A few years back I wrote a small piece on the benefits of using detergent as a surfactant or spreader/sticker for herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers. Since then I’ve discovered a few other worthy uses for detergent in lawn and garden.

Before I recap what a surfactant is, I want to make sure you notice that I’m referring to detergent and not soap. There is a difference. Detergents generally have a healthy breakdown, less build up, and have phosphates which are good for your plants.

A surfactant?

A surfactant is a widely used agricultural agent that, when properly mixed with liquid fertilizers and such, helps the chemical to spread more evenly and thoroughly over the plants. This in turn means that you have to use less chemicals because they’re more efficient. The chemicals spread over every part of the entire plant and do their job much better. So you save money and the environment by using less.

Adding a few drops of liquid dish or laundry detergent to your spray fertilizers and such will do the same exact thing for just pennies per application. A quarter to half a teaspoon per gallon of mix. That’s all it takes.

More uses of detergent in lawn and garden.

If you’ve ever tried to wet down dried out peat moss or potting soil that refuses to take on moisture, you’ll appreciate this. A drop or two of liquid detergent in your water will do the trick.

Have a hardpan lawn surface that refuses to accept moisture? You guessed it. Except this time, use a about a teaspoon per gallon through a hose end sprayer. The detergent will break the surface tension of the soil allowing water to soak in.

This is just a quick fix that you can repeat as needed. However, a hardpan soil is a sign that your lawn, garden, or soil needs some serious organic attention.

Until my next gardening wisdom discovery.....

Written by Steve Boulden. Steve is the creator of The Landscape Design Site which offers free professional landscaping advice, tips, plans, and ideas to do it yourselfers and homeowners. For more free landscaping and gardening advice, visit his site at http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com/landscapeideasgallery.html

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