Ecologel markets Hydretain and CytoGro turf products together

Root growth when turf has been treated with CytoGro (left) and without. (Photo: Ecologel Solutions)

Ecologel Solutions’ Hydretain and CytoGro, two turf products, are being marketed in tandem for the first time to the lawn care and landscape segments.

When used separately, Hydretain functions as a moisture manager that coats plant roots and soil particles. It attracts moisture already present in the soil profile — moisture in the form of water vapor or humidity that would otherwise be lost to evaporation. For years, lawn care professionals have deployed Hydretain (also marketed as private labels LESCO Moisture Manager and BioPro’s H3O Plus) to reduce overall watering requirements, minimize everyday drought stress cycles and control localized dry spots where wetting agents are only marginally effective, according to the company.

CytoGro is a seaweed-based root growth biostimulant that promotes and maintains healthy root mass in heat/stress periods. It is one of the few EPA-registered products (EPA registration  No. 90022-1) that guarantees consistency and a cytokinin load of at least 50 PPM, Ecologel said. The proprietary formulation includes accelerators that amplify performance of the cytokinins in CytoGro.

“For several years now, it’s been clear to us — and to users of Hydretain and CytoGro — that these two products are symbiotic in their performance,” said Jim Spindler, director of agronomy at Ecologel Solutions. “Last year, we started to focus more and more on how these two products can be used synergistically because their qualities are so complementary. While Hydretain helps dry spots recover more quickly, it’s even better at preventing them. But the plants in these formerly dry spots commonly experience diminished root mass. That’s where the CytoGro comes in.”

Over the last year, as a result of this partnership, several distributors have come on board as new or higher-volume supporters of Arborjet and Ecologel products, including Hydretain and CytoGro. That list includes Target, Helena, Nutrien, Central Garden Distribution, JRK Seed, Green Velvet Sod Farms, Orgill Distribution, Do it Best Corp., Ace Hardware Corporation, Northeast Nurseries and True Value Corp., according to Mark Andrews, director of commercial sales at Arborjet.

“These new relationships are, in part, a function of Arborjet’s recent acquisition of a majority interest in Ecologel, but end users in the lawn care and golf segments also represent a growing demand portion of this equation,”Andrews said. “The trigger is the one-two approach of reduced water demand without turf decline, while simultaneously stimulating root growth. What’s striking are the many different ways turf professionals are already deploying Hydretain together with CytoGro.”