Technology & Methods
System build-up
On raw soils, landfills and heavily degraded sites, conventional revegetation does not fail because of the seed — it fails because there is no soil. Hauling in topsoil by the tonne is often not viable economically or logistically. SRBT hydraulically applies a functioning working layer that immediately takes over the functions of topsoil: water storage, nutrient availability, microbial activity and a germination base.
The system consists of two matched layers applied in separate working steps. Layer 1 takes on the soil-building functions — layer 2 protects the surface against erosion until the vegetation can do that itself.
Splitting the functions across two layers is not extra effort — it is what allows both functions to be met properly. A single-layer solution that has to do both at once is always a compromise.
Technical background:
Pedogenesis on extreme sites: natural soil formation on raw substrates takes decades to centuries. The key soil-forming processes — accumulation of organic matter, build-up of a nutrient regime, establishment of a microbiome, development of a pore structure — can be initiated in accelerated form through deliberate material composition and hydraulic application. The precondition is that every necessary component goes in at the same time: organic carrier substance, nutrient sources, biological starters (mycorrhiza, bacterial inoculant) and structure-forming elements.
Pore structure: the fiber structure of the hydraulically applied layer creates a porous fabric with defined macro- and micropores. Macropores allow gas exchange and water infiltration; micropores hold plant-available water against gravity. This two-pore system is the physical basis for germination and early root development.
Mycorrhizal inoculum: biochar as a carrier substrate for mycorrhizal fungi raises the establishment rate of the inoculum considerably compared with mixing it directly into the seedbed. The symbiotic root connections multiply the effective root surface area and open up nutrient reserves the plant root could not reach on its own — critical on nutrient-poor raw soils.
Contaminated sites (phytostabilization): on contaminated substrates the growth medium pursues a different objective than on clean raw soils: not phytoextraction (uptake of contaminants into the plant) but phytostabilization — immobilizing the contaminants in the soil through root activity, organic complexation and reduced water movement. The formulation is adapted to that objective.
Fields of application
The method is the economically and technically superior solution wherever hauling soil is logistically impossible, uneconomical or ecologically indefensible.
Large reclamation areas after mineral extraction — hauling soil on that scale is not economically viable. Hydraulic soil build-up is the only scalable alternative.
Landfill surfaces need revegetation without affecting the sealing layer — no heavy plant, no mechanical loading. Hydraulic application is possible without ever touching the surface.
Phytostabilization as an alternative to expensive soil remediation — contaminants are immobilized in the soil, and the vegetation cover prevents surface erosion and contaminant discharge.
High altitudes, steep faces, lift corridors — hauling soil is logistically impossible. Hydraulic application from the ground or by aerial seeding; weight-optimized formulations for helicopter work.
Gravel, crushed stone and mineral overburden with no soil structure and no water storage capacity — conventional seeding fails as the seedbed dries out. The working layer creates the physical conditions for germination.
Sites with a defined target vegetation — pasteurized fibers prevent non-native species being introduced. Seed mixtures of site-typical species, with mycorrhizal inoculum supporting the establishment of demanding wild plant communities.
Our approach
Execution calls for material knowledge that goes beyond standard hydroseeding — substrate diagnosis, formulation adjustment and two-stage application are what make the result last.
Soil type, drainage behaviour, pH, contamination status and gradient determine application rates and formulation. On contaminated sites: deciding between phytostabilization and phytoextraction as the objective.
Step 1: the pedogenesis layer is applied hydraulically, flush across the whole area. Step 2: the erosion control matrix as a second pass — depending on terrain conditions and erosion risk. Seed is either mixed into layer 1 or applied as a separate pass.
Vegetation development, soil moisture and degree of establishment are documented — as evidence for clients and authorities. A remedial works protocol is built in for any failures.
Tell us the substrate, the area and the project objective — we will define the layer build-up and application rates.
