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Tankload Coverage Chart   (technical answer)

To determine how much area can be covered with a tank load, it is first necessary to know the mulch application rate, the type of mulch to be used, this chart will help you do just that.

The area covered with a tank load of mulch, seed, and fertilizer (the slurry) depends on the way it is applied to the ground. With a very small nozzle, as much as an acre (43,560 Sq. ft.) can be covered with a single tank load from a small machine. (The appropriate seed for an acre can usually be easily loaded into a small machine.) However, to obtain seed protecting benefits of the mulch, wood mulch should be applied at a minimum of about 35 lbs per 1,000 square feet. Higher application rates are frequently needed, depending upon the job site conditions and temperatures.

To determine how much area can be covered with a tank load, it is first necessary to know the mulch application rate, the type of mulch to be used, and then it must be known how much of the required mulch product can be utilized in one tank load of the machine.

Each line in the chart below lists an amount of mulch to be used in one tank load. Then reading across the page, the area covered by that tank load can be determined by choosing the column headed with the desired mulch application rate.

The ultimate limiting factor determining how much area can be planted with one tank load is the amount of mulch that can be loaded, mixed, and pumped from the machine.

Most mechanical agitation machines can be loaded with at least 50% more mulch (per gallon of water) than jet agitation machines. Therefore, a 600 gallon mechanical agitation machine can be loaded with more mulch than a 900 gallon jet agitation machine. The result is that more area can be covered with a given mulch application rate with a 600 gallon mechanical agitation machine than a 900 jet agitation machine.

Mulch Application Rates - General Guidelines :

15 lbs. / 1,000 square feet is useful to see where seed has been applied. There is little value for moisture retention or for erosion protection provided by this mulch application.

30 lbs. / 1,000 square feet may be appropriate during very cool planting conditions. If any erosion protection is needed, a tacking agent must be added to the slurry.

46 lbs. / 1,000 square feet is appropriate when daytime temperatures are not expected to exceed about 85 degrees. This mulch application rate provides some erosion protection. Tackifier is recommended.

60 lbs. / 1,000 square feet is appropriate when daytime temperatures exceed 85 degrees. This rate provides some soil moisture retention and erosion protection. Tackifiers always improve erosion protection.

80 lbs. / 1,000 square feet (3,500 lbs/acre) is required on many Bonded Fiber Matrix (BFM) applications. BFM products are "Super Mulch" products, sometimes used in place of erosion control blankets.

Bonded Fiber Matrix (BFM) products are quite effective on sites requiring extra erosion control and also, because of the heavier application rates, will germinate and grow grass under dryer and hotter job site conditions.

100 lbs. / 1,000 square feet (4,350 lbs/acre) is a heavy application for a BFM. However, on some erosion control applications, it will be necessary to make such an application.

Note: Germination will be slightly slower, but more consistent with heavy wood mulch applications. Tackifiers will always increase erosion protection, and may speed up germination time. Caution: Germination may be inhibited when paper mulch is applied at more than 50 lbs/1,000 sq ft.

Top 3 Questions Asked About Hydroseeding

Top 3 Questions Asked About Hydroseeding

Question 1: How Much Does Hydroseeding Cost?

Answer: The answer depends on the desired results.  Higher quality results require more mulch per square foot and better quality mulch.  As quality increases so does the materials and labor costs required to make the application.  (1) Just the mulch and tackifier materials for “Good Quality Hydro-Mulching” can easily cost 3¢ a square foot or more.  (2) The mulch for a thin, soupy hydro-seeding application can cost less than ½ ¢ a square foot.  (3) For premium erosion control blanket-replacement applications, expect the mulch costs to be as much as 10¢ a square foot.

Question 2: How Much Area is Covered with a Tank Load?

Answer: Refer to Question 1 before proceeding because everything depends on the desired results.  (1) A “Good Quality Hydro-mulching” requires as much as 1,000 gallons of slurry to cover 7,000 - 8,000 square feet.  (2) Thin soupy hydro-seeding can easily cover as much as 15,000 with 1,000 gallons of application.  (3) Premium erosion control blanket-replacement applications using thick special products may require 1,000 gallons of slurry to cover no more than 5,500.- 6,500 square feet.

Question 3: How Much Do Contractors Charge for Hydroseeding?

Answer: The most important cost factor is, “how much of what quality mulch is to be used”.  Any contractor can use better or lesser mulch applications and change the price he needs to charge substantially.  Other factors include seed costs, size of job, transportation, and difficulty of the job.

