The Secret Life of Potting Mix

Water repellency is not a flaw, but a byproduct of beneficial microbial activity that occurs in all healthy growing media. As stock gets older, microorganisms living in the potting media cause a buildup of plant waxes, resins and inert lignins, which cause the media to repel water rather than absorb it. Plants experiencing even mild levels of water repellency can become stressed, so it’s important to ensure your stock is treated with a reliable wetting agent before you even begin to notice that your plants are thirsty.

When media repels water, the water’s natural surface tension prevents moisture from spreading throughout the pot.

This is where Hydraflo comes in.

Hydraflo reduces the surface tension of water, which allows moisture to penetrate and spread through media with greater efficiency. Instead of channelling down the inside of the container, the water moves laterally (sideways) and downwards to supply moisture throughout the whole pot. Treated media has an improved water holding capacity, re-wets easier, and has an overall better irrigation efficiency.

As shown through nursery trials, media treated with Hydraflo absorbs significantly more moisture than untreated media, and plants become more resilient and are less affected by moisture stress.

Hydraflo stimulates root growth in Lavender

Hydraflo stimulates root growth in Gardenia

Hydraflo stimulates root growth in Bracteantha

As shown in the above photos, Hydraflo stimulates root growth by supplying an optimum ratio of water and oxygen in the growing media. Trials have shown that media treated with Hydraflo captures 75% more irrigation water than untreated media. This increased in water holding has been demonstrated to improve shelf life in retail and improved plant out success.

Easy Application for Your Nursery

Hydraflo is available as either a liquid or granular wetting agent. For full product application rate, please refer to product packaging or contact your local ICL manager for rates specific to your situation.

Granular (Hydraflo 2) can be:

• Incorporated into the media before potting.
• Re-applied to older stock using a hand-shaker or a mechanical spreader like ICL’s HandyPro or a Solo spreader for larger beds.
• Recommended rate: 1kg-2kg per m³.

Liquid (Hydraflo L) can be:

• Sprayed onto the media surface.
• Applied as a drench.
• Injected through drip irrigation lines.
• Recommended rate (1 to 500) 20mls Hydraflo L to 10 Litres water

Keep in mind that all wetting agents degrade over time. Choosing the higher application rate can give up to 6 months effectiveness between applications.