Thoughts on wetting agents

[Troppofoodgardener]

Are wetting agents considered 'organic'? And are they suitable for use in garden beds for growing herbs/veggies?

The wetting agent I'm referring to is in the liquid form. The type you mix with water and soak into the soil.

[rainbowgardener]

It depends on what you have. Most of them are not organic. Some are detergent like and can be harmful to existing plants/ foliage. Many are petroleum based and not organic.

I did find an allegedly organic version "eco-wet" that claims to be derived from plant materials:

https://www.multicrop.com.au/soil.htm

Wetting agents are usually used when the soil tends to repel water. Another way to deal with this is just to add lots of compost and other organic material, which will help your soil absorb water.

[Troppofoodgardener]

Good points.. I had a suspicion that that may have been the case.

The one I have at the moment is detergent-like, however quite mild compared to others I have seen in the store. I'm only using it in hanging baskets and pots at the moment.

Haven't heard of this Multicrop product you directed me to, but I think I'll stick with conventional organic gardening practices. I prefer using compost etc. anyway.

[rainbowgardener]

Use less peat in the potting mix... Peat is added to absorb water, but once it dries out it repels water and is difficult to wet, hence the wetting agent. If you you just use less peat, there should be less problem.

[applestar]

I kind of think coir would be the way to go -- and more available to folks in Australia. As highly touted as coir is as a "green" alternative to peat, I keep thinking of the distance that they're shipped to get to east coast U.S.A....

That said, I have a largish coir rug that has been shredded beyond useability by the kitties, and I'm contemplating how I might go about re-purposing it. At least one portion is ear-marked to be tacked onto the wall as a kitty scratching pad. I'm thinking of using it in an outdoor aquaponic project I have in mind too.

Sorry, this thread was supposed to be about "wetting agents"

[soil]

something like this works, or if you can find it at health food stores yucca without any nasty preservatives works as well and is cheaper( but harder to find)

https://www.arbico-organics.com/product/Therm-X-70/organic-soil-conditioners

[Troppofoodgardener]

I don't use peat, but that's interesting to note it will repel water once it breaks down.

Coir is quite readily available here. I actually bought a coir brick for my worm farm, but haven't used it yet. Could give it a try in the veggie beds too I'm all for recycling. At the moment we're using bits of old carpets to cover the ground around the veg beds to suppress weeds.

As for yucca.. they grow prolifically up here! One would think I should have no troubles getting this product. I've never seen it before though.

Thanks for all the organic alternatives peoples!

[rainbowgardener]

I don't use peat, but that's interesting to note it will repel water once it breaks down.

Not when it breaks down. Just when it dries out. Difficult to wet again.

[erlyberd]

Not sure if this helps but I'm (pretty sure) African violet growers sometimes use regular dish washing soap as a wetting agent when foliar feeding.