Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, a few. It costs more than spreading dry seed yourself, it needs steady watering for several weeks, and it is not an instant lawn like sod. It also cannot fix bad soil: if the yard is bare compacted clay, the topsoil and grade have to be dealt with first.

Cool-season grasses. Most sunny lawns here do well with Kentucky bluegrass, often mixed with perennial ryegrass for quick cover. Shady yards do better with more fine fescue, and tall fescue holds up in heavier wear and drier spots. We pick the mix for each area of the yard on the site visit.

University of Illinois Extension puts the ideal window for northern Illinois at early August to early September, with April as the second choice. We can spray from spring through fall, but late spring and midsummer seedings need more water and more attention because heat slows cool-season grass.

Seed usually begins sprouting within about 5 to 7 days when it stays warm and moist. Expect the first cut around four to six weeks after spraying, when the blades stand near three inches.

During hot stretches in the first few weeks, give the seeded area short, light waterings two or three separate times each day, just enough to keep the surface damp without puddles. Clay soil here puddles easily, so shorter cycles are better than long ones. Once the grass is up, water less often but more deeply.

Once a site disturbs at least an acre, or is one piece of a bigger subdivision or phased project, the Illinois EPA stormwater permit applies and the site's pollution prevention plan will call for sediment controls. In Cook County, the MWRD's Watershed Management Ordinance also covers erosion and sediment control. Smaller jobs may still need it under local rules, so check with your village or engineer.

We can spray into a thin lawn after it has been mowed short and aerated or slit, so the seed reaches soil. If the old lawn is mostly weeds, it is better to kill and remove it first and start over.

Per square foot, national cost guides land between roughly $0.06 and $0.35. HomeGuide's example of a 5,000 sq ft yard comes in between $1,000 and $1,750. Most companies also have a minimum fee, which LawnStarter puts at $300 to $500. Topsoil and grading are extra, and once we have measured, the number we write down is the number you are billed.

It is cheaper and lets you choose a seed mix for shade or sun, but it takes weeks to fill in and needs steady watering. Sod is instant and controls mud right away but costs more and comes in fewer grass types. Illinois Extension notes that done properly, both end up as the same healthy lawn.

Keep foot traffic, kids and pets off until after the second or third mow. Walking on it early crushes seedlings and leaves footprints in soft soil.

Wait until the lawn has been mowed several times. Many weed products harm young grass, so read the label and ask us if you are unsure.

Thin spots usually come from washouts, dry patches or shade. We look at why and reseed those areas, ideally in the late summer window.

Ask whether they will spray to the seed mix and mulch rate in your plans, whether they handle silt fence and blankets too, and how they schedule around phased grading. Get a written estimate that separates seeding from erosion control.

Yes. Basin slopes usually get a heavier mulch or a blanket along with seed, and the mix is chosen to handle both standing water and dry periods.

Yes. Areas that will be disturbed again can get a quick cover crop and mulch to hold them through a season, then permanent seed at final grade.

That depends on the contract. We spell it out in the estimate so the builder, owner and our crew all know who waters and for how long.

For gentle slopes and low flow, heavy hydromulch is often enough. In swales that carry real water, on steeper banks or where a storm is likely before germination, a blanket holds better. We decide on site.

No. Straw and coir break down by themselves while the new turf roots through them. Some blankets use plastic netting that lingers longer; where wildlife or mowing is a concern, we can use blankets with natural-fiber netting.

It is sprayed mulch mixed with a binder that sets up as one porous, unbroken layer. It holds seed and soil on steep ground where rolling and stapling blankets is difficult.

Usually because the swale has bare soil, is too steep along its length, or collects more water than it was shaped for. Reshaping, reseeding and a blanket usually fix it.

The bottom of the fabric goes into a trench and is backfilled and compacted, at the depth your plan detail shows. If it is laid on the surface, muddy water just runs under it.

Many villages and counties require sediment controls on single-lot construction, and lots that are part of a larger subdivision fall under the Illinois EPA construction permit. Check with your building department or engineer.

After significant storms and whenever sediment builds up or fabric is damaged. Your permit or SWPPP may set a specific inspection schedule.

Once the area it protects is stabilized, usually when grass has established. Your plan or inspector will confirm.

A filter or barrier at a storm drain, such as fabric, an inlet bag, sandbags or gravel and mesh, that catches sediment before it enters the sewer.

That comes down to the soil you already have. We probe the ground on the site visit and tell you the depth we recommend and how many cubic yards that works out to for your area.

Usually, yes. We reshape the soil so it slopes off the foundation and give the water somewhere to go, sometimes with a downspout extension or shallow drain.

We handle small excavation and trenching tied to grading and drainage, such as drain lines and swale cuts. Foundations and deep utility work are for an excavation contractor.

Either works if the soil is not soaked. Grading in summer lets you seed in the late summer window that Illinois Extension recommends for northern Illinois.

Late summer, from early August to early September, is what Illinois Extension recommends for northern Illinois. April is the second choice.

Usually, yes. Core aeration relieves compaction in clay soil and gives seed better contact with the ground.

If weeds are scattered, overseeding helps grass crowd them out. If weeds make up most of the lawn, renovation is usually the better use of money.

Shade and root competition. Overseeding with shade-tolerant fine fescue helps, and in heavy shade a groundcover or mulch bed may work better than grass.