By Robert Wilson

As many of you know, water restrictions are in effect across the country this year. Unfortunately, in most places, they will be a permanent fixture in the health of our landscapes for the foreseeable future. We as an industry need to keep our lawns and landscapes green and our plants healthy. So how do we respond to this? We can't let our plant material suffer, and we must protect our landscape environment and clientele.

The water restrictions throughout the country vary per area or municipality. Each city can decide which restriction they want to impose, and they are normally categorized in 4 stages. For example, most areas in the drought stricken Texas region are in stage 2 or 3. Stages 2 allows two water days a week, and stage 3 is one watering a week or one watering every two weeks. However, each city determines how they would like to implement their own watering restrictions. One city can see stage 2 restrictions differently than another city's stage 2. These decisions can not only hurt the homeowner, but can really put a burden on the landscape professional. Varying water restrictions disrupt the contractors' ability to properly schedule his routing for applications, as many chemical treatments need to be watered in. For areas that are in the most severe drought and under stringent restrictions, homeowners and professionals alike especially need all the help they can get producing a quality landscape, or even to just help with plant survival.

 

There is a way to move forward with water restrictions and still maintain the beautiful, high quality landscape that we all desire. Think Hydretain! With a Hydretain program in place, the landscape professional and homeowner can enjoy beautiful lawns and landscapes without the stresses that drought can bring.

 

Hydretain's hygroscopic humectant technology will attract and retain moisture in the root zone of the plant by grabbing the evaporative moisture within the soil matrix, and converting it over to useable water droplets. By converting unusable humidity into to useable droplets, the plant can have a consistent moisture level, and ultimately use less water and defend against drought. The hygroscopic compound attracts moisture and the humectants absorb and retain that same moisture. This dynamic duo working together will leave your turf and landscape looking like it escaped the summer drought.

 

We must adapt to the environment we're in, and open our eyes to new innovations like Hydretain. With Hydretain, water restrictions won't restrict a thing.

By Jim Spindler

Most turfgrass managers are familiar with the use of wetting agents, or surfactants, and super absorbent polymers in managing water movement and retention in soils. However, there is another class of chemistry that is gaining acceptance in the management of turfgrass and ornamental soil moisture. This class of chemistry is referred to as hygroscopic humectants. 

Before discussing hygroscopic humectants, it is important to understand how they differ from other water management technologies. Firstly, a wetting agent is a material that allows water to more easily penetrate into soil and/or flow through (infiltrate) the soil. These materials are valuable when soils have become hydrophobic and will not wet easily.

Super absorbent polymers, another type of water management technology, are "materials that can absorb and retain extremely large amounts of liquid relative to their own mass" (Horie, et. al). These materials are utilized to absorb large amounts of rainfall or irrigation to be used by the plant at a later date. However, the use of polymers in turfgrass is challenging due to two reasons. The first is that polymers are difficult to incorporate into the soil profile. The second is that, as they absorb water, they expand, and can disrupt the soil and turfgrass surface. However, there are some new developments in polymer technology that may overcome these challenges.

Hygroscopic humectants are materials that attract water vapor (the gas phase of water) from the atmosphere within the soil, condense it back into a liquid form, and retain the liquid for the plant to absorb. According to Merriam Webster's Dictionary, a hygroscopic material is any material that "readily takes up and retains moisture." Most turf managers are more familiar with hygroscopic materials than they may realize. For instance, many fertilizer ingredients are hygroscopic. It is the hygroscopic nature of some fertilizers that cause them to "cake" or form chunks in the package. The definition of a humectant is "a substance that promotes retention of moisture" (Merriam-Webster). These are substances that absorb, or help another substance to retain moisture. These types of materials are commonly used in the food and cosmetic industry.  

The key to successfully using hygroscopic humectants to manage soil moisture is by utilizing the right combination of raw ingredients. Some raw materials will attract moisture and condense it, but will hold it too tightly, not releasing the water to the plant. On the other hand, some raw materials may compete with the plant for soil moisture and be detrimental to plant health. Finally, some raw materials will be broken down in the soil by microbes too quickly, and have a short lived effect.  

The best combination of raw ingredients are those that will attract soil water vapor to itself, condense it into a droplet, and then allow the plant root to remove that droplet for use in its metabolic activities. Another vital factor in the success of a hygroscopic humectant product is to have a certain resistance to microbial degradation. Many of the raw ingredients used in a hygroscopic humectant are organic in nature, and can be used by soil microbes as a food source. We see the same types of challenges in pesticide formulations.

Using hygroscopic humectants is an excellent way to reduce overall landscape water use. When applied to large turf or landscape areas and watered into the root zone, these products will allow plants to more effectively utilize any water they receive through rainfall and irrigation. When water is applied to the soil, it has one of three fates. Firstly, it can be pulled down by gravity deeper into the soil and eventually added to the ground water. Secondly, it may evaporate and escape the soil back into the atmosphere above the soil. Finally and most favorably, it can be used by the plant. Hygroscopic humectants effectively minimize the loss of soil water to evaporation by condensing the escaping water vapor back into liquid form for the plant to use. In fact, these products have been documented to reduce overall water use by as much as 50 percent.

Hygroscopic humectants are a valuable tool for turf and landscape managers. Used alone or in combination with other technologies, these products are valuable in reducing overall water use on all parts of the landscape. At this time, hygroscopic humectant products are available from Ecologel Solutions as Hydretain, from BioPro Technologies as H3O, and from John Deere Landscapes as Moisture Manager.

Jim Spindler is a Certified Professional Agronomist and a Certified Professional Soil Scientist.  Jim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Agronomy from Delaware Valley College, as well as a Master of Science degree in Forestry, with a specialization in Soil Science from Michigan Technological University.  With more than 30 years of experience both domestic and international, he has practical experience in the golf course, sports turf, and lawn care industries, in addition to extensive experience with a comprehensive range of agricultural products.  Jim also extends his services and knowledge voluntarily as the Agronomist and Research Director of the O.J. Noer Turf Research Foundation.