Green grows the grass

Bald patches on a lawn or golf course are a nuisance that Milliken, a company based in Spartanburg in South Carolina, believes it can solve (WO 03/053129). It says the culprit is humus, the organic component of soil formed when plant and animal matter decays. Humus contains a mix of acids, called humic acid, which reacts with sand in the soil to create a waxy water-repellent material that stops water soaking into the earth. The effect isn’t noticeable until a dried-out bald patch appears on a lawn. The patented cure is a mix of potassium sebacate and potassium adipate. This…