From what I've read and my limited experience with Petra and EZ Wet, liquid aerators seem best to help with hydrophobic soils. I have a few areas of my lawn that seem to stay wet days after irrigation or rain. Applying these products and then maintaining regular irrigation between rain has helped me reduce wet areas and disease in those areas. Conversely, I had a few areas that would dry out in the heat of the day mid summer. The polymer in those areas cut down on the need for a mid day spritz to keep the turf from drying out. I am still experimenting so take it for what it's worth. I have my doubts with other claims of reducing overall soil compaction.

 

I agree with @bmac1996acc on doubting the reduction of actual soil compaction from liquid aeration but couldn't put the words together to say it nicely. A lot of the liquid aeration products are just glorified wetting agents. I'm of the mindset that nothing beats actually physically removing cores for a proper aeration. It's call air-ation for a reason. Airflow is just as important as resolving compaction when it comes to water management and disease prevention.

 

same time 😆 , lol

 

Like what Bmac kinda said,

From my understanding, liquid aerators are not aerators. They are mostly wetting agents, helping water pull through the soil profile. Calling them aerators is mostly marketing imo.

While I think there has been some talk of molasses, beer, and many other things and chemicals being sprayed on the lawn to encourage microbial activity to improve the lawns soil structure and other stuff, there not commonly used by golf courses or by the best lawns on this forum. If they work, thery're quite marginal in the scheme of things.

If your lawn is compacted, id just aerate it. If your lawn has water issues, id focus on improving the infrastructural drainage and irrigation practices, and lastly consider wetting agents.

 

liquid aerification = snake oil. Just out of curiosity, what does their mechanical aerification process cost, and what does their "liquid aerification" cost? You can "liquid aerify" your own yard for the cost of a sprayer and a wetting agent of your choice.

 

I used this "Air8" but wouldn't say I recommend it. It was only $20 or so, and I tried it after moving into a new house. Obviously it's a less labor-intensive option and chemical aerators (or any ammonium lauryl sulfate) should only be used when soil compaction is mild, which is usually not the case if you're looking at aerating imo.

 

 

I will be using this wetting agent with my insecticide rotation this year, but also plan on some stand alone applications. At a 2 - 5 oz. / 1000 sq. ft. use rate, I think this product is at a good price point.

 

I have used wetting agents in the past, but I do not know if they worked or not. It may have but I did not notice a visual difference in the soil or turf.

The only thing I have noticed immediate results in areas with compaction or drainage issues is to use manual methods such as aerating and adding sand and fixing the flow of runoff water with drains.

It appeared to show a result in my dry areas by allowing those areas to retain wetness longer, but I cannot say that with 100% certainty.

There are a million different types of wetting agents- they may work, but I'm not 100% convinced they work in my lawn .

 

I have used wetting agents in the past, but I do not know if they worked or not. It may have but I did not notice a visual difference in the soil or turf.

The only thing I have noticed immediate results in areas with compaction or drainage issues is to use manual methods such as aerating and adding sand and fixing the flow of runoff water with drains.

It appeared to show a result in my dry areas by allowing those areas to retain wetness longer, but I cannot say that with 100% certainty.

There are a million different types of wetting agents- they may work, but I'm not 100% convinced they work in my lawn .

the hard part is finding the right WA and then finding the right rate...during this el nino winter we were using a 100% pusher to help remove any canopy moisture - weekly w/ Fleet @ 2oz/m...now when summer rolls around, we make a pass around our putting greens using Symphony - a 100% holder - to help alleviate any wicking / dry spots on our larger mounds. They have some WA that are 75% pusher and 25% holder...50/50, you name it. determining what you want it to do is step 1. not all WA are the same.

 

I'm a fan of real wetting agents personally. I had been using the liquid Tournament Ready as I had a gotten a good deal on it in the past but last year I switched to Medalist as it's a little bit more affordable and you can get free shipping from R&R over $150 so I would just add a pellet or two of Tournament Ready or H2O Maximizer to get free shipping. I have found that applying it monthly does help with water penetration and distribution. The soil tends to accept water easier and will get distributed more evenly. I also have the Pellet Pro gun and usually use that for any hot spots I might get in the lawn during the Summer. I have found spraying the few dry spots I might get with the TR Pellets will help it recover in just a day or two and I can extend my irrigation cycles since the whole lawn doesn't really need watering. I also have an EZ-FLO that I bought years ago for some other purpose but now just use it to inject a little bit of H2O Maximizer into the irrigation water to help, I just meltdown a pellet in the EZ-FLO and it lasts a month or two. I only use it because I have the EZ-FLO and figure why not as they aren't that expensive.

 

I took like the results from the TR gun and pellets. It’s been a good thing during some hot summers and my hot spots with debris under the yard.

liquid aeration though- fake.

 

As a professional applicator and business owner that uses both Air8 and wetting agents for 6 plus years they are completely different products serving different needs within the soil. You won't find this data from a university study, primarily due to no one wants to pay for it. Turf science is the basic of science as we know it, but the testing parameters are governed by the payer of the products. So what your reading is a test paid by the manufacture who controls the scope of the testing. Here are my observations, liquid aeration; it is not a substitute for mechanical aeration the pulling of plugs. Liquid aeration alone is not best used at time of seeding to improve seed to soil contact. We utilize Air8 on the first and last application of every lawn each year, in addition we use Air8 in conjunction with mechanical aeration. Mechanical aeration is a destructive process, and makes a huge mess, not to mention collateral damage that can occur to unmarked valve boxes, invisible dog wire, cable, internet, fiber optic, and legacy phone wires all buried to shallow and not consistent with best demonstrated practices or code. I can't speak for my customers lawns as I am not there to witness rain events, but my observations are that i can handle about a 3 inch rain before any puddling or run off occurs. This is not the case for my neighbors most often 3/4 inch and they have standing water, even that statement has a disclaimer depending on how fast the rain is falling. I have 4 types of Bermuda Land run, Astro, Monaco, and common, I have buffalo grass, Kentucky Blue Grass, Fescue and rye, and Kentucky 31. Wetting agents for our clients are not commonly used, those that due are for the following reasons. Reduced water bill, poor irrigation systems. We use wetting agents on all seeding applications. I would not sell liquid aeration as a substitute for mechanical aeration unless we have had issues with unmarked valves or wiring problems or if the customers did not want to see plugs or some of the mess that goes along with mechanical aeration. However liquid aeration is much cheaper than mechanical. One application of Air8 will make little to no difference but over time makes a difference. Changing soil structure is a long term goal, not an instant result. My degree in turf is from the school of hard work over a lifetime, they don't teach that at any school.

 

Why don't you advertise the product as a wetting agent to your customers and not liquid aeration? Its 100% a scam from the manufacturer and those that peddle the "liquid aeration" service to their customers. Turfgrass Epistemology did cover a peer reviewed research article from a top tier journal that showed this particular product provided the same results as not applying anything at all.

 

some liquid aerators are really cheap. So despite my doubts on their effectiveness, I do treat my lawn twice a year with it. Seems to help but I have no real evidence.