What is Hydretain ES Plus and how can it help me be a better gardener?
Hydretain is a product that reduces water waste in the root zone. It acts like a tiny water magnet that holds water in suspension partially attached to the root of our plants and partially attached to the soil around the plant.
The scientific answer is it’s a liquid root zone moisture manager that is made of 54% humectants, 10% nonionic surfactant, and 36% inert ingredients.
When watering, a large percentage of irrigation water is never used by the plant. This is true due to three factors: evaporation pulling water into the atmosphere, gravity pulling water beyond the root zone, and transpiration, the process by which a plant exhales water vapor through its leaves.
While we can’t control gravity or transpiration, we can control evaporation by using a product such as Hydretain. Hydretain attracts water that would otherwise be lost as vapor and condenses it into droplets that can be absorbed by the plant’s roots. It does this by utilizing humectants, a class of substances that prevents moisture loss by absorbing and storing water. Humectants are used in a large variety of commonly used products from skin and hair products to diapers and even honey. Hydretain ES Plus also contains nonionic surfactant which acts to improve penetration into and throughout hard-to-penetrate soils.
How Do I Use Hydretain ES Plus?
To use, apply every 3 months to turf and plants per the directions on the back of the bottle. Rest assured that it will not burn your grass and that it can be applied at any time during the plant’s life cycle. If fertilizing, you can apply Hydretain on the same day as your regular fertilizer application although we don’t recommend you mix the two together. It is a non-toxic product and will not harm pets or animals with its food-grade ingredients and natural plant extracts. After an initial watering, a 35-50% reduction in normal watering can be expected. It can be used as a broadcast spread or a spot treatment.
Gardening is both an art and a science, and sometimes riddled with mishaps. Utilizing different tools and thinking outside the box is necessary to become a better gardener each year. This product is a good one to add to your toolkit.
Happy Gardening,
Glover Diagnostics Department
