Detergents reduce the surface tension of water, allowing it to enter a smaller diameter tube, so it would help in this case, whether it wet the tube or not. On Thu, Mar 25, 2021 at 8:58 PM rrodich--- via pbs < pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> wrote: > Robin says: > Judy's reply regarding snipping off tops to allow herbicide to go into > tubes of leaves is so sensible, I can hardly wait to try it! I'll also use > a few drops of detergent as a sticker.Perhaps someone with technical > knowledge can weigh in, but I'm not sure adding soap or detergent will help > as a surfactant with Round Up. Glyphosate likes to latch on to > particulates so tightly, that it renders the chemical "inactive" for > plants. This is why it is recommended never to use dirty water, and use as > clean water as possible to mix it. Since soaps and detergents molecules > have both polarized ends and a non-polarized ends, logically it would seem > that they could latch on to glyphosate quite easily, whatever the bonding > mode may be, and render the Round Up less active (?). In addition, if > applying to a cut surface, there is no waxy coating to overcome in plant > sap. What would be the purpose of an additional surfactant, on top of a > surfactant already in the product that is made specifically > to work with active ingredient? This is only what I consider sound > conjecture on my part. Comments? Rick RodichJust west of Minneapolis, MN, > where ramps don't mind a south facing hillside, as long as spring moisture > is ample. > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net > http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… > Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net> > _______________________________________________ pbs mailing list pbs@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net http://lists.pacificbulbsociety.net/cgi-bin/… Unsubscribe: <mailto:pbs-unsubscribe@lists.pacificbulbsociety.net>