Long before Hydretain was available in retail garden centers it was being used on home vegetable and flower gardens. After seeing the results on golf courses and commercial turf, superintendents and distributors representatives began to take Hydretain home. “Hydretain’s unique ability to convert soil humidity into plant usable droplets is not species specific,” says Ecologel President, Rick Irwin. Once superintendents saw that Hydretain could reduce turfgrass watering requirements without holding excess moisture in the soil, they were excited to explore what it would do for their peppers plants and hanging baskets.”
Over the years, we’ve heard countless stories of green care professionals using Hydretain to reduce watering and improve plant vigor for their own lawns and gardens. One story that stands out is from Keith Bishop, Sales Representative for Howard Fertilizer Company, who joked about having to start canning after his first experience with Hydretain at home. “It did great. I used less fertilizer and less water and the overall health of the treated tomato plants was far superior than the untreated ones. It probably doubled our normal yield,” says Keith.
As you prepare your spring home gardens, here are some of the most common question we get about using Hydretain at home:
Q. Is Hydretain safe to use around children and pets?
A. Yes. Hydretain products are safe for use around kids and pets. It does not require any wait period before your family and pets can enter the application area.
Q. Is Hydretain organic?
A. Although Hydretain is not certified organic, it is produced using primarily food grade, organic-based hygroscopic and humectant ingredients. Hydretain ES Plus has been certified as 93% biobased by the United States Department of Agriculture BioPreferred Program. It is safe to use on commercially grown food producing agriculture as well as residential vegetable and herb gardens, fruits and citrus trees. Hydretain Granular OC incorporates the Hydretain formula into an organic compost carrier.
Q. Can Hydretain be used with all my plants?
A. Yes, Hydretain can be used indoor and outdoor plants, including: lawns, flowers, shrubs, trees, fruits, and vegetables.
For information on how to apply Hydretain to your garden, please see our Spring Planting Guide.
