What’s New with Wetting Agents

What’s New with Wetting Agents

From The Turf Zone Podcast by The Turf Zone

April 17, 2026 · 5 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the latest developments in wetting agents used in turfgrass management.

Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode features the article “What’s New with Wetting Agents” written by Michael Fidanza, Ph.D., Stan Kostka, Ph.D. and Tom Malehorn Soil surfactants are commonly called “wetting agents” in the turfgrass industry, and there are many, many wetting agent products in today’s turf market. In 2012, the USGA Green Section article — Understanding the different wetting agent chemistries — advanced our understanding of these products in a logical manner. Another good article on wetting agents also appeared in the USGA Green Section — Factors to consider when developing a wetting agent program. Both of those articles and more can be found at: https://tinyurl.com/4f2v8m8r. Recently, wetting agent categories were proposed in a further attempt help the end user understand their chemical properties: https://tinyurl.com/ywyexm4x. Overall, in golf course and sports turf management, wetting agents are employed to improve infiltration, mitigate water repellency (i.e., hydrophobic conditions), and enhance hydration in soils and rootzones. Wetting agents also are useful for enhancing certain soil directed pesticides, improving flushing of excess…

People in this episode

Host: The Turf Zone

Topics covered

  • wetting agents
  • turfgrass management
  • soil surfactants
  • golf course management
  • sports turf management

Keywords

  • wetting agents
  • soil surfactants
  • turf management
  • golf courses
  • water repellency
  • hydration
  • pesticides
  • environmental conditions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: USGA Green Section

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