn. Thankfully, finding a good lawn care company can be easy by following these simple steps: 

  1. Find local experts near you: Look for local lawn care or hydroseeding companies. 
  2. Review credentials: Look into each company’s history, real customer reviews, and complaints. Websites like the Better Business Bureau, Yelp, and a company’s Google My Business page are ideal places to start. 
  3. Get a quote from a few options: Once you have several good candidates lined up, schedule a free quote from each. 
  4. Consult them about their recommendations: During the initial consultation, ask each representative about the project, including potential problems. 
  5. Compare quotes: Once you have multiple quotes, compare service offerings and overall costs to find the best deal for the lowest price. 

To start looking for available local lawn care companies, fill out this quick form:

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So, Is Hydroseeding Worth the Cost?

Hydroseeding is a cost-efficient and quick way to grow a lush lawn. It’s faster, cheaper than sod, and more efficient than standard grass seed. Hydroseeding is a perfect option for larger properties and those that want to grow grass quickly over a large area.

For homes with big lawns, it can be extremely expensive to cover them with sod, and getting an even distribution can be difficult with standard seed sowing. Likewise, traditional seed sowing can take much longer to grow (two months to a year), while hydroseeding germination only takes three to six weeks. 


FAQs About Hydroseeding

Is hydroseed better than grass seed?

Hydroseeding and standard grass seed have their benefits and drawbacks. Hydroseeding is faster and more efficient than traditional seed sowing but is more expensive, with fewer options for grass types.


What are the disadvantages of hydroseeding?

Hydroseeding does have its downsides:

  1. DIY applications are both expensive and complicated. Even though homeowners save on labor costs, the rental and seed prices can still be pricey.
  2. Hydroseeding takes a large amount of water, which can be an issue for drought-prone regions.
  3. Hydroseeding can only be done during specific times of the year.

How long does it take to grow grass with hydroseed?

Hydroseeded lawns have a germination period of three to six weeks, but climate, grass type, soil conditions, and other factors can influence this time period.


How do you prep your yard for hydroseeding?

To prep your yard for hydroseeding, you will need to:

  1. Remove all debris from the area
  2. Mark any sprinkler heads to avoid damaging them
  3. Grade the soil several inches below your desired grass height
  4. Add a 2-inch layer of topsoil and compost
  5. Till the soil and compost
  6. Re-grade the area

Are hydroseeding and hydromulching the same thing?

While the terms are often used interchangeably, the hydromulching and hydroseeding processes differ. Hydroseeding uses a water, seed, and mulch slurry to seed a lawn, while hydromulching doesn’t apply seed, only water, fertilizer, and mulch.


Editorial Contributors
avatar for Sam Wasson

Sam Wasson

Staff Writer

Sam Wasson graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Film and Media Arts with an Emphasis in Entertainment Arts and Engineering. Sam brings over four years of content writing and media production experience to the Today’s Homeowner content team. He specializes in the pest control, landscaping, and moving categories. Sam aims to answer homeowners’ difficult questions by providing well-researched, accurate, transparent, and entertaining content to Today’s Homeowner readers.

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