Thanks for the reply. I know it wasn't the best time to do it, but we really had no choice. We had a reverse grade that we've been trying to have corrected for almost 2 years now. We tried to do it last year but got caught with a drought-induced water ban followed by too wet conditions in September. We were scheduled for April of this year but again it was too wet, so scheduling delays have pushed us to where we are now. We're in Indiana and the seed was a sunny blend. I plan to keep it plenty watered and know I'll likely have to do a good overseed in the fall. My issue now is whether they need to do this right, or if this is how a hydroseeded lawn typically looks after a rain.

I'm confused. I don't think grubs are active in winter. Are you sure you had grubs last winter? I'm pretty sure grub damage occurs only during the growing season. Absolutely put seed on the bare spots in early September. It's the perfect time. Less competition from weeds and nice warm soil for fast germination. I don't think the grass will fill-in during the winter, but you want to get the new seed going now while it's warm so the new plants can start spreading next spring just as soon as it starts warming up. You could put down grub killer now, but I think it would be more effective next spring as a preventive measure. The general rule of thumb is to wait until newly planted grass has been mowed three or four times before applying post-emergent herbicide. You might want to apply it this week after it cools back into the 80s (SLC was 99F today) and then seed in another couple of weeks. Don't just toss seed on the ground. Work it into the soil (preferably with a roller) and cover with a thin layer (.25 inch) of mulch. Apply starter fertilizer per manufacturer's directions. Keep the seed bed moist for four weeks and don't expect miracles. You'll probably have at least green fuzz on all the bare spots before winter sets in. Kentucky bluegrass takes a long time to germinate and a longer time to establish, but with patience and proper care it will become dense and attractive.

Did you disturb the soil when you did the renovation? Seeds can sit in or on the soil for up to 30 years in a few cases waiting for the right conditions to happen. The constant sprinkling makes everything germinate - your seeds and the weeds too. For the Clover, you can get Ortho's Clover/Chickweed/Oxalis Killer (or anything with 8% Triclopyr), which can be put down with a hose-end sprayer. It works. Keep in mind however, that large amounts of Clover are a sign of low fertility. Find about why the fertility is low, or it will be back.

Hydro seeding was developed to shoot seed into places where it could not be done quickly by manual means - for example along the banks for a freeway. Once all the freeways were seeded the hydro seeding companies needed to make a buck so they have tried to sell the process to home owners on flat land. Personally I don't see any reason to hydro seed on flat land. With a hand held or wheeled broadcast spreader, you can probably do it faster by hand on small projects like lawns. Not only that but if you go with a hydro company, your choices of seed stock are severely limited. You have no control over weed content of the seed and won't be able to redo the thin spots that are inevitable. I can't see how hydro seeding would be less expensive than getting a bag of full sun seed from Home Depot. They might rent you the spreader if you don't already have a broadcast spreader. Your "site guy" is dead wrong. He should have left you with a pristine surface, not one covered with roots and sticks. Driving over it to flatten it was not a good idea. I used to work for a landscape finish grader, and we knew about people like him. He runs equipment over the land to make the owner happy. It doesn't matter that the equipment is worthless or useless. If you don't rake up the wood and rocks, those will plague you from now on. Every one of those is a bump for your lawn mower - week after week, year after year. Professional landscapers use a tractor with a box blade like in this picture. I don't think a Harley rake is the tool to pick up sticks. A Harley is used to chew off the surface bumps ...if you don't know that a tractor and box blade is a better tool. Basically your site guy left you a mess. What do you know about the drainage? I'm seriously questioning the surface you have been left with? Have you had enough rainfall to know which direction the water drains off the property? Everything should drain 1) away from your house and paved areas, 2) away from your neighbor's house and paved areas, and 3) into a paved street or common drainage area or ditch. If the area is hilly there should be swales (polite term for ditches) on your property to guide the water around to meet those 3 goals. The soil up against your house should be a minimum of 4 inches below the sill of the house. From there it should drop 6 inches further at all points 10 feet away from the house. In other words, the house should be clearly sitting up high above the surrounding yard. If it is not you have a drainage issue that will come back to bite you. I have that issue at my house (careless builders out in my part of the country). During really hard rains I have to open my back garage door so the water pouring into the front door can flow out and not into my house. Here's a picture of a couple houses with swales. Both yards have a swale in this picture. The upper one is used to prevent drainage onto the neighbor's yard below. The upper lot also has a drain pipe that drains the back yard behind the block wall. That water drains through the pipe in the curb. You can also see the fall of the land away from the lower house. So while I can sympathize with wanting a simple green grass lawn, if you get too focused on the installation of the lawn, you can overlook much bigger issues that will haunt you from now on. NOW is the time to get your drainage perfected. I cannot overemphasize the importance of the 6 inch drop away from the house. I would have at least 3 professional landscaping companies (not grass installers) look at it with special emphasis on drainage. Pick one and let them regrade. If they tell you they will use a skid steer or a bobcat, they don't know what they're doing. A tractor with a box blade can finish this job in a morning. It might take a week with a bobcat. Since you pay them both by the hour, you want the tractor.