Weed control can be essential on degraded sites. Solarize, fumigate, or use pre-emergent herbicides, burn, or irrigate and till to minimize weed competition. A large seed bank of weed seeds is almost certain to exist and weed suppression for several years may be needed. Direct seedling for shrubs rarely works well as many shrubs have long stratification requirements. Hydroseeding rarely works well in this dry environment, but a double spray with seeds in the first mix churned into the soil and then buried with a second spray with wood fiber can be much more effective than a single application.
Timing is critical for hydroseeding.
Ideally spraying will be done a day before gentle rains begin, or after soaking rains. Plant into prewetted, augered holes. On large denuded, ice plant or mustard dominated sites inoculation with mycorrhizal fungi may be desirable. Add a ring of large bark mulch or weed mat for each plant if possible. Flat sites may be machine planted from a transplanter.