How a Coco-Wet Wetting Agent Changes a Foliar Spray
Water beads on a waxy leaf, and a droplet that beads has almost no contact area to absorb through. This is the product that fixes that, and the mechanism is surface tension rather than chemistry. Being non-ionic matters more than it sounds. With no ionic charge it will not bind to charged nutrient ions in the tank, so a foliar feed stays available. The rate is half a teaspoon per gallon of finished spray. Spray-N-Grow put the 8 oz bottle at 384 quarts treated, which is 96 gallons, and the same arithmetic takes the gallon container past 1,500 gallons of spray. Shelf life is quoted at four years, or until the solution turns cloudy, whichever comes first. It is made in the USA.
Where an Organic Wetting Agent Helps and Where It Does Not
Anything sprayed on a leaf benefits from it. Micronutrient feeds, foliar calcium, oil-based fungicides and biological sprays all cover more leaf and dry more evenly with a surfactant in the tank. There is a second use that most people miss. Mixed into plain water and applied to the medium, it helps a dry substrate accept water again. Without it, water channels straight down the side of the pot, which is a real problem in coco that has dried back too far. There are two cautions worth stating. More is not better, and an overdosed tank can leave a film that traps heat against the leaf under strong light. And a surfactant carries whatever is in the tank deeper into the tissue, so anything phytotoxic becomes more phytotoxic, not less. Test a few leaves before committing a whole room. It adds nothing nutritionally on its own, which is the point rather than a failing.
Key Features
- Type: Non-ionic, so it will not bind to charged nutrients in the tank
- Rate: Half a teaspoon per gallon of finished spray solution
- Coverage, 8 oz: Treats 384 quarts, which works out at 96 gallons of spray
- Coverage, 1 gallon: Somewhere past 1,500 gallons of finished spray
- Second use: Mixed into plain water it helps rewet a dried-out medium
- Shelf life: Four years, or until the solution turns cloudy
- Origin: Manufactured in the United States
- Caution: Overdosing can leave a film that traps heat against the leaf
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Brand | Spray-N-Grow |
| Type | Non-ionic wetting agent and spreader |
| Rate | 1/2 tsp per gallon of spray solution |
| 8 oz SKU | 732000, treating about 96 gallons, barcode 833468007898 |
| 1 gallon SKU | 732002, treating about 1,536 gallons, barcode 833468004446 |
| Nutritional value | None, it is a spreader rather than a feed |
| Shelf life | 4 years, or until the solution becomes cloudy |
| Origin | Made in the USA |
| Compatible with | Foliar feeds, oil sprays and biological applications |
| Soil use | Mixed into plain water to help rewet dry media |
| Ionic charge | None, which is what keeps nutrients available |
| Storage | Discard once the solution has gone cloudy |