Hydroseed Demonstration Plots
Doña Ana Soil and Water Conservation District (DASWCD) and New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (NMISC) Hydroseed Demonstration Plot Partnership
Project Outline
The Doña Ana Soil and Water Conservation District (DASWCD), New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (NMISC), Rio Gro LLC, Caballo Soil and Water Conservation District, Desert Peaks Consulting LLC, and other partners have met over the last few months through a series of work sessions to construct plans to support the agricultural producers of the Lower Rio Grande. The work sessions brought about the idea to apply hydroseed applications to two properties in Doña Ana County to understand the cost-benefit analysis in severe drought conditions. DASWCD and the NMISC worked together to contract All Preferred Hydroseed, Inc. out of Riverside, California to apply hydroseed on the two properties, each with three test plots.
Over the next year and a half, DASWCD, NMISC, and Desert Peaks Consulting LLC will be working together to monitor growth conditions, soil conditions, and weather. During this time, these plots will only rely on rainwater. The plots will not receive any irrigation from the Rio Grande to further simulate drought conditions that would not allow for surface water allotment. The property owners are enrolled in the Lower Rio Grande Groundwater Conservation Program (LRG GCP) so they are also restricted from using groundwater. The LRG GCP compensates producers for keeping land out of production for 1-3 years to conserve water resources.
Updates will be reported on a quarterly basis for the project.
Why Hydroseeding Was Chosen
Hydroseeding was chosen to be tested on a small scale for soil stabilization practices based on the current outlook for water conditions in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
On top of providing our Cover Crop Program as a form of soil stabilization, DASWCD and NMISC put together the plan of hydroseed demonstration plots. We want to test out how well the hydroseeding works, if it is cost effective for the result, and learn if local producers would be interested in the method before it is offered publicly as an option through the district. It was decided that we would like to have two sites in Doña Ana County with three plots each to test out three different methods with the hydroseed. Caballo Soil and Water Conservation District has one site with three plots.
All Preferred Hydroseeding Inc. based out of Riverside, CA was chosen as the contractor for this project based on their affordability and reviews. They were a professional service providing timely communication, efficient work, flexibility with our project needs and timelines and they were quick to problem-solve as needed when application day arrived.
With both demonstration plot sites now established, DASWCD will be designing signs to be displayed with the project description at all sites. Each property contains: one plot with only seed and water, one plot with seed, water, and guar (which acts as a tackifier), and one plot with seed, water, guar, and wood fiber mulch.
What is Hydroseeding?
Hydroseed is an efficient method to plant cover crop, grass, wildflowers, and other vegetation mixes across a large area. This is proven to be an effective method of erosion control and remains an organic mixture with only seed, mulch, water, and potentially other additives depending on the project site needs.
Since enrollees are not allowed to access their wells while in the LRG GCP, it made sense to utilize hydroseeding services since they can access water in other ways that can be transported to the site. In this case, we accessed the nearest fire hydrants with permission and permits from city utilities. The hydroseed is mixed in a water tank with an electric mixer. The tank is called a T120 Hydro Seeder in which the seed, mulch, and other additives are placed. The mix is sprayed across the site area using a fire hose or a water rocket.
Please see the image below for a detailed description of the species mix that was chosen. The goal is to voluntarily reduce groundwater consumption but still retain organic matter and mitigate dust by planting a cover crop.
Benefits of Hydroseed According to All Preferred Hydroseed Inc.
According to All Preferred Hydroseed Inc. (2024) there are several benefits to using hydroseed as a application method including being, “faster and more cost-effective, especially for large areas, and promotes quick germination and growth. The mulch in the hydroseed mixture helps retain moisture, providing an ideal environment for seed growth while also protecting against erosion,” which provides reasoning as to why we chose to move forward with this project plan. We were allowed to choose our own custom seed blend, provided by Rio Gro LLC, which is suited to our environmental conditions.
Project Plan
DASWCD intends to have signs put in place at each site location so they may be visited. Quarterly check-ins will take place and additional check-ins may take place if there is a significant rain or other weather event. The demonstration plot sites will not receive surface water from EBID; they will only rely on rainwater. Borders have been put in place to make sure no surface water has access to the demonstration plots. This is a way of testing how well the seed will germinate if the Lower Rio Grande was to receive no water allotment from EBID. Sites will be “open” to visitation for the next year over which time results will be monitored and shared on the DASWCD website and through NMISC.
Input from local producers, demonstration plot participants, and subject matter experts will assist in deciding if we will choose to move forward with this method. Based on input from All Preferred Hydroseed Inc. they expect the plots with the full mixture (seed, water, guar, and mulch) will have the highest germination rate. This will be monitored.
Demonstration plot participants will still receive the “regular” cover cropping mix provided by Rio Gro LLC to be planted on their additional acreage. This mix is allowed to receive the surface water from EBID as normal.
For questions please contact:
Doña Ana Soil & Water Conservation District
Phone 575-319-7813
g.godby@daswcd.org
New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission
LRG GCP Team 575-524-6161
