REVOLUTIONARY HYDRETAIN REDUCES NEED TO WATER LAWNS, PLANTS

Tuesday April 1, 2008

Conserving water has never been more important than it is today.  

South Florida is in the throes of a record drought, having experienced the driest back-to-back calendar years since rainfall record-keeping began in 1932. With stringent water restrictions in force, it’s vital that turf managers, property owners and gardeners make the most of the water they use.

Now there’s a product that helps lawns and plants maximize every drop while reducing watering requirements by as much as 50 percent.

Hydretain, a liquid blend of organic compounds distributed by Forestry Resources Landscape Supply of Fort Myers, captures and retains water vapor, ensuring that plants have an uninterrupted supply of moisture.

As a true root zone moisture manager Hydretain captures humidity in the soil which would otherwise be lost to evaporation. This vapor is used to form microscopic reservoirs of moisture that helps to sustain plants during dry periods.

This root zone moisture manager slows the loss of moisture by evaporation while also extracting free water molecules from humidity in the air. This helps keep soil moist between waterings by forming a thin film around roots so plants aren’t as likely to dry out.

Chronically dry soils can become moisture resistant, making it difficult to absorb any moisture that does become available. As drought conditions worsen, roots stop growing in dry soil, fragile root hairs begin to shrink and die, leading to even greater stress and more damage. To compensate, many people over water, wasting this precious resource, spending more money than necessary and contributing to the formation of fungus and rot, which can cause further damage.

Rich Cope, golf course superintendent for The University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, was skeptical when he first heard Hydretain’s claims. But, he writes: “After applying this product to an initial three acres of golf course during … the severe drought and heat (of the summer of 2006), I saw positive results in less than a week. The previously drought stressed, brown grass at the sites of my initial application was green and vigorous within one week of application of Hydretain.”

He went on to apply it to 100 acres of golf course turf and found he could reduce irrigation by 1.2 million gallons per week without sacrificing turf quality, saving money while reducing wear on the course’s pumps and improving the conditions of the grass.

It is environmentally friendly, fully biodegradable and contains no phosphates, petrochemical derivatives or other toxic materials that could contaminate ground water or runoff.

The product can be used on all sorts of flora, including seeds, seedlings, trees, shrubs, containerized or potted plants, large planters and gardens, as well as turf and food producing plants.

Research has shown that Hydretain travels with roots as they grow, continuing to provide vital water and nutrients long after application. Hydretain should be applied by overhead spray once every three months or as needed. Dilute it in water as directed on packaging.

The material is available in 2.5-gallon jugs up to 275-gallon totes and in three formulations:
*Hydretain ES is a unique blend of humectants and hygroscopic compounds designed to manage root zone moisture, significantly extending periods between required waterings.
*Hydretain ES Plus adds an advanced environmentally sound non-ionic surfactant for improved soil penetration.
*Hydretain ES Plus II combines all the properties of the previous two varieties along with potassium humate for enhanced performance.

Since 1983, Forestry Resources Inc. has been a leader in the manufacturing of environmentally friendly landscape materials for wholesale and retail distribution. Their FloriMulch products are made from 100 percent melaleuca and meet Florida’s Department of Agriculture nematode-free certification standards. Forestry Resources is widely known for FloriMulch, the company’s signature mulch product that is made from melaleuca trees, the highly invasive exotic.

For information about Forestry Resources, landscaping and landscape products, and the Southwest Florida environment, call 239-334-7343, visit one of their six wholesale-retail locations throughout Lee, Collier and Sarasota counties, or go to www.gomulch.com on the Web.