As you may have seen already, we have an exciting announcement! Introducing the newest member of the Rachio lineup, Rachio Thrive ! We’ve been working so hard on this project and are very excited to finally bring it to you.
The first product in the Thrive family is a natural, kid and pet safe fertilizer replacement called Lawn Champion that works in tandem with your Rachio controller to help your lawn grow stronger, thicker roots. And as we all know, longer, stronger roots mean less watering!
To learn more about Thrive, head to rachio.com/thrive (and while you’re there, check out our new and improved website, too!). More products, features, and exciting projects to come throughout this season.
Wow, I like the mapping on the website, and you have it integrating with the soil composition!!! Nice job guys! Sadly, when I mapped out, I realized that I have just over 10,000sq ft of grass. No wonder I always end up needing to go back and grab more seed when I overseed my lawn!
I know it is somewhat proprietary, but what goes into this Thrive concoction? I know there are a could “local” fertilizers that can be bought here in Arizona that are specific formulations for our soils and conditions. Also, what does the code do? I assume if you purchase a kit, you get a code…does that open up special watering parameters for the fertilization?
@tmcgahey - that’s a big a** lawn!! How cool. We do support up to 12k sqft lawns, so you should be able to still purchase.
I definitely can answer some questions about the concoction. Thrive is made up of a microalgae solution that is jam-packed with nutrients that feed the natural microbiome in your soil while also improving its composition. To get real sciencey, it’s particularly useful for increasing the beneficial microbes that attach to your plant roots as an extension, creating a symbiotic relationship between the two AND changes your soil to make it more clumpy, improving water and nutrient retention. It’s pretty cool tech, used exclusively in agriculture for the past ten years, so we are excited to bring it to our users.
I would be curious to hear more about that local fertilizer they sell in AZ. I will say I would guess Lawn Champion is not comprised of similar ingredients, but it should serve similar purposes just through different methods.
You do receive an activation code at purchase, and it is integrated in the app. The app guides you through properly watering the product in, but it currently does not impact your watering directly… currently.
@ChrisW - great question. We are making some assumptions there, but that assumption being incorrect won’t impact your offering.
Our local stuff isn’t anything too special (I don’t think), other than rather high Nitrogen and Potassium levels which our soils need. It’s a 21-7-14 (3-1-2) blend.
Sounds like Thrive hits on other points. Are there levels of Nitrogen, Phosphorus, or potassium in this? Just wondering if this would truly take over normal fertilizing…
Wow Christmas has arrived early this year April can’t get here any faster so I can get my sprinkler system going and try the all new product.
I like the new website update and the zone mapping look awesome I’m looking forward for more new features to come let’s go Rachio so ready for this season
Yes- I think it’s fair to say Thrive hits on other points. For a number of reasons, Thrive does not have the traditional N-P-K (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium) makeup. This is my shortened answer as to why-
We know from its use in regenerative agriculture and field studies on lawns that the microalgae in Lawn Champion will, for nearly all lawns, make them more stress and drought-resistant and need less water over time, by improving soil texture and root density. We know that the improved mycorhizal fungi biome improves the absorption of nitrogen and other macronutrients, so that you will not need to supplement as much. We know that simple regenerative lawn practices such as grasscycling are ways to naturally minimize the depletion of nitrogen, and we’re fairly confident that if your lawn is accustomed to regular applications of traditional fertilizer that there are plenty of residual nutrients in your soil for at least a year without them. We can’t promise that you will never need to add nitrogen to your soil in the future, but the thought behind this new type of lawn nutrition is that it will use whatever nitrogen is there or whatever nitrogen you add more effectively.
Does that help? This stuff is getting into the weeds (pun intended), we are still learning the best way to explain the science behind all of it, but we think it’s pretty cool so we are excited to talk to you all about it.
I have been on an organic program for over 15 years. How is this system different? Is this a system that “attaches” to the sprinkler system and is delivered as part of the watering cycle? Unfortunately, my lawn slightly exceeds your program size right now. After using your mapping function, it was calculated to be about 31K Sq. ft. Looks promising.
This is free? When I try to check it out it says it’s free, I add it to my cart, but then my cart says it’s empty when I click on the cart. Tried 2 different browsers, from a computer and my phone. I’m confuzzled.
Uhoh! Unfortunately not free we’ve identified a small bug on the site and are working on a fix. Will give you an update as soon as we have one. Sorry about that!
Really interesting. Living on the shore of a large lake I worry about runoff as nitrogen levels in the lake and downstream continue to rise. This would seem to be a very responsible step in he right direction, no? Separate question: Does Rachio have or support a fertilizer injection attachment, and will Thrive work with this type of system?
! We’ve been working so hard on this project and are very excited to finally bring it to you.
we’ve identified a small bug on the site and are working on a fix. Will give you an update as soon as we have one. Sorry about that!
