Growers Edge

Growers Edge is a Revolutionary Smart Polymer Soil Conditioner

Developed for many types of soil and arid soil conditions, Growers’ Edge is a patented blend of amphoteric, smart polymer technologies. Not just a surfactant, Growers’ Edge is a balanced group of environmentally “kind” compounds that work with moisture retention chemistries to provide the optimum opportunity for plant uptake of moisture and nutrients.

With these unique characteristics, the patented Growers’ Edge blend can provide up to 50% water savings over non-treated soil.

Additionally, the chemical technology in Growers’ Edge allows for greater transport of nutrients in the water,  placing them where the plant can best access them, thereby saving on fertilizer and water costs and improving crop yield.

And, once Growers’ Edge locates in the soil, it stays put, resisting further movement from re-wetting!

Optimum Biotic Environment in Soil

The optimum biotic environment in the soil for nutrient transport supporting plant growth is achieved through a complex balance of soil hydration and osmotic flow moderated through ionic content, as well as hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance in the natural biotic environment.

A grower should always consider the natural flows of the ionic exchanges that are needed to optimize nutrient uptake and  plant growth. THIS IS SOIL CONDITIONING!!

Soil Wetting Agents

Common surfactants employed as soil wetting agents can be viewed similarly to detergents used to wash clothes, or pots and pans. Detergents may “cut grease” and they clearly function as wetting agents since they pull water through hydrophobic soil, but this is done without sufficient regard for the soil’s natural balances.

Unlike the patented amphoteric polymer employed in Growers’ Edge, these common surfactants may have unintended, detrimental effects in the plant’s biotic environment.

Ionic surfactants, either anionic or cationic, necessarily alter the ionic content of the soil, and along with nonionic surfactants are by definition “Surface Active,” altering the balance in cellular activities relating to plant growth, osmotic flow, membrane function, fertilizer uptake, nitrogen fixation and the biotic environment in general.

Smart Polymer

The soil hydration “Smart Polymer” (a self-assembling nanocomposite) employed in Growers’ Edge, possesses  an amphoteric structure that self-equilibrates to the natural ionic balance and stasis of any soil composition while maintaining full hydration capacity.

Being a moisture retaining polymer, and not a typical surfactant, the potential for surface active interference is eliminated, ensuring that the natural biotic environment is not altered.

This allows for, and maintains, soil hydration without introducing ionic substances and detrimental surface active effects, and therefore provides enhanced nutrient transport for plant growth.

Maintain Nutrients and Moisture Substantially Longer

In addition, this patented chemistry has shown that it will maintain nutrients and moisture substantially longer than other products in the plant root zone (contact your Flo-Tec representative or authorized dealer for answers to your questions on Growers’ Edge application rates).

Research also demonstrates that when Growers’ Edge is used, nutrients resist moving away from the root activity area even after multiple wettings.

Give your FLO-TEC representative a call today to get more information on how Growers’ Edge can work for you! Or, you can fill out our contact form to have a representative contact you directly.

Growers’ Edge demonstration video with a graphical representation of how the product works in the soil/subsoil strata

Row Crop Customer Trial Testimonial

Field Trial of Growers’ Edge in Pepper Crop Spring, 2010

In the spring of 2010, a field trial was set up to demonstrate the benefits of Growers’ Edge on peppers in Plant City, Florida.

Two 9-acre blocks were chosen to run the trial. One block was to be treated with Growers’ Edge, while the other was to be the control with no Growers’ Edge added.

Both blocks were planted within 3 days, starting February 18th.  On March 24th, Growers’ Edge was introduced to one of the 9-acre blocks thru the existing fertilizer venturi feed system at a rate of half gallon to the acre.

After the injection was complete the system was let run an additional 45 minutes to make certain that the chemical was flushed into the block and then approximately 30 minutes of clean water was added to ensure that the chemical was well soaked into the bed.

The other 9-acre block (the control) was also watered the same amount, without any chemical being added to ensure that both blocks received the same amount of water.

Approximately 2 hours later it was becoming visually obvious that the block treated with Growers’ Edge was holding the moisture in the top 6 to 7 inches of the soil and had better lateral moisture while the non treated blocked had areas where the moisture had already reached the bottom of the bed.

Growers’ Edge is a new technology that supports both nutrient retention in the upper profiles of the soil columns as well as moisture retention in the same area of the soil.

The soils, in this case, are primarily sand and sandy loam, with a high tendency for rapid percolation. The primary design criteria for this product is to provide a soil stabilizer, as it pertains to both nutrients (fertilizers), as well as moisture in the area of the bed in a manner that allows the plant to uptake these constituents in a manner that optimizes the plant growth.

This is accomplished thru “self-assembling”, nano-composite” technology with products that are amphoteric and do not disrupt the natural biotics of the plants in any manner.

The result is a much higher crop yield with the same amount of water and fertilizer over the course of the crop grow time.

Don’t take our word for it, see what the farmer wrote:

“When the Flo-Tec rep offered to treat one of my 9-acre blocks with Growers’ Edge I was skeptical at first. They told me that Growers’ Edge was going to hold my fertilizer and water in an area of the bed that would allow for easier uptake for the plants and that the plants would not even know that the Growers’ Edge was there because the way the chemical is built.”

“They also told me that even with my sandy soil that I would only have to treat my field once during the growing season because the chemical would stay put in the upper 6-7 inches of the soil and would hold the fertilizer and moisture every time I watered and fertilized for the whole crop cycle.”

“Well, I have to say that they were right. At nine weeks into the crop, I noticed that the treated block was starting to put on significantly more fruit than the untreated block.”

“By week eleven it appeared that the treated block had almost twice as much production as the untreated, and this has stayed consistent thru multiple pickings. It must be the Growers’ Edge doing its job because I have done everything else the same during the growing period.”

“All I can say is in the future I know I am going to insist on Growers’ Edge for my fields and crops. I am anxious to see the benefits of adding Growers’ Edge at the very start of my next crops to reap the full benefits it can offer to all the additives we use.”

Best Regards,

Marc Sewell
Sewell and Sewell Farms
Plant City, Florida

Tree Farm Transplant/Transport Customer Testimonial

“Flo-Tec’s sales representative, Edward Parker introduced me to their new patented product, Growers’ Edge, back in June of 2009.”

“After questioning him about the application rates and other technical aspects of the product, I decided to give it a try.”

“We had a shipment of large live oaks, maple, lagustrum and wax myrtle in 30 gallon pots going on an open, flatbed trailer from Florida to Texas; they went on the truck August 7th and were not coming off till the 11th.”

“When shipping these kind of trees that kind of distance, we have always had problems keeping the trees wet. Drying out and becoming stressed before the show is not good. Our plant sales are all about our quality. Without this quality and good looking trees around our booth, poor sales could result. Stressed plants could raise questions and concerns about the health of our trees.”

“In this case, we treated the pots before shipment with 5 ounces of the Growers’ Edge between all pots and shipped them out. The weather could not have been worse for shipping. No rain and temperatures over 105º F made this a test where we were quite glad we had used the wetting agents of Growers’ Edge.”

“Well, we got there and the trees were fine and all had the soil moisture we needed. As a matter of fact, we only poured one bag of ice on them the 12th and one on the 16th.  As of today, the show was a success and our trees are still looking good.”

“I will certainly be using Growers’ Edge in this and other situations around our tree farm in the future.”

Regards,

Phil Vickers
Turner Tree Farm, Inc.

Safety Data Sheet & Label

• Growers Edge SDS
• Growers Edge Label