[Foot Flyer]

Dawn for decades now. Also, I'm a pharmacist and chemist, so these are things I know about. All soaps are "antibacterial" in a basic marketing sense, but in the sense that they knock bacteria off of your skin through a physical mechanism. Alcohol is an excellent defoaming agent. I also use laundry detergent with excellent results, but it just takes more and doesn't foam up as bad.

 

[Chaplain88]

+1 same

At the risk of sounding stupid; what is NIS? Sorry

 

[bmac1996acc]

At the risk of sounding stupid; what is NIS? Sorry

non-ionic surfactant

 

[Lawn dart]

Use dawn and dont listen to ignorant people on the internet. Opinions non solicited are from very ignorant people. If you have propylene glycol the so called bio friendly non poisonous antifreeze, that works great too.

I am taking the Dawn route also. Too many actual professionals state it’s the way. Do you know how long you wait before your dog can go in the grass?

 

[theycallmePops]

One 🤖 to another?

 

[Bingbango]

I always use Dawn in my non selective mix. I have great success spraying Celcius and Certainty with out any surfactant, so I will continue not including any.

 

[crmudgn]

Setting the record straight on Dawn being "anti-bacterial" and therefore not a recommended soap. This, from Google AI:

"No, most Dawn dish soaps are not antibacterial. They are designed to remove grease and grime from dishes, but they do not contain ingredients that kill bacteria. However, there is an exception: Dawn Ultra Antibacterial Dish Soap does contain an antibacterial agent, chloroxylenol. This soap is specifically formulated to kill bacteria on dishes and hands."

 

[GCoco]

Old post but to add to the comments. Manufacturers almost always specify non-ionic surfactant Because that is what works best to improve efficacy of the herbicide.

Most dish soaps are ionic surfactants. Ionic surfactants can potentially interfere with the herbicide's active ingredients and reduce its effectiveness.

A quart of NIS is less than $20, so saving a few nickels compared to the hundreds spend on chemicals doesn’t make sense.

 

[kclinebcfd]

IT works fine! I've used it to treat NFL, MLB, USTA, and National Croquet courts. Never had a problem, never had any issues! Never had any yellowing issues~! That being written, there were mixes I did not use it with, such as FAS applications.

 

[kclinebcfd]

Just had a quick chat with the independent lawn treatment guy that treats some of the lawns in my community. Just talking lawn stuff.

I asked him about surfactants when spraying herbicides. He said I'd be fine saving my money and just using Dawn dish soap. And he emphasized I use the Dawn brand and not a knock off.

So what's the low down on a legit product labeled as a surfactant vs Dawn?

IT works fine!
I've used it to treat NFL, MLB, USTA, and National Croquet courts.
Never had a problem, never had any issues! Never had any yellowing issues~!
That being written, there were mixes I did not use it with, such as FAS applications.

 

[GCoco]

Based upon the following information one can conclude that not all pesticides can be used with Dawn. Experimentation will allow you to determine what works for you. Also it’s stated that Dawn will not work well as a surfactant with hard water. Also Dawn can cause foaming.

Here is a list of Dawn ingredients —

Here is an article explaining what type of surfactant the two main ingredients are —-

From Grease to Gleaming: Understanding the Active Ingredients in Dishwashing Liquid -

Discover the active ingredients in dishwashing liquid and their functions. Learn about anionic, nonionic, and amphoteric surfactants for spotless dishes.

yeserchem.com

And here is an article from FBN anout using different surfactants —-

Surfactants 101: Understanding the Extras in Your Tank Mix

Learn what a surfactant is, how it works, when to use it for agriculture sprays, and how to choose the right one for your needs.

www.fbn.com

 

[Redtwin]

I've used baby shampoo before (SLS) but it made all my mixes super hot so I stopped. NIS and MSO are so cheap it's not worth experimenting.

 

[LIMEY]

What brand surfactant is better, AG Southern, or Liquid harvest?? They each have different formulations.... but have the same mixing ratios... Generally, 1 Tsps. per gal...

 

[Redtwin]

My NIS is Southern AG but I've also used LawnStar and have not noticed any difference. The MSO I use is Lesco brand from SiteOne.

 

[Katodude]

I am finding that adding urea to my herbicide mix seems to also act as a surfactant. Also helps smoke the weeds better.

 

[Jonny]

IT works fine! I've used it to treat NFL, MLB, USTA, and National Croquet courts. Never had a problem, never had any issues! Never had any yellowing issues~! That being written, there were mixes I did not use it with, such as FAS applications.

What is a safe and effective dose of Dawn for use on Turfgass?

 

[Butterfly23]

I’m going to use sedgehammer to try and kill horsetails but on YouTube it says to use surfactant - I’d no idea what that is but read that soap can work. Therefore my question is can I use washing up liquid or liquid hand soap? Thanks

 

[MacLawn]

@FlaDave, thanks man.

Well, the whole antimicrobial thing makes sense. But I assume no one knows for sure.

So any info on what a "legit" surfactant offers that a soap wouldn't?

Less suds:
With that said, you can always find regular dawn dish soap in my area cheap except that the cheap stores in my area that’s Ocean State job lot.
Once I started spraying a lot more.
I just bought a gallon of the 8020 surfactant from tractor supply. It is night and day less suddzy . And my little test of spraying some large waxy leaf vines. It definitely wet the leaf better

I’m always interested in what’s in stuff so I’ll often check out the MDS on any product since it’s so easy to find online now.