Adjuvants are designed to increase the safety and effectiveness of a lawn care treatment, and they include a wide class of products from buffering agents that are used when water pH is not ideal, to penetrants that allow a product to work through the thick gel of a plant or down into the turf canopy. Adjuvants are most often used with post-emergent herbicides that require foliar penetration for efficacy.
Here are a few main classes of adjuvants and how they work:
Wetting agents: Helps wettable powders mix with water
Spreaders: Allows products to form a uniform coating layer
Stickers: Prevents product “roll-off” and helps to stick on a plant or turf
Penetrants: Helps product penetrate through the thick gel of a plant
Anti-foaming agents: Reduce foam in sprays that require vigorous agitation
Emulsifiers: Aid in mixing petroleum-based products with water (invert emulsifiers do the opposite)