Spring green-up is well underway. Tree buds are popping, and foliage is growing in quickly, if not already full. The earth is ripe for planting across the country. Now is an ideal time to overseed or reseed a tired lawn, repair thin or bald spots in turf, and allow new grass to establish before the stressful heat of summer. We’ve got a few pointers for preparing soil and ensuring successful germination for a lush lawn.

Meanwhile, greenhouse growers have been working toward spring sales milestones: Mother’s Day and Memorial Day. Preserving annuals, perennials and container plants for the yard and home requires thoughtful preparation. There’s a way to “insure” these plants and maintain their vigor in the retail environment. We’ll offer some insight to prevent plant loss and capture profit.

Municipalities are dressing up public spaces with hanging baskets, beds of annuals and landscape improvements, from reseeding to reinvigorating flower beds.

Jumpstart the warm season with these pro tips from the Soil Moist nursery, landscape, and home and garden experts at JRM.

Seeding Success
Fast-forward grass seed germination to quickly fill in bare spots, completely reseed a lawn or overseed. You can easily improve turf density, elevate lawn vigor—color, appearance, and health—and establish a more resilient lawn. 

Seed Coat is a short cut for successfully establishing turf. Simply mix Seed Coat with dry seed according to instructions in a hopper box or barrel mixer. (Be sure to mix when outdoor humidity is less than 79%.) Use a spreader to distribute across the lawn area, or apply evenly on bare spots. 

The secret sauce in Seed Coat is a crosslinked polyacrylamide with graphite that swells and expands as it draws moisture from the air and water. The expanded polymer forms a water reservoir on the seed surface. This softens the seed tissue and promotes faster germination. 

While you’re in planting mode for business or at home, reduce watering by 50%, minimize transplant shock and prevent soil compaction with Soil Moist polymer granular that lasts for three to five years. 

>>Pro Tip: By adding more resilient grass varieties blended with Seed Coat before spreading, you can increase the turf’s tolerance to pests, disease, foot traffic and drought. Weak lawns allow weeds, disease, and pests to take over. When grass is lush, the turf wins out. It’s basically survival of the fittest at work. 

‘Insuring’ Plants for Nursery and Retail

Mother’s Day is one of growers’ delivery deadlines—along with landmark Memorial Day. You’ve been working toward these prime plant buying times for months, from nurturing cuttings to ensuring healthy, young plant stock, annuals, perennials, and edibles for the garden. 

By incorporating Soil Moist water-saving polymer granules into containers on site, you can reduce plant stress during shipping to retail and nursery destinations, and prolong shelf life. The “insurance” continues once consumers or landscapers procure plants and realize three to five years of water savings (50% less watering) and reduced transplant shock. 

When Soil Moist is included in the growing process, it also can be marketed with informative plant tags, and retailers can position an eye-catching point-of-sale (POS) display of take-home products to increase consumer basket size. 

Pro Tip: Retailers and nurseries that partner with growers using Soil Moist can shelf resilient plants for sale, reduce labor and watering requirements, and market the vitality of plant stock while enhancing sales. For instance, a Soil Moist Mini Rack Display includes seven popular sellers: 3-ounce bags, 1-pound jars; 3-pound containers, 8-ounce bags of Soil Moist Plus, 1-pound jars of Flower and Garden Plus, along with 3-ounce bags of Soil Moist Transplant. Inspire consumers to grow healthy, sustainable landscapes!

Labor-Saving Municipal Landscaping
Time to spring into community spirit and warm weather, which means city celebrations and projects to improve public spaces. But allocating labor to water plants and landscape beds can be a challenge, resulting in beautification goals that wilt quickly.

Help is on the way.To improve soil conditions for new plant growth, Plant Thrive can be used as an amendment, drench or foliar spray, making it a versatile formula full of natural, beneficial bacteria to fuel plant vitality and sustainability.


Reduce watering and fertilization requirements—double your labor savings—with Soil Moist Plus 7-7-7 acrylic water-storing polymers that contain a nine-month time-release fertilizer. Safe, non-toxic, and designed to reduce watering by 50% for three to five years, the minor investment yields immediate and long-term ROI.

>>Pro Tip: Parks and recreation programs offer a variety of STEAM activities and programs during summer for children of all ages. Explore a range of projects using Deco Beads, available in 20 different colors in sizes swelling up to 1 inch.

What’s in store for spring? How about “storing” more water so you can save time, money, and resources? Tell us how you use Soil Moist products at home or in your business. We look forward to hearing from you!