Magnum 357 Calibre is a new technology advanced water management tool. Combining three different surfactant technologies it provides even spreading over turf surface, efficient water penetration and water holding capacity through the use of reverse block co-polymers to help cure hydrophobic soils.

Research & Development

Research has been a major factor in the improvement and increased use of wetting agents. Indigrow has been at the forefront of this research, leading to high quality products which utilise the latest triple – surfactant technologies and market leading highly concentrated penetrants.

What is Water Repellency?

As soils dry out, hydrophobic compounds polymerize and water repellency increases.  Once a critically low moisture content is reached, soils shift from wettable to non-wettable, impacting infiltration and unsaturated flow in affected soils.

Water Repellency Testing

Using the ‘Molar Ethanol Droplet (MED) Test’ developed by King, 1981, we tested the water repellency of the soil. We compared a control soil with that of Magnum 357 Calibre and a market leading competitor’s product. A soil was chosen from a golf course known to have severe problems with hydrophobic soils and water penetration.

Using a dropping pipette, a number of drops of the lowest concentration (0.1 M) water/ethanol mix was placed on the surface and the time taken for these to penetrate noted. The strength of the solution was increased in steps of 0.1 M until the droplet passed into the soil in less than 5 seconds.

Assessments

When using the MED test the scale used ranges from 0 M > 4 M, with 0 M indicating highest permeability and 4 M highest hydrophobicity. The control soil scored 3.5 M confirming that it was highly hydrophobic. Individual trays of the soil were then treated with the two wetting agents at recommended rates of application and the MED test repeated after 24 hours.

Results

24 hours after treatment, the test was repeated and the soils which had received Magnum 357 Calibre and the market leader were able to be penetrated with pure water without the addition of ethanol in under 5 seconds and hence scored zero on the scale. The treated soils were left for 7 days and the test repeated. Again, both wetting agents scored zero. Magnum 357 Calibre is therefore as effective as the market leader in curing soil hydrophobicity and allowing water penetration, even on root zone types which are known to be very resistant to water movement.

Trials

The photos below show our real world trials using Magnum 357 Calibre and Magnum Forty Four. The left hand image shows the green before treatment, and the right hand image shows the greens after receiving a targeted wetting agent programme comprising of Magnum 357 Calibre and Magnum Forty Four, along with Indigrow Solar foliar feeds over a 6 month period.

Further trials are currently underway in Australia, comparing plots treated with Magnum 357 Calibre, the market leading product (Product R) and an untreated control area.