Surfactants help water bind to soil.
They improve water penetration and water distribution in turf areas exhibiting stress caused by water repellency. Soil water repellency manifests itself in a variety of ways, most obviously in the reduction of infiltration rates of water. In addition, the uniform distribution of turf management chemicals is disrupted. Water repellency can develop in varying degrees, at any time from six to 18 months after the initial construction of the greens, and does not result from any particular turf management practice. While there appear to be several causes of the organic coating, including micro-organisms and fungal hyphea, one of the primary causes of water repellency is simply a consequence of the breakdown of organic substances, a natural process that occurs in all soils.