If you have recently built a new home, now that it is spring, you will want to get your lawn hydroseeded before it becomes nothing other than a big muddy mess. The soil around a construction site often becomes compacted from heavy equipment repeatedly rolling over it. This causes a loss of porosity, or pore space, in the soil. No pore space means that air, water, and root systems are unable to penetrate the ground, water will run off, and the soil ill erode. Adding topsoil will not fix the mess. Here is what you need to do before hydroseeding your home.

Till The Soil

Any existing vegetation, like weeds, sprouts, or wildflowers needs to be eradicated, and the soil needs to be stirred up. This is best done by rototilling the entire area, and then raking it over. Be sure to remove any stones, rocks, tree roots, or stumps that may come up as you are tilling. If it will be a month or more before the grass seed is sprayed, an herbicide should be applied to prevent more weeds from sprouting.

Examine Your Soil

The quality of your soil will directly affect the quality of your grass and any eventually gardening you may do. Your best bet is to take a soil sample and have it tested. Your local county extension agent can provide you further information of how to obtain this testing and hat the results mean. Soil is generally a combination of sand, silt, and clay. Each soil type plays its role, with sand draining very easily but also drying quickly whereas soil ill hold the water and nutrients longer but may make it more difficult for the roots to breath and absorb. After your soil has been tested, you can figure out how much and what kind of organic matter should be added to your soil before planting grass. Lime and phosphorous are also added at this time if the pH of the soil needs adjusting. Enough organic matter should be added to physically change the look and the feel of the soil, usually a good 4–6 inches of topsoil.

Till Again

Once the organic matter topsoil has been evenly raked over the yard, rototill the soil again to thoroughly incorporate it. This is also the time to decide if you want to have an underground water sprinkler system installed. Of course if you don't want to do this work yourself, you can hire a professional landscaper like Hydrograss Technologies to take care of it for you.