Hydro Grow - Hydro Seeding and Erosion Control

Services

Hydroseeding
Sediment Control
Dust Control
Straw Blowing
Bonded Fiber Matrix

Hydroseeding

Hydro-seeding is a process of combining nutrient enriched mulch, water, and native plant or grass seed to create a mixture that is then applied to an area where vegetation is desired. Hydro-seeding is a form of installing vegetation that is extremely cost efficient and effective. Application is versatile because it is in liquid form, and thus can be applied through a machine sprayer on hillsides, embankments, and other areas that would otherwise be difficult to promote vegetative germination.

Other additives may be needed such as tackifier which causes the mulch to bond to a hillside thus preventing mulch runoff. Turfgrass, native grass, and/or wildflowers can all be hydro-seeded. Typically hydro-seeding is used for the long-term or permanent installation of turf ground cover. Application scenarios include parks, golf courses, schools, home yards, and construction sites where long-term vegetative growth is recommended.

However, if sediment and erosion stabilization is desired without the use of a more permanent method of control, other solutions for ground coverage are possible. In the case that a slope or hillside need be completely shielded from rainfall, a hydro-mulch mixture could be combined with specially designed tackifiers in order to create a Soil Stabilizing Emulsion or a Bonded Fiber Matrix (BFM). When applied correctly, these variations of hydro-mulch create a thick crust over the surface of the soil and significantly decrease the permeability of the soil.

Straw-Blowing

Small-grained straw is applied to the soil surface or exposed slope with a mechanical blower, laying a macro-matrix of straw ranging in depth from three to eight inches. This matrix is held in place by a secondary application of a tackifier/hydromulch that is sprayed onto the surface of the straw using a hydro-mulching machine.

This application scenario is called the 2-step process and is used to prevent soil erosion and sedimentation caused by rainfall during the rainy season. The 2-step erosion control method is an economical treatment for protecting construction sites from rain events. This method is used to sloped and/or flat surfaces that require short-term soil protection. For hillsides or slopes that require long-term erosion control protection, a 3-step process is needed.

3-Step

The 3-Step Method utilizes three separate material applications. First, a layer of hydro-mulch slurry containing native or turf seed with fertilizer is evenly distributed along the slope or hillside. The second step is a shield layer of mechanically blown straw, applied to protect the hydro-mulch slurry and soil surface. The third and final step involves an application of tackifier in order to hold the straw in place.

The 3-Step Method is used to establish erosion control protection where immediate and long-term soil stabilization is needed. This application method is designed for building sites disturbed during or prior to construction that require sedimentation/erosion control protection for long periods of time.

Wattles, Fiber-Mats, Sandbags, and Silt Screens

Fiber-rolls (wattles) and mats are used frequently in controlling the amount silt and/or water runoff allowed to escape an embankment. These rolls and mats, generally made of organic material such as straw, are placed on hillsides and are typically left until completely biodegraded. The functionality of these products is the filtration of highly turbid water and the protection from land erosion.

Fiber-rolls and/or silt screens can also be placed around drains and inlets in order to filter sediment out of water, thus allowing only sediment free water to enter the water way. Generally silt screens and/or sandbags will be required to be placed around inlets and drains before the soil on a construction site is disturbed. Wattles and fiber-mats are a great construction site alternative to hydro-mulching or seeding where more permanent methods of erosion control are not desired.

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