FERTILITY + INFILTRATION + HYDRATION
The higher temperatures and longer summer days mean your turfgrass will be battling increased heat and drought stress. Summer weather conditions and increased traffic can stress turfgrasses, leading to decreased quality and playability, weakened root systems, and chances of localized dry spots.
Surfactants can be valuable tools in maintaining turf health through summer stress. They are designed to reduce water surface tension, improve water penetration, and promote uniform soil moisture distribution. By facilitating efficient water distribution and penetration, surfactants help provide even coverage of nutrients, especially when applied in conjunction with fertilizers.
3-2-1 with Hydra Charge is playing a critical role in helping turf managers across the country during summer stress. This granular, biosolid-based fertilizer includes a proprietary blend of two surfactant technologies paired to improve water penetration and retention. Homogenous granules of both slow- and quick-release nitrogen help prevent localized dry spots and sustain turfgrass performance through periods of water stress.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Hydra Charge is a proprietary blend of two surfactant technologies. The block copolymer surfactant overcomes soil hydrophobicity by reducing water surface tension and allowing water to spread and infiltrate more uniformly across the soil profile. The long-chain polymer surfactant forms a film around soil particles to help keep water where it is available for the plant to use by connecting small and large-sized soil pores, reducing water loss to preferential flow.
Water entering soil without Hydra Charge (left) follows preferential flow, quickly making its way through large, established pores in the soil while not providing moisture across the soil profile. With Hydra Charge (right), water droplets are flattened across the soil surface, small and large soil pores are connected, and moisture is provided throughout the soil profile.
IMPROVED NUTRIENT EFFICIENCY
Hydra Charge also works to enhance the distribution of nutrients delivered with or soon after the application of the product, with the improved water movement throughout the soil assisting in the movement of nutrients.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICE (BMP) APPLICATION GUIDELINES
- Hydra Charge is best used in conjunction with standard fertility programs
- Irrigation is necessary; Hydra Charge improves irrigation efficiency through improved water distribution
- Apply first applications at high rate (consult label), prior to drought/water stress, if possible
- Begin sequential applications on a monthly interval