Wetting Agents For Marijuana

Cannabis wetting agentsI use dishwashing soap as a way to break the surface tension in water. It seems to make it “wetter” for easier absorption into the soil. I water the marijuana plants by hand and use only organic soil and nutrients. What’s your opinion on using wetting agents and detergents?

Soap and detergent both have a “wetting agent” that breaks the surface tension of the water. Rather than beading on the soil, the water is absorbed by the planting medium. In general, wetting agents used at the same time the planting mix is first being watered. The planting medium usually accepts water easily after that. If you want to keep your project organic, be sure to use an organic wetting agent. You can find many different organic products made specifically for horticultural use. It’s definitely better to use one of these if you use wetting agents routinely.

Robert

Very good question.
I personally do not use any wetting agents. I just pre-water my plants before any fertilizers are used. As your soil dries the surface tension increases and if you notice what happens, the liquid you first introduce can drain off and leak out without even passing through the soil. Straight run off. The way I handle this is to hand water the plants before I apply any fertilizer or soil based treatments to the plant. If you make sure the soil is moist, the application of fertilizer will be taken up by the soil not just run off into waist.

Yucca extract, or aloe vera juice are good organic wetting agents from what I hear. I wish I could speak from experience, but I cant. This should not be a big problem if you don’t let your plants get too dry. It is a fine line between over watering and letting the plants dry out to much. I try to water every day. but making sure not to over water. I know that sounds like two different extremes, but it is just a balancing act. A good system is to water 1 day, fertilize the next day, and let them dry out the next day. I just cant stay away for that day. I tend to water lightly on the first day, just keeping the soil moist. Fertilize the second day, then try to water very lightly the third day, most of that is via foliage spray.

Happy growing

Scooter