Jim Strong offers hydro-seeding through his company, “J.B. Strong Hydroseeding Service.”
Hydro-seeding is basically a seed, fertilizer and mulch shot onto topsoil to grow grass or other vegetation, Strong said. “The mulch provides a moist bed for fertilizer and the seed to germinate. It’ll grow on anything, even rock, but you need topsoil for it to continue to grow.”
Typical customers are residents who want to put in a new lawn or ones who have ground disturbed on a slope, where there’s little or no chance for vegetation to grow, Strong said. For people starting a lawn, hydro-seeding speeds up the process, he said. “It does grow a lot quicker and fuller. It’s a lot less physical work.”
Different grasses and grass combinations are available. For residential lawns, there’s an “Alaska lawn mix” that’s a mix of Kentucky blue grass and heartier grasses more tolerant of the northern climate.
For a bank stabilization job at Klukwan, he sowed a rye grass that’s tolerant of rocky soil. “It stabilizes ground and allows natural vegetation to move in. There’s not much topsoil there, but the grass got hold of it, and now it’s growing good.”
A tufted hairgrass was chosen for a site around the village’s hospitality house for its clumping properties, he said. “There are all different grasses for different uses.”
Strong’s equipment includes a 300-gallon feeder and 100 feet of hose. He works weekdays and weekends and offers free estimates. For more information, contact Strong or leave a message at 767-5415. E-mail him at [email protected].