Does Scotts Water Smart Work?

It Starts With a Seed

• Scotts Turf Builder grass seeds are coated with a special substance the company claims absorbs more water than conventional grass seeds and retains the water longer to keep the planted seeds moist. The starch-based coating, called ZEBA, also is treated with a fungicide to protect the seeds from disease and contains nutrients that, according to the website, "jump start the seedlings." Absorbent Technologies, Inc., which developed ZEBA, stated on its website that the coating's water retention allows the seed to germinate normally even if the homeowner forgets to water it for a day or so.

Fertilizing for Water Conservation

• Scotts' website recommends homeowners follow the full course of lawn care under its Water Smart program. This includes properly feeding the grass each spring and fall. Fertilizer keeps the grass healthy and lush, which the website claims will help reduce the amount of water needed to maintain the lawn. This, in turn, allows homeowners to rely more on natural, free rainfall than mechanical irrigation, conserving water and money. The company recommends its own TurfBuilder Water Smart fertilizer products as part of the total Water Smart program.

Mowing Heights

• Setting lawn mowers to leave the grass higher than many homeowners think is the proper height allows the grass to develop deep roots, according to the Scotts website. The site recommends allowing grass to remain at around 3 inches high. Deep roots use water more efficiently, the company states, and can tap into moisture already available in the soil, reducing the amount of irrigation needed. Scotts' website also recommends leaving grass clippings on the lawn as a sort of mulch. The clippings decompose, adding nutrients back into the soil.

Additional Information

• The Scotts website outlines the benefits of a healthy lawn, including increased property values. The website states that eight healthy lawns have the same cooling effect as 70 tons of air conditioning and that an average lawn produces enough oxygen for eight people.

  Coated seeds that enhance germination and seedling survival may prove valuable, but homeowners should evaluate this based on their specific situations, budget and needs. A study published in "Horticulture" magazine in April 2010 revealed that coated seeds of tall fescue (Festuca arundinaceae, which grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 7) and Kentucky
  bluegrass (Poa pratensis, which thrives in USDA zones 2 through 6) showed little advantage over uncoated seeds except in sandy soils. The study suggests that coated seeds may prove most valuable when planting grass in less than optimal conditions.

  The Water Smart program includes high quality seed and fertilizer, and advice for proper maintenance, which should result in stronger, healthier lawns. Lush lawns tend to have fewer weeds, because thick, robust grass growth shades out and kills most weeds that dare to poke their heads up through the soil.