Just got my Tenacity, and backpack sprayer. I want to put it down tomorrow to start clearing warm winter weeds ahead of seeding. However, nobody seems to sell surfactant.

Question: For a 4 gallon backpack sprayer loaded for water and Tenacity (mixed per bottle specs), can I use dish soap for surfactant this time around? How much per gallon?

Does it call for a non-ionic surfactant? If so, no, dish soap won't do.

I've never walked into a feed & farm supply store that didn't sell "Bonide Turbo Spreader Sticker".

regular old original dawn will get you through in a pinch. i have done it many times with various products, but ebay is a wonderful source for things you can find locally.

However, nobody seems to sell surfactant.

I had the same reaction as GotCrabgrass - does your definition of "nobody" translate into "neither Home Depot or Lowes"? If so, please write 100X "I will not expect first-rate results from a third-rate supplier". Then post the page(s) on your refrigerator.

While dish soap is OK for garden-variety (pun intended) herbicides, you are talking about using products like Tenacity or Certainty that have their application rates as low as Parts Per Billion. Using unknown "surfactants" can make a Success turn into a Failure too easily.

If you wanna play with the tools the big-boys play with, you gotta play the way the big-boys play.

I bet Amazon will have it, if not your local INDEPENDANT garden center.

Andy - sorry, you are correct. I should have rather stated that today, in the time that I had to get what I needed, none of the places I went to had it. That included John Deere Landscape (Lesco), Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, one local garden center, and Ace. Deere did have it, but only in huge quantities. After those places I ran out of time. I guess I was looking early in the season and most places will stock it in a couple of weeks.

I plan to buy the correct product, but for various reasons tomorrow is a good day to apply, so I need something this one time only.

I have some Jet Dry. From what I've read that is preferrable to dish soap since it won't suds up, but will break the surface tension. However, if that will chance screwing it up, then I will just apply without surfactant this time, as I will apply again at the end of February.

Tractor Supply should have had a non ionic surfactant (about a gallon) for around 15-20 bucks. Call them and have them check. Should be by the agricultural herbicides and sprayer equipment (nozzles, hoses, etc).

[ Post made via Android ]

Barley wrote:Tractor Supply should have had a non ionic surfactant (about a gallon) for around 15-20 bucks. Call them and have them check. Should be by the agricultural herbicides and sprayer equipment (nozzles, hoses, etc).

[ Post made via Android ]

That's where I got mine.

[ Post made via Android ]

I already went in person to Tractor Supply, but they were out. I can get it a number of ways (Amazon, etc.), just not for today.

No big deal - thanks everyone.

andy10917 wrote:

However, nobody seems to sell surfactant.

I had the same reaction as GotCrabgrass - does your definition of "nobody" translate into "neither Home Depot or Lowes"? If so, please write 100X "I will not expect first-rate results from a third-rate supplier". Then post the page(s) on your refrigerator.

While dish soap is OK for garden-variety (pun intended) herbicides, you are talking about using products like Tenacity or Certainty that have their application rates as low as Parts Per Billion. Using unknown "surfactants" can make a Success turn into a Failure too easily.

If you wanna play with the tools the big-boys play with, you gotta play the way the big-boys play.

Andy -

1) "I will not expect first-rate results from a third-rate supplier".
2) "I will not expect first-rate results from a third-rate supplier".
3) "I will not expect first-rate results from a third-rate supplier".
...
100) "I will not expect first-rate results from a third-rate supplier".

FYI, I now have commerical-grade non-ionic surfactant.

Atta Boy!