What are media surfactants?
Media surfactants (wetting agents, penetrants, wetters) describe a group of chemical products which aid in the wetting and movement of water in growing media. These detergent-like products work by lowering the surface tension of water and media particles so that wetting is uniform and effective. Without uniform wetting, irrigation water tends to move through the larger pores in the media (or the sides of the pot) where it is subject to downward gravitational forces. This in turn leads to increase leaching and reduced irrigation efficiency. By improving penetration, wetting, and water movement, media surfactants can increase the effective wetting area in containers thereby increasing irrigation efficiency. The fact that commercial container media are typically treated with media surfactants is evidence for their value in media performance. The relative importance of media surfactants in plant production often increases under conditions where media dries out between irrigation applicatio
