Hi All.
what do you all use/is anyone aware of, a good cheap wetting agent/surfactant, to use when misting/foliar feeding.
Has anyone tried soapnuts, after all they are natural, re usable, AND cheap.
Just go do some reading up on, non ionic surfactants, and then go to Wiki and check up on soap nuts, and in particular saponin, (the active ingedient were interested in, thats in the soap nut shells). Man the amount of familiar terms, (from the non ionic surfactant reading up), it seems that they are also slightly, anti microbial, anti fungal, and even a mild insecticide.
WOW, what better wetting agent could there be, and its definately hydrophilic/lipophilic, wich is a pre requisite for a surfactant.
Quote from Wikipedia. "In addition, the amphipathic nature of the class gives them activity as surfactants that can be used to enhance penetration of macromolecules such as proteins through cell membranes (Sigma-Aldrich, op. cit., and references therein).
Does that sound good or what?????????????
So, natural, cheap as chips AND re usable, and should work smashin, I'm ordering some next thing I do.
BTW, loads of places do small "testers" that only cost a Quid or so, £3 with postage.
I wont be foliar feeding for a while, but I'll post the results when I do, or if anyone else checks em out before me, lets hear the good news, (I'm pretty confident).
See Yawl.
Martian

Hi, i just got a non ionic wetting agent off ebay for £5 with free delivery....seems like a bargain to me...

I also use something called 'non-ionic wetting agent'.....I should really find out what is in it.
I got my last bottle free from the hydro shop.....bloke said nobody buys that and I'm not sure how much it is so you might as well have it.
I've even used a drop of Fairy liquid when I had nothing else.

ATB