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Spray adjuvant
Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant for Herbicides (16 oz) Review
★★★★☆ 4.3/5
our editor rating how we score4.6/5 from 17,878 shoppers at Amazon — their number, not ours.
$11–$15 (16 oz)
Typical price · Hundreds of gallons of spray solution
Affiliate links — see our disclosure. Commissions never influence verdicts.
The cheapest way to make a herbicide actually reach a waxy leaf — which is exactly why wild violet resists ordinary sprays.
Our Verdict
A surfactant is not a herbicide and will not kill anything on its own. What it does is break surface tension so the spray wets the leaf instead of beading off — and Penn State's explanation for poor wild violet control is a thick, waxy cuticle that interferes with herbicide uptake. On glossy-leaved weeds this $12 bottle can matter more than switching products. Check your herbicide label first: some already contain a surfactant, and adding more can injure turf.
✅ Pros
- Addresses the exact reason wild violet resists herbicide — uptake, not chemistry
- Very low cost per application
- Works with most selective lawn herbicides that call for an adjuvant
- A little goes a long way; one bottle lasts seasons
⚠️ Cons
- Kills nothing by itself — it is an additive, not a treatment
- Some herbicides already include a surfactant; doubling up can burn turf
- Always follow the herbicide label rather than this bottle's own rate
- No benefit on grassy weeds with narrow, easily-wetted blades
Product type
Spray adjuvant
Active ingredient
Non-ionic surfactant blend
Price range
$11–$15 (16 oz)
Coverage
Hundreds of gallons of spray solution
Best for
Waxy-leaved weeds like wild violet, where the spray beads off
our editor rating
4.3 out of 5
Where our facts come from
Correctly carries no EPA registration
Adjuvants, dyes, devices and minimum-risk products are not registered pesticides, so an empty registration number here is right rather than missing.
What we found when we read it
Correctly carries no EPA registration number: a spray adjuvant is not a pesticide under FIFRA and is not registered, which is also why it makes no pesticidal claim. The weed names in `targets` are our own relevance mapping (where a surfactant changes the outcome), not label claims — a surfactant targets nothing.
Where this page and the container disagree, the container wins — the label is the legal authority on rates and restrictions. How to read one yourself.
Where This Product Matters
Matched against each state's actual disease, weed and pest pressure.
Illinois
Illinois hub →Wild violet
Indiana
Indiana hub →Wild violet
Maryland
Maryland hub →Wild violet
Michigan
Michigan hub →Wild violet
New York
New York hub →Wild violet
North Carolina
North Carolina hub →Wild violet
Ohio
Ohio hub →Wild violet
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania hub →Wild violet
West Virginia
West Virginia hub →Wild violet
Common questions
Common Questions
How much does Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant for Herbicides (16 oz) cost?
Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant for Herbicides (16 oz) typically runs $11–$15 (16 oz), covering Hundreds of gallons of spray solution.
What does Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant for Herbicides (16 oz) treat?
Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant for Herbicides (16 oz) targets Wild violet, Waxy-leaved broadleaf weeds, Improving herbicide coverage.
What is the active ingredient in Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant for Herbicides (16 oz)?
Non-ionic surfactant blend.
What is the biggest downside of Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant for Herbicides (16 oz)?
Kills nothing by itself — it is an additive, not a treatment
Does Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant kill Wild violet?
Yes — the label for Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant lists Wild violet, and we rate it 4.3/5 for that job. Our verdict above says what earned the rating and where the limits are.
Does Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant kill Waxy-leaved broadleaf weeds?
Yes — the label for Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant lists Waxy-leaved broadleaf weeds, and we rate it 4.3/5 for that job. Our verdict above says what earned the rating and where the limits are.
Does Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant kill Improving herbicide coverage?
Yes — the label for Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant lists Improving herbicide coverage, and we rate it 4.3/5 for that job. Our verdict above says what earned the rating and where the limits are.
Where can I read the label for Southern Ag Non-Ionic Surfactant?
The label is linked from this page. It is the legal document, so anything here that disagrees with it is wrong.
Real feedback
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