Distributors marketing Hydretain, CytoGro together

After years of field use showing their synergistic performance, Hydretain and CytoGro, two turf products from Ecologel Solutions, are being marketed dedicatedly, in tandem, for the first time to the golf, lawn care and landscape segments. Several new distributor relationships have enabled this effort in preparation for the spring 2019 buying season.

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.

CytoGro is a seaweed-based root growth biostimulant that promotes and maintains healthy root mass in heat/stress periods, particularly on golf greens and tees. It is one of the few EPA-registered products (EPA registration #90022-1) that guarantees consistency and a cytokinin load of at least 50 PPM. The proprietary formulation includes accelerators that amplify performance of the cytokinins in CytoGro, allowing its 50 PPM to outperform competitive products claiming higher cytokinin volumes.

“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. “But 2019 is the first year we’ve emphasized them as companion products. On a purely agronomic level, it’s a no-brainer: They perform well separately but better together.

“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.”

Spindler said the decision to more aggressively market Hydretain and CytoGro in tandem has allowed the full range of turf professionals to fashion their own distinct, localized solutions, at a lower cost.

Spindler explained that, in the golf context, Hydretain is typically applied every three months, or monthly, on greens. CytoGro typically goes out monthly, or can be mixed with fertigation (or any other liquids) and applied more frequently.

A number of Ecologel’s existing distributor partners have increased their promotion of these synergies. SiteOne Landscape Supply, BWI Companies and Reinders, for example, have all participated in recent marketing promotions of CytoGro along with their respective brands of the Hydretain technology.

These initiatives were also “enabled and accelerated,” according to Spindler, by Ecologel’s 2018 partnership with plant health care specialists Arborjet.

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 Corporation, Ace Hardware Corporation, Northeast Nurseries, and True Value Corporation, 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,” said Andrews. “The trigger is the 1-2 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.”