Spreader Sticker vs. Herbicide Enhancer

If you were wondering what's the difference between Spreader Sticker and Herbicide Enhancer, then you’re right to be digging into this question — the difference between the two is subtle but real, and whether it matters in practice depends on application conditions, weeds, leaf surfaces, water hardness, etc. Below is a breakdown of what the labels say, what that means (mechanistically), and what you should expect as to the results of each product (especially on something tough like English ivy).

Before we go any further, my wife said no one would read this article if it's over 10 sentences long, so I'll give you my ending conclusion first, then if you are interested, you can read the rest of the article. Ending conclusion: I feel Hi-Yield "Herbicide Enhancer" is the best. To find out why I feel that way, read the rest of the article.

What the labels and datasheets say

Here’s what I found on each product (Hi‑Yield Spreader Sticker vs. Hi‑Yield Herbicide

Enhancer) from public sources:

Feature	Hi‑Yield Spreader Sticker	Hi‑Yield Herbicide Enhancer
Type / description	Water‑soluble, low-foaming nonionic surfactant that “makes water wetter and increases absorption, translocation and sticking of pesticides.” spikesandhoules.com+4fertilome.com+4Horstmeyer Farm and Garden+4	A blend: AMS / Defoamer / Drift Reduction Solution / Surfactant. Knowde+3fertilome.com+3Pandy's Garden Center+3
Purpose of components	Just surfactant / sticker action (i.e. improving wetting, spreading, adhesion)	Multi‑purpose: (1) water conditioning (AMS to handle hardness), (2) defoaming during mix, (3) drift control (to reduce off-target, droplet drift), (4) surfactant / adhesion
AMS (Ammonium sulfate)	Not in Spreader Sticker (label states “contains no oil,” low foaming, nonionic surfactant) Prairie Blossom Nursery+3Persik brand+3fertilome.com+3	Yes — about 34 % AMS in the formulation (plus other proprietary adjuvants) fertilome.com+3DoMyOwn.com+3glovercatalog.com+3
Drift reduction / droplet size	The Spreader Sticker may have some surfactant-based “sticking” effect that helps minimize bounce or droplet loss, but it is not explicitly marketed as a drift control agent. Knowde+2spikesandhoules.com+2	Contains drift reduction solution / polymers to help reduce drift (physical + chemical drift) Knowde+3fertilome.com+3Knowde+3
Surfactant / adhesion	The sticker is primarily a nonionic surfactant, designed to reduce surface tension, help the droplet spread on waxy or hydrophobic surfaces. spikesandhoules.com+3Prairie Blossom Nursery+3Persik brand+3	Also includes surfactant / adhesion capabilities (one of its functions) Knowde+2fertilome.com+2
Mixing / usage rate	~1–2 tsp per gallon (for herbicides, etc.) fertilome.com+2fertilome.com+2	1–6 oz per gallon (higher when you have extreme hard water) fertilome.com+2DoMyOwn.com+2

From these, what emerges is that Herbicide Enhancer is a more complex adjuvant package, designed not just to get the herbicide to “stick,” but also to overcome water quality issues and reduce drift.

How that lines up with our experience & our hypothesis

What I've already tested is (in effect) one of the classic surfactant tests (droplet penetration into cardboard). The observation that Spreader Sticker (when added) made the droplet “penetrate” is consistent with its function: reducing surface tension, increasing wettability, letting more of the liquid “break” the surface barrier rather than staying as a bead. That’s essentially what a surfactant + sticker should do on a hydrophobic (waxy) surface.

Where Herbicide Enhancer might offer advantage (or at least difference) is in:

1. Hard water/calcium/high pH environments Herbicide Enhancer’s AMS is intended to “condition” hard water — the AMS binds calcium or magnesium ions in solution and helps “shield” the active herbicide molecules from being tied up by cationic antagonism. Thus, in water with high hardness or high pH, the Enhancer could help the herbicide maintain activity. (This is a standard trick in herbicide tank mixes.) glovercatalog.com+3DoMyOwn.com+3Knowde+3. If your source of water is “soft” (low Ca/Mg) or neutral pH, the AMS benefit might not be very visible.

