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Three Companies Team to Create Water Efficient Additive 08-25-15 | News

Three Companies Team to Create
Water Efficient Additive
Reduce Lawn Irrigation by 35 Percent

A technology company pairs biochar and a soil amendment from two different companies to create a new product that can keep lawns green with much less water.

ElementC6, a technology company that focuses on the advancement of biochar, recently introduced a soil amendment that is a proprietary blend of CoolTerra biochar from Cool Planet and Compost 100 from Agromin.

Branded as Turf Rescue, its creators call it the first biochar-based amendment designed to keep lawns green with at least 35 percent less water. The product's biochar component is reported to act like a sponge to retain water and nutrients at the grass root zone, increasing water use efficiency.

"Biochar is a highly porous charcoal-like material that improves moisture and nutrient retention in soil while providing a habitat for beneficial soil microorganisms," says George Cain, president of elementC6.

The OMRI-listed Compost 100 in the mixture reportedly inoculates the biochar thereby incorporating beneficial microbes directly into the biochar and enhancing the process.

Agromin and Cool Planet have spent the last year testing the product on lawns throughout Southern California. ElementC6 recommends that it be installed by a professional landscaper. After a lawn is mowed and aerated, the amendment is applied at a rate of 1 cubic foot per 100 square feet of turf. Water is applied normally for 7 to 10 days after which the watering schedule is ready to be reduced.

"Watering an average 20 foot by 20 foot lawn for 10 minutes with sprinklers gobbles up over 124 gallons of water," says Bill Camarillo, CEO of Agromin."Imagine the amount of water that could be saved over the course of a year if you could eliminate watering your grass by one or two days a week."