Large jobs with relatively poor mulch applications are sometimes priced at less than 2¢ per square foot.  Home lawn projects with “Good Quality Hydro-mulching” may be priced from 15¢ per square foot.  When erosion control blankets are being replaced with Flexterra® or other high quality Bonded Fiber Matrix products, expect a multi-acre project to be priced at a minimum $6,000 -$7,000 per acre.  It is not uncommon to see these jobs priced up to $10,000 per acre.  These jobs are highly specialized and require better machinery (such as a TurfMaker) and more skilled personnel.

COMPARE TURFMAKER

Loading time
Slurry Thickness
Pumping Power

PREMIUM EROSION CONTROL PRODUCTS

Premium erosion control products for hydroseeding applications are being used more and more in place of erosion control blankets.  These products are designed and specified to be mixed and applied very thick.  Some hydroseeding machines are not designed to handle extremely thick slurries. 

CONTRACTOR PRODUCTIVITY

A contractor needs a machine that can be load thick mixes quickly.  A contractor also needs a machine that can pump thick slurries through long hoses.

Ask your TurfMaker representative to show you TurfMaker Performance:

TURFMAKER 550
Load and mix 5 bags (250 lbs) of the leading FGM product in 6 minutes.
Pump this slurry through 300 feet of hose up a significant slope.

TURFMAKER 800
Load and mix 7 bags (350 lbs) of the leading FGM product in 8 minutes.
Pump this slurry through 300 feet of hose up a significant slope.

TURFMAKER 1200
Load and mix 10.5 bags (525 lbs) of the leading FGM product in 10 minutes.
Pump this slurry through 300 feet of hose up a significant slope.

Ask your Finn representative to show you Finn Performance:

FINN T-60
Load and mix 3 bags (150 lbs) of the leading FGM product in 12 minutes.
Pump this slurry through 300 feet of hose up a significant slope.

FINN T-75
Load and mix 5 bags (250 lbs) of the leading FGM product in 15 minutes.
Pump this slurry through 300 feet of hose up a significant slope.

FINN T-120
Load and mix 8 bags (400 lbs) of the leading FGM product in 20 minutes.
Pump this slurry through 300 feet of hose up a significant slope.

If you are a contractor wanting to use the best products applied appropriately, do your homework.  Get the demonstrations for every machine manufacturer you think you want to do business with.  We hope you will chose the TurfMaker.  We know what we can do to make you better.  Call us today for a demonstration.

TurfMaker 508-561-9760

Where can I get water to hydroseed? These are the most common choices.   Filling from a pond or a stream with the auxiliary pump package or pond fill kit.     Filling from a fire hydrant.  Talk to your water company.  Many will have a program where you place a deposit, usually around $ 200.00.  They will give you a water meter in a box, and the other things you need, then you take it by every so often and they read the meter and send you a bill for the water you used.   If you ever want to, you take the meter back, and they refund your money.  The next possibility is that many water authorities have fill stations.  They will often fill your machine fast and inexpensively.   The other choice is to fill with a garden hose.     A standard garden house faucet in a new house with a municipal water supply will put out about 8 g.p.m.    If for example you were doing an 8000 square foot residential lawn with a 300 gallon unit you would need two loads to cover 8000 square feet,  and would spend about 36 minutes filling each load.  You can be adding your materials as the water is going in, and be ready to start spraying as soon as the unit is full. 
 If I used the customers water to fill my unit, isn't the customer going to get upset? When I started hydro seeding I worried about that.  When I quoted the job, I used to say something like.  I am going to bring my first load of water, but to do your lawn I will have to refill my machine twice with water.  Before I quote a price, I need to know if I can use your water to refill, because if I have to run back to my place to refill the extra time will effect the pricing.   They loved to have me use their water.  I have even had them hook hoses to their neighbors houses so I could fill faster, and on one job where I was using a big machine, that I did not want to pull full with the truck I had available on that day, my customer had me drop of the machine the night before, and he filled it for me.   I have had so little objection to my using their water  that for the

IS HYDRO SEEDING A NEW TECHNOLOGY?   --- No! HydroSeeding has been around since 1953st few years, I just ask if it is ok for me to use their water.

Tankload Coverage

For a veary good job 10 square feet per gallon so a 325 covers 3250 square feet

For a all right or cheep job 20 square feet per gallon so a 325 covers 6500 square feet

Or you can adjust to the middle or as desired