Hydro seeding / Hydraseeding

 
 
Hydro seeding / Hydraseeding

Definition: Hydro seeding = hydraseeding, hydro seeding.  
DBN has a special machine or hand sown Hydraseed mixture to sow on steep banks. Used for Killarney Urban Council, on the SEM50 motorway, the Old head of Kinsale golf course and Castlecomer Golf club.
our mix is a blend of seaweed and a bulking agent appropriate to the site.
Bulking Agents = Mulch and water. Apart from the wildflower seeds, the constituents of the Hydraseed mixture are the bulking agent or mulch and the binders and stabilisers.

Mulching enhances the establishment of seedlings by reducing the water evaporation rate, so aiding the soil's moisture retention. 
Mulching also inhibits or prevents erosion caused by impact and run-off and creates a microclimate to speed germination. However some mulches lift off after initial drying or in a drought.

Mulch materials used are chopped or shredded paper or cardboard, shredded organic weed free waste, chopped straw, coir, moss peat, 'cellulose slop' and slurry, the choice depending on what machine or who spreads the matter..
In order to be effective, mulches will be applied to a rate sufficient to give good cover to bind and cover seeds. The bulking agent while often necessary on some sites, is not always necessary, especially if rain is due after sowing

Binders & Stabilisers
Binders and stabilisers are chemical products which act as "adhesives". 
With binders it is the mulch and seed materials which are "stuck" to the surface of the soil. Stabilisers, on the other hand, are designed to make the soil particles adhere together. 
At DBN we have found granulated Kelp seaweed based products the best for binding and stabilising.