Hydretain ES Plus Moisture Manager, Reduces Watering 50%, 15 lb Granule

I applied this stuff liberally on near 8 pallets of fresh St Augustine sod after a heatwave came a few weeks following installation. Temperatures rose from 80's into mid 90's. I focused on sunniest areas not worrying too much of shadiest. It's been 4 months, now mid August, and find only the areas I applied it on are the greenest, fairing August heat the best despite watering and shade. I believe this may be due to root growth on areas I applied it to. I'll definitely use again.

This product works really well if you apply it correctly and don't expect it to water the lawn for you. I can't stress this enough: you have to water it in!! In my experience, the best way to apply this is to do it right after a rainfall, and then water about 1/4-1/2 inch *within 24 hours*. Use catch cups (or tuna cans) if you're not sure how much water you're putting down. If you don't do this properly, you won't get great results. I believe most of the poor reviews are because of improper application, and this stuff is too pricey to make that mistake. I personally apply this twice per season: once in the first week or two of May, and again in the last week or two of July (80-90 days apart). You will still need to water your lawn - this isn't a miracle product that makes water magically appear in your soil - but you *will* water less and not as deeply when properly applied.

While I don't think this works as well as the granules, I do love this product, and use it at the end of spring/ beginning of summer, and often with a 2nd application in mid-July. I have one of the best appearance yards in the neighborhood! The grasss stays green, and the ease of use is super simple. Cannot beat it for moisture retention!

This is a professional review of this product. I am a Florida State Certified Pest Control Operator I hold state licenses in general household pest control as well as Lawn and ornamental. In Florida you cannot operate a pest control or lawn fertilization business without a certified operator in charge of your operations. I have 42 years in the business and owned my own pest control business for 29 years. I only tell you this so you understand I am the professional. Florida weather by itself creates stress on insects, plants and lawn cultivars (your grass) fertilizing your grass will place additional stress on it. Additional water will also be needed especially during hot humid seasons, without water and certain nutrients the most predominant grass cultivar in this state (St, Augustine) will begin to stress and decline. When stressed grass sends out stress signals that are picked up by several different insects one being the chinch bug. This product when applied correctly and timely is effective for up to 90 days max. My company began offering this product to our clients almost twenty years ago, at first we had to educate our clients, after the first year they began to call to make sure we would be offering it again the next summer. I had first observed this product at a trade show and as I stood there talking to the sales person they put the powder version of this product into a glass vial with only the top open to the environment within 5 minutes the powder in the vial had turned into moisture. The product had pulled the water from the atmosphere around us. I highly recommend this product. timing, post treatment watering, and effective application are the two things to pay attention to. Living In Central Florida I wait to begin applications until mid to late June, remember 90 days max effectiveness with 60 days most effective. immediate watering in of this product is highly recommended, watering of no more than 5 to 10 minutes per zone. Know your square footage and apply per label. This product is also effective in ornamental beds. Use of this product will reduce the seasonal water and heat related stress on your lawn. This reduction means less water usage, less fungus issues, (which means less heavy metal chemicals needed for your lawn) reduced likely pest infestation from reduced stress.

Bought this product to help with the summer drought after some conversation with my lawn care company. Did my research and this product seems to have helped. Easy application

On the lawn... meh.. in the garden, seems to help slow down heat stress and wilting.

Unusual global climate heat destroyed my one year old lawn which was incredibly lush despite its young age because I manicured it well. Unbelievably, we took a five day trip and came back to a completely destroyed grass. We have sod up front with exposure to sun for about 15 hours a day (spring summer) and about 13 hours (fall/winter) based on how our house is situated. Water did not do the trick but it helps so once the climate heat broke, the grass can have a chance. Grass takes patience. Be patient and consistent. After four weeks of heat wave, we used hydratein. In addition to hydratein, the next day we used a mix of four tsp dish soap to a gallon of water for five minutes each section. The first application I just mentioned was done literally on a rainy day. My neighbors thought we were crazy. Six days later with one additional over night rain day and early morning watering right before sun rise, the recovery was extremely evident. The soil was looser and able to retain. Our fear in adding the soap water solution was disease from too much moisture but we survived. Retention def woke my grass up out of dormancy. Some spots went dormant due to the intense heat. Now that it’s awakening, we sprinkled granulated of epsom salt for magnesium to the loose soil. Watered it in with a spray hose consisting of a shot of it an and two shots of humid acid to get some nutrients to the roots. Were confident that this process will be successful due to this products application. We have cold weather tall fescue grass along with one section of tall fescue/bluegrass sod from a local farm. We are Northeast USA. Hope this helps someone.

I had seen this product from watching youtube. I had so much trouble keeping plants alive outside and my yard staying green in our humid summers in TN. I thought this seemed really expensive and didn't think it would really work but decided to give it a try. This stuff is fantastic!! You only need a little to get big results. I put just an oz or 2 in a couple of gallons of water and applied to my potted plants. Everything stayed alive and looked great without me needing to water each day. I could go for days out of town, return and water and everything was great. I also applied about 6oz per 1,000ft in my 14,000sq ft lawn and my grass has never looked better. I was also able to cut down on the cycle times each irrigation zone. I will never go without this stuff again. As soon as I get low on a bottle I order another one. I use less than 2 gallons a year. I probably get by with about 1.5 gallons each year. While I still think it is a little expensive I just watch for price reductions and grab when I see the deals.

I only use this on my lawn This is expensive for sure, a little cheaper out of the US but with border closed it's just the price we unfortunate Canadians must pay to DOMINATE. 90 day efficacy so single application at start of summer should be enough for most Canadian's summer. With my property size I get 3 seasons out of a gallon.

Second bottle of this stuff and I have the greenest lushest grass ever. Seller packages item very well with tape around lid and wrapped in paper and sealed in plastic. I have a decent size property with only one hose with not much water pressure. I cannot water everything on my watering days so this stuff really helps with hold onto all the moisture possible. Make sure you follow directions and soak lawn before you apply and soak after (easier if timed around rain 🌧️ , tougher in Aug). I have to do this in sections to get it down but it pays off. I did 1 application in July and the next mid Aug. in the future I will do 3 starting May and only fertilize in April and September. West coast Canada.

Lawn really holding out well this summer with less watering.

J’étais sceptique au début. Un produit qui promet de réduire les besoins en arrosage de moitié ? Ça sonnait un peu trop beau pour être vrai. Mais après quelques semaines d’utilisation, je peux confirmer : Hydretain fonctionne réellement. J’ai appliqué le produit au début de l’été sur mon gazon, en pleine canicule, avec des restrictions d’arrosage sévères. Résultat ? Mon gazon est resté vert et dense, pendant que ceux des voisins viraient tranquillement au beige croustillant. L’application est simple (je l’ai fait avec un pulvérisateur raccordé au boyau), et il n’y a pas d’odeur désagréable ni de résidu. Ça pénètre bien le sol et aide visiblement les racines à mieux retenir l’humidité. Est-ce que ça remplace complètement l’arrosage ? Non. Mais ça l’espace, et ça rend chaque arrosage beaucoup plus efficace. Un must si vous avez des périodes de chaleur prolongées, un sol sablonneux, ou des restrictions d’eau. Mon seul regret, c’est de ne pas l’avoir essayé plus tôt.

Most sellers sell this item in a twin pack for a lower cost. The product is great, just make sure you check the details and purchase from a seller that offers better value.