8/18/2022 - By JJ Jansen

With everything going on right now, you might be asking yourself, “How can I cut costs without cutting corners?”

Well, one way might be with wetting agents. There are a lot of different wetting agents on the market right now, and although we could spend hours talking about how each one does or doesn’t perform for you, we won’t do that here.

Regardless of the specific wetting agent, the goal is always the same; to maximize the impact of your irrigation by allowing your turf and soil to utilize water more efficiently. It seems pretty simple, but realistically there are a lot of other factors that contribute to how well you meet that goal, beyond just the product itself. Cultural practices (aerification, topdressing, verticutting), soil type, green profile and simple watering practices all go hand in hand with the success, or failure, of implementing wetting agents.

Also, as with most things in turf management, the exact formula for success with wetting agents will be unique to each individual situation. What works for you may or may not work for your neighbor down the street. 

Here at Harrell’s, we have a few different options to choose from depending on your situation and location. Two of our products, Fleet® and Symphony®, contain our exclusive HydrOtecH® technology. This multi-functional technology increases wetting agent performance and delivers consistent, predictable results no matter what soil, plants or weather conditions exist. This innovative chemistry is a combination of three different soil and water management features:

• HydrOtecH® is a multi-branch molecular structure that has six to eight times more activity sites than other traditional wetting agents.

• HydrOtecH® has a hydrophobic coating remover that addresses one of the primary causes of soil and water repellency and may provide improved water management efficiency.

• HydrOtecH® has a water conditioning agent that buffers tank mix pH and may reduce the negative impacts of soil bicarbonates.

For small areas that are repelling water (i.e. mounds, slopes, or bunker faces) Harrell’sHydroMAX® also has three different types of wetting agent pellets that are dispersed through an applicator including RootMax Pellets and CP pellets. For larger areas, we also have our Hydro-Cure SuperMax pellets that are designed to be used for inserting into an irrigation wet well for large acreage applications.

So, think about incorporating wetting agents into your routine if you don’t already, but remember to consider all the different factors that could affect the efficacy of the wetting agent on your turf before diving in. Whether it is Fleet®, Symphony®, Hydro-90®, Hydro-Cure® or Hydro-Inject®, your local Harrell’s representative can help you to determine which wetting agent is the best fit for your unique situation.