Wetting Agent – Lawn Test

November 11, 2007 Ben Garden

Did you know that growing lawn is the worlds largest agricultural practice?
It is also the most useless form of agriculture, as it is the least profitable?
Lawn also consumes a large percentage of the water that is used in gardens around the world.

I live in a sub-tropical environment in Australia, the climate varys from being hot and dry, hot and wet and cold and dry. The hot and wet period only lasts around 3 months of the year, so that leaves me with 9 months of keeping my grass reasonably green.

In about September I purchased a bag of wetting agent from the local garden centre, not the water crystals but an actual wetting agent that takes the meniscus off the water and makes it penetrate into the soil easier (or so the packet says!)

I conducted a test on my front lawn, and now wish I did not.

As can be seen in the photo, the lawn at the top did not get any wetting agent, the lawn at the bottom did. Both areas got the same amount of water from the same sprinkler.

Conclusion: Use a $10 bag of wetting agent on your lawn to make your water go further.

lawn care, watering lawn, wetter, wetting agent