Overview

Though water is the single most important element to establishing turf, watering is often the most neglected aspect by most homeowners.  ENCAP has developed and protected a watering indicator that let’s the homeowners know when it is time to water.

By simply observing the color of the mulch and appearance of the cross-linked polymer (PAM), the homeowner have a visual indicator to know when watering is needed.  When dry, the mulch color is light green, and the PAM is reduced to a very small size.  When wet, the mulch turns a darker green color and the PAM appears to swell into crystals (or diamonds) on the soil, serving as an indicator that enough water has been applied (stopping some homeowners from watering too much).  Lasts approx. 3-6 weeks, depending on conditions.

As the soil and seed dry off, the mulch color turns back to a lighter color and the PAM polymer simply “disappears” again, signaling the need to water again.  This will change back and forth, taking the guess work out of watering.  Amazing!

History

The role of water in turfgrass is endless.  James Beard outlined in “Turfgrass: Science and Culture” that water is required for germination, it protects plants from sudden changes in temperature, it functions as the transport medium by which nutrients move through the plants, it is required for photosynthetic process, and is a vital constituent of protoplasm.  Without water, death occurs.  Despite these facts, people still do not water enough when establishing turf because they do not know when it is time to water.  Until now.

Research

The significance of this technology has been tested for two years in the retail and professional markets with strong success.  Both landscapers and homeowners have realized the benefits of knowing for the first time, when it is time to water. 

Research has found that it typically takes 45 minutes of watering, or a half-inch of water, to activate the PAM polymer.  This results in a generally acceptable amount of water being applied to the seed and soil.  On a warm, dry, windy day, the watering indicators may show that watering is needed 2-4 times for optimal results.

Intellectual Property

Patents:  ENCAP has patents pending on the aforementioned technology in areas including all mulch granules.
Trademarks:  ENCAP has trademarks for “Seed Watering Technology”,  “When to Water”, “Sparkle” and “Water Me Technology”.