Soil Surfactants for Improved Turf Quality

With spring finally giving way to summer heat and drought conditions appearing across much of the Midwest, pump stations, wells, and irrigation systems are being pushed to their limits as water shortages start to occur.

Now is a great time to look at your water management practices and see how you can best use your water and irrigation systems effectively. Soil surfactants/wetting agents are one of the best ways to use your water and irrigation systems more efficiently and get the most out of the water you use.

Here at Advanced Turf Solutions, we have some of the best soil surfactants available on the market. Soil surfactants/wetting agents are broken into two categories: infiltration and hydration products. These surfactants can be sprayed, spread, or injected.

An infiltration surfactant penetrates the surface and moves water down through the soil profile. It reduces evaporation and runoff and moves water through the rootzone. Infiltration surfactants can also move soil-active pesticides into hard-to-penetrate soils.

HydroPak Aqueous is a straight infiltration surfactant that will reduce the surface tension of water, move water through and into the rootzone, and improve water quality. This product can be injected through your irrigation system or sprayed at 32 ounces per acre, as needed. 

A hydration surfactant will hold water in the upper part of the rootzone soil profile rather than moving it through the rootzone. HydroPak Matador is a straight hydration surfactant that maintains moisture levels and produces uniform hydration in the rootzone. It is a great product to aid in new seedling germination. Apply this product at two to four ounces per thousand square feet every two to four weeks.

The HydroPak line includes a combination of infiltration and hydration surfactants. To get the maximum effectiveness out of these products, start in late spring before surface tension and localized dry spots occur, and reapply on a monthly basis. HydroPak Infiltrip and HydroPak Percolate are two combination products that contain both infiltration and hydration surfactants.

HydroPak Infiltrip has a 40/60 ratio of hydration/infiltration. Infiltrip moves more water and holds less, which is good in tight native soils. It can be injected at 32 ounces per acre or sprayed at 2.5–5 ounces per thousand square feet every two to four weeks.

HydroPak Percolate has a 20/80 ratio of infiltration/hydration and can be used across a wide range of soil types. It helps to prevent localized dry spots while providing uniform soil moisture. Percolate is excellent for providing a firm putting surface. Apply monthly at five ounces per thousand square feet. 

For smaller areas, Vivax 10G is a granular product that contains both infiltration and hydration surfactants and can be used on a wide range of soils and turf types. It is applied at 3.5 pounds per thousand square feet.

For those who do a lot of hand watering, a hose end applicator can be used with our HydroPak and Vivax tabs. These products are great for rewetting localized dry spots and can also be used on a wide range of soil and turf types.

The photo below is from a customer who applied a wetting agent on his fairways. You can see where he turned around on the approach in front of the green, came back to spray more of the approach, and missed some spots. It’s obvious where he missed, which demonstrates that wetting agents indeed work when accurately applied.

Your Advanced Turf Solutions representative can help you choose which soil surfactant will work best for your situation.

Dan Shemon
Sales Representative