Hydroseeding in Cameron Park, CA

Hydroseeding in Cameron Park starts with the soil. The community sits between roughly 1,200 and 1,450 feet in the Gold Country foothills, in an interior chaparral or brush zone, and its soil is reddish and clay-like, derived from gabbro. The local description says it usually must be amended for non-native ornamental plants to survive, and lawn grass is no exception.

Amend first, then spray

The gabbro soil is described as nutrient-rich, so the problem is texture, not fertility. Dense red clay crusts and sheds water on a slope. We loosen the surface, blend in compost where turf is going, and keep the finish slightly rough so hydromulch locks in. On banks we often skip turf and use a native mix suited to the redbud, manzanita, oak and gray pine setting.

El Dorado County expectations

El Dorado County calls for an erosion and sediment control plan if more than 2,500 square feet is likely to sit unprotected during the rainy season, and requires special inspection when fills deeper than 3 feet are placed on slopes steeper than 10 percent. Its BMP guidance asks that all exposed soil be covered with straw mulch and tackifier or the equivalent, and that existing vegetation be preserved where possible. Hydromulch with tackifier is one of the equivalents we use.

Lake, creek and airpark

Cameron Park Lake is a man-made lake of about 10 acres in the Deer Creek system, which flows through western El Dorado County into eastern Sacramento County. Lots that drain toward the lake or Deer Creek need fiber rolls or silt fence below any grading. The community also includes Cameron Park Airpark, a residential aviation neighborhood with private taxiway access, where hangar pads and taxiway edges sometimes need seeding after construction.

From ranch to subdivision

Larry Cameron bought about 5,000 acres in the 1950s; the land went from ranching to housing, a golf course, parks, the lake and the airport, and is now split into everything from ranch-sized parcels to dense neighborhoods. Seeding needs vary just as much.

Weather

Summer highs are typically 90 to 100 degrees, winters are cool and rainy and snow comes only every few years. The area is USDA hardiness zone 9A. Get a free estimate or call (916) 249-7160.