2. Drift control In windy or marginal conditions, droplets that would otherwise drift or evaporate might be mitigated by drift control agents. This can matter especially when you’re spraying in less-than-ideal conditions. Herbicide Enhancer’s label explicitly includes a “drift reduction solution” component. fertilome.com+2Knowde+2

3. Consistent mixing/stability/foam control The defoamer and micro-homogenization in Hi-Yield's Herbicide Enhancer’s formula might avoid issues with foam or mixing variability that sometimes plague simpler surfactant mixes. In a large tank, or when mixing multiple actives, that can help maintain uniformity.

4. Leaf surfaces that are very repellent/waxy On something like English ivy (very waxy, hard to wet), the surfactant + sticker component is critical. The question is whether the surfactant component in Ferti-lome Herbicide Enhancer is better (or as good) as it it is in Hi-Yield Spreader Sticker, or if the added AMS and drift components shift the balance (e.g. affect spreading kinetics, droplet behavior). In some cases, a “plain” surfactant may allow faster spread, but the tradeoff is less drift control or vulnerability to antagonists.

In some situations (“you see little to no difference”) and that may suggest either:

• Your water quality is benign, so the AMS benefit is muted.

• Conditions (wind, humidity, leaf wetness) aren’t pushing the edges where drift or antagonism matter.

• The surfactant in Spreader Sticker is “good enough” so that the extra bells and whistles in Herbicide Enhancer don’t add obvious wins.

But for tough weeds like English ivy, especially in less-than-ideal spray conditions (e.g. moderate wind, marginal coverage, waxy leaf), the Herbicide Enhancer should have a chance to outperform in certain respects — especially retention, drop stability, and drift mitigation.

How to test/what experiments to run

Here’s how you can validate (your own confidence) of which is truly better for you (or which condition is better for your application):

Experiment	What to compare	What to measure / observe	Expected differentiator
Pot / small-plot trials on English ivy	Use identical herbicide active + rate, same spray volume, same environmental conditions; one with Spreader Sticker, one with Herbicide Enhancer, possibly a control (no adjuvant)	Mortality over time, foliage browning, % kill, regrowth	If Enhancer does better, it may show faster uptake, better kill, especially near edges or less-drenched zones
Water hardness stress	Use water amended with calcium or magnesium to simulate “hard water,” create two mixes, apply herbicide + (one) Spreader Sticker vs (other) Enhancer	Compare kill / efficacy vs a test with soft water	Enhancer should hold up better in “hard water” scenario
Drift / distance / droplet retention	Spray a target surface in slightly windy or calm conditions with both mixes, perhaps with collectors at edges	Measure how much herbicide ends up on target vs off-target, or visually inspect droplet spread / uniformity	Enhancer’s drift control component might show less drift falloff or more uniform deposition
Contact / retention under stress	Spray on ivy under drier conditions (lower RH, possibly after slight drying) and then sample how well droplets stay / spread / retention after e.g. a mild rinse or “shake”	Image microscopy of droplet patterns, retention weight, visible coverage	Surfactant performance differences might show up in retention patterns

Practical advice (based on what the labels say)

• If you, our customer frequently deals with hard water or elevated pH/calcium/magnesium in the spray water, I’d lean toward recommending Hi-Yield Herbicide Enhancer in those conditions, since that advantage is built in (AMS).

• On calm, ideal spraying days and alkaline water, Hi-Yield Spreader Sticker may suffice — simpler, Somewhat cheaper and effective enough to do the job you applied it for.

• Where drift risk is nontrivial (near neighbors, sensitive plants, windy days), the drift-reducing component in Herbicide Enhancer gives you a buffer.

• On very waxy or repellent-leaf plants (ivy, certain vines, etc.), you may want to test both — sometimes Hi-Yield Spreader Sticker might spread faster initially, but the added features in Hi-Yield Herbicide Enhancer might salvage more uptake in the tail ends of coverage.

In other words: Spreader Sticker is a solid surfactant (sticker); Herbicide Enhancer is a more “all‑in” adjuvant package with extras for the high alkaline water conditions that we often have here in the Treasure Valley and the drift effect. In many normal use cases they might perform similarly, but in stress or edge‑case scenarios Herbicide Enhancer has more “tools in the box” to help.

Charlie Hartman - Idaho Certified Nurseryman

The Home & Garden Store

Boise, Idaho