Surfactant Soil Treatment
Surfactants help water permeate the soil. A surfactant is any material that substantially reduces the surface tension of water when used in very low concentrations. Surfactants are used in numerous products and are one of the most important ingredients in many household maintenance products. Surfactants increase the wetting and cleaning properties of household cleaners. Several agrochemical formulations, including commercial herbicides and pesticides, contain surfactants.
Common Household Surfactants
Common household dishwashing detergent will promote water penetration into the soil. However, the effect is short-lived, no more than a few days.
Many organic gardeners will add a few drops of organic dishwashing soap or organic baby shampoo to rainwater and use this mixture to hand-water garden plants in sandy or porous soils. In garden soils where it is difficult to get the soil to retain water, organic soap, added as a surfactant, causes the water molecules to "stick," or adhere, to the soil particles, increasing the amount of moisture absorbed by the plant roots.
Dishwashing detergents, acting as surfactants or wetting agents, may enhance water movement into and through the soil. However, some detergents can burn the soil and damage plants, so use only a small amount of a biodegradable, organic soap. Mix 2 tablespoons of baby shampoo or mild soap to 5 gallons of water and apply to the base of plants.
Soil Conditioning
Many home gardeners have problems with the quality of their soil. Some soils may be full of clay, or too sandy, too wet or too dry. Cultivating organic soil conditioner to depth of 8 to 12 inches into the soil helps to make nutrient-rich soil out of the poorest dirt.
Surfactants are added to many commercial organic soil-conditioning products to aid in providing more uniform application of the product and to help the product move into the soil and provide the nutrients needed for healthy plant growth.
Surfactants In Commercial Gardening Formulations
Many commercial farm fertilizers are encased in a surfactant "halo" that isolates the essential plant nutrients and ensures that they do not migrate into groundwater when introduced to the soil.
Surfactants are widely used in herbicide formulations. The Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Arizona reports, "When added to a pesticide, a surfactant reduces the surface tension between two unlike materials, such as a spray film and a solid surface. For example, by adding a surfactant to a sprayer, oil and water will mix and can be sprayed on plant surfaces. With increasing emphasis on safe application of pesticides, such factors as droplet size, spray pattern, and pesticide drift have focused more attention on surfactants to give ideal coverage for pesticides."
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