Hydro Ensemencement AD

It seems every company eventually gets its first bad review. They must have bought some good ones… and yes, it's possible.

I dealt with Hydro Ensemencement AD Inc. After our discussions and considering the distance (I live far away), they explained that they don't travel for quotes, but if they did the work, it would cost $150 for the visit and $890 for 4,000 sq ft (I have about 8,000 sq ft to seed). I agreed, even though I don't understand how a contractor can give a quote without having seen the site. Anyway, I sent him a photo, and he said it should be fine.

On the scheduled day, August 27, 2025, Antoine arrived. Very friendly, he checked the soil and noted that it was hard in some places. I asked him if it was okay, and he said yes. He used the rake, then proceeded to water. At the end, I noticed that some areas seemed to be lacking seed. I asked him if everything was okay, and he said it should be fine and that if there was a problem, he would come back two or three times; otherwise, he would offer a refund. At that point, I even suggested adding another layer for an additional 4,000 square feet where I felt there were gaps, but he assured me it wouldn't be necessary. So I agreed.

I sent him several follow-up photos to show the progress, which also gave him a visual for his clients.

After seven days, I noticed a few sprouts. It was progressing, but I didn't think there were many. According to him, that was normal.

After 14 days, I sent him another picture: there wasn't much grass. I was starting to get a little anxious, but I continued to follow his recommendations.

After 19 days, there were still many gaps. He didn't always respond, but eventually told me to wait 30 days.

On the 30-day mark (September 22nd), he said he would come back, but only to overseed manually. I was against it, because the seeds weren't holding well since they hadn't grown properly.

That's when the service started to deteriorate.

I had to wait from September 22nd to October 1st before he finally came to do the work, because there was no response from him or he didn't have the time. On October 1st, he went by in the dark with a headlamp and missed several spots (hard to notice in the evening when it's dark). Before leaving, he left me a bag of seeds "just in case" I ran out. I had to add more myself and empty the bag, because there wasn't nearly enough to solve the problem. Furthermore, the seeds didn't stay in place when watered.

On October 3rd, I explained to him that it wouldn't work and that the hydroseeding would have to be redone, otherwise it wouldn't work. The seeds shift and don't stay put.

He told me that my soil was probably too poor in nutrients and that I needed topsoil.

I explained to him that he never came to see the site except on August 27th (the day the work was done) and that I had asked him that day if everything was OK.

He told me that he could redo the work for the same price… another $2,200. He is therefore not honoring his warranty.

I explained to him that it doesn't work with just seeds and that the hydroseeding needs to be redone.

I told him that if nothing is done, I will take legal action.

He replied that I could do it, since he had already come "once" and I was impatient because it hadn't been three weeks. So I agreed to wait.

On October 24th, I sent him a photo showing that nothing had worked and asked if he would come back if I used topsoil where it hadn't worked this spring.

I followed up on October 27th: radio silence, no response. And the ground had started freezing a few days earlier.

On November 3rd, still no response. I confirmed by text message that I would take legal action.

As of today, still no response.