Hydroseeding (or hydraulic mulch seeding, hydro-mulching, hydra-seeding) is a planting process which utilizes a slurry of seed, tackifier/polymer, wood fiber and/or paper fiber mulch, and fertilizer or organics. The mulch in the hydroseed mixture helps maintain moisture levels for the seed and seedlings. The slurry often has other ingredients including green dye and other additives. The slurry is created by an agitation process via jet or mechanical agitiation and is transported in tank, either truck or trailer mounted, and sprayed over prepared ground in a uniform layer by hose or fireman mount. Aircraft application, such as helicopters and airplanes, may also be used on larger areas such as burned wilderness after a fire! Such application may contain only a soil stabilizer to control erosion and avoid introducing any potential non-native plant species.

Hydroseeding is an alternative to the traditional process of dry broadcasting or sowing seed. In many cases this process promotes quicker germination and assists by inhibiting soil erosion.

Hydroseeding is used to seed grass on commercial sites (highways/motorways etc.), golf courses, lawns, and large revegetative areas inaccessible or unsuitable for conventional methods. Starting a lawn by hydroseeding is considerably cheaper than laying sod/turf and quicker than using conventional dry broadcasting of seed. Along with turf/lawn applications, hydroseeding is also used to spread mixtures of wildflower and tree/shrub seeds for erosion control. Another process called sprigging (or hydro-sprigging) contains a slurry of stolons or rhizomes instead of seed.

The first commercial hydroseeder was invented in United States in the early 1950s in order to efficiently shoot seed and fertilizer over broad areas. The process is now used throughout the world, arriving in the United Kingdom in the 1960s.

Straw mulching was put on the map in the late 1940's with Charles Finn's "Mulch Spreader".  Hydroseeding was developed by a gentleman from the State of Connecticut Highway Department.  He found that the method of mixing and suspending seed in water could be sprayed onto steep highway slopes.  Later Charles Finn adapted that technology to a project he was working on for the West Virginia Turnpike.  He built and commercially marketed the "HydroSeeder", a two piece machine that consisted of a 1000 gallon mixing tank and towed a spray platform, pump and engine.  The idea was to have two mixing tanks and one spray unit for the purpose of an ongoing process that did not have to wait for water to fill.

Those first machines had an agitator that had a "T" shaped paddle.  When International Paper created the first "Turf Fiber" in the early 1960's they used the sludge of a paper mill, dried it, dyed it green and packaged it in a bag that was quite hard and was difficult to break up and mix in the "T" paddled machines.  Additionally, the closed impeller Gardner Denver Pump that Finn used would not pass the mulch material either.  This caused a modification to a paddle blade and the open faced impeller on the Morris Pump.  Bowie Industries not long after entered into the industry with their Rotary Gear Pump.  It worked quite well with mulch, however since Finn was using it on their machine, Bowie entered the market and introduced the "Hydromulcher". They offered the machine with a Rotary Gear Pump and added a "Mulch Shredder" to break up the hard packaged Turf Fiber.

Since fiber sales were not as robust as International Paper had hoped, the fiber division was cancelled.  Weyerhauser Company and Conwed Corporation saw an opportunity and both created fiber divisions picked up where International Paper left off. Conwed then produced a 100% aspen wood fiber "Hydro Mulch" in a tightly packed, 3 section bale, reinforced paper bag shipping it in rail car quantities from their plant in northern Minnesota.  Weyerhauser as well produced a 100% Hemlock wood fiber "Silva Fiber" in Washington State also shipping in rail car quantities.  Their product was loosely packed in a paper bag and could be easily broken up into the hydroseeder.  Weyerhauser also produced a paper product "PFM", in New Jersey, from ground cardboard.  This product was packaged and compacted and had to be broken up in order to get into slurry suspension.  PFM worked very well in Jet Agitated machines, such as the "Reinco".  The Reinco "Hydrograsser" and the successful "Power Mulcher" joined this rapidly growing industry about this same time.

A few highway departments adapted hydromulch to their specifications.  Probably the largest usage of hydromulch in the early 1970's was for Surface Mine Reclamation. The ability to spray slopes up to 200 feet and hose up to 400 feet from the machine was ideal for the Appalachian Coal Fields.  This market consumed large quantities of fiber mulch and brought many new producers of mulch products. Today, the industry has the greatest variety of hydraulic mulch products available with outlets and distributor nationwide for local access and sales. 

For some historical reference below are some patents that were issued:

U.S. Pat. No. 2,878,617, issued Mar. 24, 1959 to Charles O. Finn, discloses a hydraulic apparatus for seeding and fertilizing. This particular apparatus includes: a tank having an agitator positioned therein for suspending solids in an aqueous solution, and a pump for delivering the suspension to a nozzle unit for distribution over the ground surface. The apparatus is shown mounted upon a land vehicle for large scale operations.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,091,436, issued May 28, 1963 to Charles O. Finn, describes a hydraulic apparatus for producing a sprayable fiber mulch having a closed chamber divided into separate suction and mixing compartments by a perforate barrier of expanded metal. An impeller type pump having an intake positioned within the suction compartment continuously withdraws the liquid contents thereof and forces the same into an elongate manifold positioned adjacent the perforate barrier and within the mixing compartment. A plurality of nozzles provided in the manifold are arranged to direct the contents thereof onto and across the surface or face of the perforate barrier. The manual resetting of a three-way valve diverts liquid from the manifold to a spray nozzle for distribution over the ground surface.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,965, issued Dec. 29, 1970 to Walter J. Reinecker, shows a mulching machine for spreading dried mulch or straw over seeded ground areas. The machine includes a flailing chamber for receiving opened bales of mulch material, a plurality of beating chains affixed to a rotating shaft for shredding the mulch material, and a blower for forcing the shredded material through a discharge spout and out onto the ground area to be covered. No means are provided for handling aqueous mulch slurries.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,227, issued Apr. 4, 1978 to Merle V. McGrane et al, provides a slurry mixer and spreader for attachment to a land vehicle. This particular device is seen to comprise a mixing tank having a screen attached to a rotatable shaft for excluding large debris from entering the tank's discharge opening and paddles also attached to the shaft for suspending solids in an aqueous solution. A spinning mechanism distributes the mixed slurry material over the area which the vehicle passes.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,710, issued Feb. 9, 1988 to James C. Lucore, II, discloses an apparatus for spraying mixture of solid and liquid materials having a tank without an internal, mechanical agitating device. The recycling of the liquid mixture through a hydraulic pump facilitates the continuous agitation of the mixture within the tank by a so-called "bubbling effect" and apparently eliminating the need for an in-tank agitating mechanism.


Charles Finn is the Founder of Finn Corporation - Mechanically Agitated Hydroseeding Equipment Manufacturer.

Walter J. Reinecker was the founder of Reinco, existing still today. - Straw Mulcher and Jet Agitated Hydroseeding Equipment Manufacturers.

James C. Lucore, II manufactured the "Little Squirt" hydroseeder.  Little Squirt was made from about 1986 - March of 1990.  He had a role in both Easy Lawn's and Turbo Turf's entry into the industry.

Ray Badger is the Founder of Turbo Turf Technologies - Jet and Mechanically Agitated Hydroseeding Equipment Manufacturers.

Bob Lisle is the Founder of Easy Lawn Inc. - Jet and Mechanically Agitated Equipment Manufacturers.