3/27/2018 - By Harrell's

Much of the country has been experiencing a “heat wave” for the past several weeks.  Some of these same geographies are also in a severe drought.  These two stresses together are brutal on home lawns. 

 Whether you are talking about cool-season lawns such as Kentucky bluegrass, tall fescue, or perennial ryegrass or warm-season lawns like bermudagrass and zoysiagrass; this type of extreme heat and lack of water send these grasses into dormancy rather quickly.  This straw brown appearance is their way of survival; however, it is not very appealing aesthetically nor is it very safe as they can become a fire hazard.  The use of irrigation can aid in maintaining their health and green color, and more importantly, keep their homes safe. 

 In the golf course market, wetting agents are routinely applied to “manage” water in the soil, which makes the use of irrigation much more efficient so water is not applied as much or as frequently.   

 Why are wetting agents not used in the lawn care market? 

 My guess is that the answer to that question lies with who is responsible for the watering of the lawns?  Most lawn care operators are not responsible for the irrigation of the lawns they take care of and most lawn care maintenance contracts are based on frequencies such as mowing schedule (once per week, etc.) instead of the quality of the lawn itself. 

 I would challenge the logic as to why wetting agents are not used in lawn care maintenance.

 Is the barrier to their use due to cost?  Wetting agents are not that expensive given the benefits they offer. 

 Are they not used because lawn care operators do not understand how they work and do not know which wetting agent to use?  This would be a legitimate reason to not use wetting agents as they can be very confusing.  Some wetting agents move water down through the soil while others increase the soil’s ability to hold and retain water.  It would be recommended to use a wetting agent that holds water during these periods of drought stress. 

 Here is the challenge – apply either Rewet G or Symphony G granular wetting agent to the right side of some of your customer’s lawns.  Then, the following week do a drive by and take some pictures and see if you can tell the difference.  Use these pictures with your customers to promote the addition of these products to your program.  My prediction is that the lawns will “righted”.   The use of wetting agents will then become a standard part of your treatments and program offerings due to the results that you will see. 

 The application rate for Rewet G and Symphony G is 2.5 pounds of product per 1,000 square feet of lawn for either of these two granular wetting agents.  Have the homeowner water in the wetting agent after application.   

 Don’t wait for your competition to figure out this value added approach to customer satisfaction.  Eventually water is going to be the next “gold” anyway, so it will be better to figure this out sooner than later!!