H2Flo: Make each drop of water and each gram of fertilizer count

Water – often the limiting factor in crop yields – is always looking for the easy way out. When rain or irrigation water hits the ground, it often runs off before plants have a chance to soak it up.

But what if there was a way to make water work more efficiently?  What if there was a way to make it stay in the soil and carry nutrients to plant roots?

H2Flo®, a surfactant from ICL, does exactly that, making a significant impact on both the soil and the crop. In field trials, H2Flo has been proven to allow growers to reduce water usage by 25% while maintaining or even increasing yield.

How Does H2Flo Work?

H2Flo, a highly concentrated blend of surfactants, works in three ways when added to irrigation systems:

1. Reduces the surface tension of water, enabling the droplets to spread more evenly throughout the soil.
2. Improves infiltration so the water moves both vertically and horizontally, instead of running down through the soil profile.
3. Slows the rate of evaporation, giving plants more chance to absorb the liquid.

H2Flo delivers results fast. In central Mexico, a strawberry farmer faced severe drought — his well ran dry, forcing him to haul water weekly. By week’s end, his plants were stressed and yielded small, poor-quality fruit. He tried H2Flo on just one acre, adding it to the irrigation water. Within a week, the difference was clear: healthier, more resilient plants. Two weeks later, the transformation was so dramatic, he applied H2Flo across all his fields. From stressed to thriving — H2Flo made it happen.

How Do Surfactants Improve Soil Health and Plant Growth?

When water works more efficiently, both soil and plants benefit.

Water naturally takes the path of least resistance, usually straight down, causing soil compaction and making plants miss out on the nutrients they need.

By causing water to flow more slowly and move both out and down, H2Flo improves soil structure, which boosts overall soil health. Better infiltration loosens soil particles so subsequent rainfall or irrigation water can reach more roots and provide moisture for a longer period of time.

If biologicals or carbon-based nutrients are added, the improved structure promotes microbial systems. Better soil health drives a whole series of nutrient use efficiencies because the soil biology helps metabolize nutrients.

H2Flo improves water and nutrient retention across soil types. In sandy soils, it reduces runoff, helping plants absorb more of what they need. Even heavy clay soils benefit. In central Mexico, a blackberry grower struggling with runoff saw immediate improvement after the first application. Soil tests confirmed that H2Flo reduced compaction, increased oxygen levels, and promoted a healthier, more developed root system. Better soil, stronger roots — H2Flo makes it possible.

H2Flo helps plants by activating their root system. In drip irrigation, it can be applied with fertilizer to help evenly distribute nutrients throughout the root system. As the water penetrates the soil, it creates a larger area for the roots to explore.

Avocado growers are seeing the difference with H2Flo. Typically irrigating every seven days, their trees often show signs of stress by the end of the cycle. But when H2Flo is added to the irrigation program, the trees stay healthier and more resilient experiencing significantly less stress from weather conditions. Less stress, stronger trees, better yield.

Why Are Farmers Choosing H2Flo to Save Water and Boost Yields?

Versatile, Sustainable Solution

One of the best features of H2Flo is that it’s a practical, easy-to-use product that delivers both environmental and economic impacts through improved water use efficiency and water conservation.

H2Flo has 88% active surfactant content – the highest concentration in the market – and can be used on any type of crop to save water or make irrigation more efficient. It can be used with drip, pivot and even flood irrigation systems. It does not have an anionic or cationic charge, so it can be mixed with fertilizers.

H2Flo can be used in a variety of climates for all types of crops. In Mexico, it is commonly used on cotton, alfalfa and vegetable crops such as onions, tomatoes and peppers. In the United States, H2Flo is popular for specialty crops on the West Coast, as well as potatoes in the Midwest. As the price of primary fertilizers has increased, row crop farmers have started to use H2Flo to maximize nutrient use efficiency and make their dollars go further.

Optimizing efficiency throughout the year. For spring, we recommend applying H2Flo at planting or seeding, with a higher dose in the first application, then repeat application every two to three weeks. The product remains in the soil for up to 28 days.

H2Flo can be especially useful in the fall. In Mexico, fall application is common because rains are less frequent. In the United States, H2Flo can be added to fall-applied fertilizer to ensure nutrients move into the soil instead of running off. It can also be applied with burndown herbicide, helping the chemicals move through the soil profile to more effectively control weeds.

H2Flo is a solution to one of the most challenging problems for agriculture. In northern Mexico and the southwest United States, drought has been particularly harsh in recent years and some farmers have had to cut the number of acres planted. H2Flo has proven very valuable to these growers, enabling them to produce more yield with the same volume of water in the same weather.

H2Flo aligns with our vision at ICL to bring innovative solutions to the market and improve efficiency so that growers can produce more with less. As water for irrigation becomes less available and more expensive, H2Flo is a sustainable solution that can help farmers use less water or make their allotment go further.

We don’t always need more water — we just need to make every drop count.