Commercial & Builder Hydroseeding in Memphis, TN

Commercial and builder hydroseeding in Memphis covers the bigger jobs: subdivision lots and common areas, commercial and industrial pads, detention basins, road shoulders, utility corridors and church, school and park grounds. On these projects the grass is only half the goal. The other half is getting disturbed soil covered fast enough to satisfy the stormwater permit, the inspector and the neighbors downhill. We work for general contractors, site contractors, home builders and property owners who need a reliable hydroseeding company that shows up when the grade is ready.

The permit side

Under federal rules, Clean Water Act stormwater permit coverage is needed for construction that disturbs at least an acre, and for smaller parcels that belong to a bigger development reaching that size. The minimum national standards in those permits call for erosion and sediment controls and require disturbed areas to be stabilized immediately whenever work on them halts with no plan to pick back up within 14 days. In Tennessee, that coverage comes through the state's Construction General Permit, issued by the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation; the current permit took effect October 1, 2021. Your SWPPP and your engineer set the specifics for your site. Our part is to apply the seed and mulch the plan calls for, when it calls for it.

Why hydroseeding works at scale

On several acres, a hydroseeding rig covers far more ground per day than crews spreading seed and straw by hand. The mulch is mixed into the slurry, so there is no separate straw blowing step, and the tackifier keeps it from drifting onto finished pavement or into inlets. Spraying from a hose or tower also lets us reach basin side slopes and long road banks without driving equipment onto soft ground. For final stabilization we use a permanent seed mix; for temporary stabilization between phases we can spray a quick-cover grass with mulch.

Loess, runoff and timing

The silty loess soils that cover most of the uplands here have medium to very high runoff once the surface is bare and compacted by equipment. Memphis also averages close to 55 inches of rain a year, with the heaviest months in March through May and again in December. A pad graded in February and left bare will lose fines into the street and the inlets with every storm. We push to get cover on graded areas as soon as each section is ready instead of waiting for the whole project, and we will come back in phases.

Seed choices for commercial ground

For most commercial turf we spray bermudagrass in the warm season because it handles heat, sun and mowing with minimal care. Detention basins, ditches and areas that will not be mowed often may call for a different mix, sometimes with a fast-establishing annual nurse grass. Outside the warm-season window, we can spray a cool-season temporary cover in fall or winter and come back with the permanent mix in late spring. University of Tennessee Extension puts warm-season planting between May 1 and June 30 and cool-season planting from late August to mid-October, and we plan phase seeding around those dates.

What we need from you

• The site plan or SWPPP sheets showing areas to seed and any specified seed or mulch
• Acreage or square footage, and the order in which areas reach final grade
• Access points and where we can fill the tank with water
• Inspection dates or deadlines from the permit
• A contact on site who can tell us when a section is ready

Hydroseeding contractors you can schedule

The usual problem with hydroseeding contractors on a busy site is waiting: the grade is done, the inspector is coming, and the seed crew is two weeks out. We price phased work so you can call us back for each section, and we let you know up front how much notice we need. Builders who also need silt fence, inlet protection or fine grading can get all of it from the same crew, which keeps one schedule instead of three.

After seeding

Commercial hydroseed needs water to establish just like a lawn does. On sites with irrigation, we coordinate the startup schedule; on sites without it, we talk through the options, including timing the seeding to the wetter months so rain does more of the work. When the permit requires a certain density of vegetation before you can close it out, we can come back to overseed thin spots.

Water on site

A full tank of slurry takes a lot of water, and on raw sites the nearest hydrant or meter is not always close. We ask about water early, because it affects how many loads we can spray in a day and therefore the schedule and price. Where a fire hydrant meter or a nearby source is available, large areas go quickly.

Send the plans or call (901) 295-6462 for a site walk. Get a free estimate