Wetting Agent for Peat Based Soiless Media?

[Overgrowtho]

Which wetting agent is best for a peat based soiless media?

After a bit of research, I began leaning towards using either a potassium soap base, or possibly kelp+fulvic acid in my fertigation tank.

I want to make sure the pH stays stable without adding pH up or down, as it is now (with a pH balanced nutrient salt).

 

[Herb & Suds]

Any liquid soap does pretty much the same thing although I do use a commercial wetting agent

 

[Rurumo]

I like yucca extract a lot

 

[xtsho]

Why do you even need a wetting agent to begin with?

 

[waterproof808]

I like yucca extract a lot

I use Therm X-70 yucca extract from buildasoil as a wetting agent for foliar sprays. Works really well for emulsifying neem oil also. A Little goes a long way with that stuff

 

[Overgrowtho]

Why do you even need a wetting agent to begin with?

I am using the crop scientist Dr. Bruce Bugbee's soiless media formula and his new formula calls for:

I asked them what they use for the wetting agent, and they replied: We use AquaGro 2000G.

However I can't get that here where I live, so I asked about whether I should use a liquid based one. To which they replied: that will work too.

I am leaning towards using a few drops per gallon, of a potassium soap base in my fertigation reservoir.

Hopefully it wont raise the pH much, but its like 9 on the pH scale! Any better solutions?

 

[Aeroknow]

why would you put a wetting agent in soil?
that sounds pretty dumb on it's face brother, what makes you want to add this to a soil?
you don't need coating/film tech (surface tension reduction) in soil like you do on a foliar spray

Because the peat pretty much repels water at first when dry. That’s why i rock a coco + peat based nowadays. Sick of that crusty peat.

 

[Overgrowtho]

why would you put a wetting agent in soil?
that sounds pretty dumb on it's face brother, what makes you want to add this to a soil?
you don't need coating/film tech (surface tension reduction) in soil like you do on a foliar spray

I'm not Dr. Bruce Bugbee, nor did I pay for his course yet to know all the reasoning, but he and a team of scientists determined its good to use.

 

[Overgrowtho]

Because the peat pretty much repels water at first when dry. That’s why i rock a coco + peat based nowadays. Sick of that crusty peat.

Are you saying that a bit of COCO could act as a kind of media based solid surfricant perhaps?

 

[Aeroknow]

Any liquid soap does pretty much the same thing although I do use a commercial wetting agent

Yes sir! The old dish soap works as a surfactant i would always make sure and use a non-antimicrobial one though.

 

[Aeroknow]

Are you saying that a bit of COCO could act as a kind of media based solid surfricant perhaps?

Solid surfactant hmmmm…..
Not as a surfactant but more of a soil/dirt conditioner

 

[Aeroknow]

I am using the crop scientist Dr. Bruce Bugbee's soiless media formula and his new formula calls for:
View attachment 5003590
I asked them what they use for the wetting agent, and they replied: We use AquaGro 2000G.

However I can't get that here where I live, so I asked about whether I should use a liquid based one. To which they replied: that will work too.

I am leaning towards using a few drops per gallon, of a potassium soap base in my fertigation reservoir.

Hopefully it wont raise the pH much, but its like 9 on the pH scale! Any better solutions?

Think about this for possibly adding coco into your mix:
The lime is because of the ph of peat. That lime can and will be used up especially if you water like I do. Shit loads of run off. If you also had coco in there, not only is it easier to water your plants, but the coco will be more ph stable.

 

[Overgrowtho]

Any liquid soap does pretty much the same thing although I do use a commercial wetting agent

How much do you use?

Now I have got Potassium Soap Base and I am read to drop some drops in my (salt based) fertigation reservoir. How much do I use?

Of course I want to use as much as needed to be effective as a peat wedding agent, but no more (which could risk adding to the pH).

 

[Wastei]

Yucca, H&G Drip Clean and Potassium silicate. Non ionic surfactants work but I personally rather use silicate and drip clean. Drip clean is not really a surfactant by definition but gives some of the same effects.

I don't like Yucca and non ionic surfactants because of the foaming issues in hydro.

 

[Overgrowtho]

Back on track: I have a bottle of potassium soap, because that is readily available where I live, and cheap, and I think it should get the job done for my case.

But my only question is: how much do I dare to use, per liter (as a peat wetting agent in my salt-based fertigation reservoir)? I was thinking, maybe between 1-2 tiny drops per gallon????

 

[Herb & Suds]

How much do you use?

Now I have got Potassium Soap Base and I am read to drop some drops in my (salt based) fertigation reservoir. How much do I use?

Of course I want to use as much as needed to be effective as a peat wedding agent, but no more (which could risk adding to the pH).

I use only a drop per 5 gallons

 

[Nutty sKunK]

Which wetting agent is best for a peat based soiless media?

After a bit of research, I began leaning towards using either a potassium soap base, or possibly kelp+fulvic acid in my fertigation tank.

I want to make sure the pH stays stable without adding pH up or down, as it is now (with a pH balanced nutrient salt).

If you are UK based Plant magic Bio wetter works well! Organic too

 

[DoubleAtotheRON]

This has been a problem we have faced, is that our peat based soil (C25), does have a lot of surface tension when dry, and the water/feed ends up finding the path of least resistance, and flows out the bottom via the sides mostly. I wonder if adding a drop of Joy liquid soap per 5 gallons would help with this? Doesn't seem to be as big of a problem once they are in 7 gallon pots, but when im making clones in 5 inch pots, they seem to be hard to penetrate the whole pot, and I can peek down the side of the pot after I have saturated it, and the sides are dry.

 

[m4s73r]

This has been a problem we have faced, is that our peat based soil (C25), does have a lot of surface tension when dry, and the water/feed ends up finding the path of least resistance, and flows out the bottom via the sides mostly. I wonder if adding a drop of Joy liquid soap per 5 gallons would help with this? Doesn't seem to be as big of a problem once they are in 7 gallon pots, but when im making clones in 5 inch pots, they seem to be hard to penetrate the whole pot, and I can peek down the side of the pot after I have saturated it, and the sides are dry.

Id use dawn over joy. But aloe also works as whetting agent, yucca, and my personal fav Quillaja Saponin extract. All of them work.

 

[DoubleAtotheRON]

Id use dawn over joy. But aloe also works as whetting agent, yucca, and my personal fav Quillaja Saponin extract. All of them work.

So would a drop per 3 gallons be too much?