Prices and where to buy
Wetting agent UK: what it costs and where to buy
★★★★★5-star across all platforms · 4,300+ reviews
A wetting agent in the UK costs £14.00 for 500 ml, £22.00 for 1 litre or £80.00 for 5 litres. Those are the three sizes of the Dr Forest Natural Wetting Agent, sold direct from Stockport, Greater Manchester.
Diluted at the lawn rate of one teaspoon per litre, the 500 ml bottle makes 100 litres of solution and covers 100 square metres, so it works out at 14p per square metre. A wetting agent lowers the surface tension of water so it wets soil more evenly. More on what a wetting agent actually does to soil.
Price and coverage
| Size | Price | Makes | Covers | Cost per m² |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 ml | £14.00 | 100 litres | 100 m² | 14p |
| 1 litre | £22.00 | 200 litres | 200 m² | 11p |
| 5 litre | £80.00 | 1,000 litres | 1,000 m² | 8p |
How the figures work: every row assumes the lawn rate of one teaspoon of concentrate, 5 ml, per litre of water, applied at 1 litre per square metre. So 500 ml divided by 5 ml makes 100 litres, which wets 100 m², and £14.00 over 100 m² is £0.14. Same sum: £22.00 over 200 m² is £0.11, £80.00 over 1,000 m² is £0.08. Coverage is per pass, and published field programmes reapplied every 14 to 30 days through the season, so repeat passes cost proportionally more.
Is it worth buying at all
If water soaks into your soil normally, a wetting agent has no job to do and the money is better spent elsewhere. It earns its place where the surface has gone water-repellent, so water beads up or runs off while the top few centimetres stay dry. Even then, expect more even wetting rather than more stored water, an effect only 25 to 50 mm deep, and repellency that comes back: we went through what the field trials found, and where they fall short.
Where to buy
Direct from this site is the simplest route. Every bottle is made and packed by hand in Stockport, Greater Manchester, and dispatched from there. The same product is listed on Amazon UK and eBay UK if you would rather use a marketplace you already have an account with.
On the garden centre and DIY question: those retailers do carry lawn-focused wetting agents, though they stock them seasonally and the shelf varies by branch. We cannot tell you what any particular store is holding, so if you have a specific product in mind, ordering direct is usually the shorter path.
What you are paying for
The concentrate is made with organic ingredients: organic Indian soap nuts, Sapindus mukorossi, and freeze-dried aloe vera concentrate at 200:1. It is blended by hand in small batches in Stockport.
The honest counterweight: a plant-derived surfactant does not beat a good synthetic on surface tension. Its advantage lies elsewhere, and the chemistry of soap nut saponins sets out where.
Which size
- 500 ml · £14.00Up to 100 m². A small lawn, or one pass over a patch that has dried out.
- 1 litre · £22.00100 to 200 m². A typical back lawn in one go, at 11p per square metre.
- 5 litre · £80.00Up to 1,000 m². A large lawn, or a 200 m² lawn you expect to go over five times in a dry summer.
Natural Wetting Agent for plants, soil & lawn
Soap nut and aloe vera, made in Stockport
Three sizes, one concentrate. Pick by the area you cover.
Also in the range: Liquid Gypsum · all plant soaps and wetting agents · measurement calculator
Common questions
How much does a wetting agent cost?
The Dr Forest Natural Wetting Agent is £14.00 for 500 ml, £22.00 for 1 litre and £80.00 for 5 litres. At the lawn rate of one teaspoon per litre, applied at a litre per square metre, that is 14p, 11p and 8p per square metre respectively. We do not quote other brands' prices, because we have no verified figures for them.
Where can I buy a wetting agent in the UK?
Direct from Dr Forest, made and dispatched from Stockport, Greater Manchester. The same product is also listed on Amazon UK and eBay UK if you prefer buying through a marketplace. Garden centres and DIY retailers carry lawn-focused wetting agents too, usually seasonally, with availability varying by branch.
Is a cheap wetting agent worth it?
Compare cost per square metre rather than the price on the bottle, because concentrates dilute at different rates and a small bottle can work out cheaper. Ours runs from 8p to 14p per square metre depending on size. The bigger question is whether your soil needs one: if water soaks in normally, no wetting agent will improve on that.
Can you buy wetting agent at B&Q or Screwfix?
DIY and garden retailers do stock lawn-focused wetting agents, but they bring them in seasonally and the range differs between branches, so we cannot tell you what any given store has today. Use that retailer's own stock checker if you want to collect locally. This concentrate comes direct from us in Stockport, or through Amazon UK and eBay UK.