OCALA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A local veterinarian’s home was apparently saved from the Weeki Wachee brush fire on April 30 which destroyed 70 acres of property because he had treated his lawn with a product that keeps the grass from drying out.
Dr. Mike Brannan’s home sits in the midst of over 12 acres of woods with his house on a hilltop just east of Tooke Lake and US Highway 19 near Weeki Wachee. His home is divided from the woods by a large lawn which he had treated with a product called Moisture Manager (a private label of the Hydretain http://ecologel.com/product_map technology), which helps protect plants from drying out in between periods of rainfall or irrigation. The woods were totally scorched but the fire stopped where the woods and grass meet. The lawn had not been watered since the previous Saturday.
Brannan had heard the Hydretain product discussed on radio station WFLA 970 AM and decided to send an email message to “Florida Gardening” host Mark Govan reporting how his home had been spared from otherwise certain destruction by the fire. Govan turned around and emailed Rick Irwin, owner and founder of Ecologel (www.ecologel.com), the manufacturer of Hydretain products. “I have to believe,” Brannan said, “the Lesco Moisture Manager played a role in saving the house.”
Ecologel Solutions LLC, headquartered in Ocala, Florida, was founded in 1991. The company specializes in the production and promotion of environmentally responsible products for water conservation, plant nutrition, pond and lake management, and anti-fungal coatings.
The company’s flagship product technology, Hydretain®, is a unique and advanced liquid which is fully biodegradable and made from food grade materials. It allows all manner of plants, including food-producing agriculture, to thrive with far less water. Hydretain has been tested by several major Universities, including the University of Florida, and is used on top golf courses around the world. Information and copies of research are available at www.hydretain.com.
“We are committed to saving the World’s water,” said Rick Irwin, “and we are very excited to hear about additional benefits of our product, beyond helping with water conservation.” Hydretain is available in the garden center at many retailers in Florida, including Lowe’s, and at John Deere Landscape under the name “Lesco Moisture Manager.”
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