071: Demystifying Spray Adjuvants with Paul Crout

Vineyard Underground

In this episode, we are joined by a friend and repeat guest, Paul Crout. Paul is a leading pest control advisor, certified crop control advisor, and one of the foremost experts on wine grape nutrition, spray adjuvants, and more in the ag and viticulture realm. He currently works as a leading agronomist with Helena Agra Enterprises in California, and he has the honor of being the only guest we've had on the podcast three times!

Adjuvants can be a dry topic, but we promise this discussion provides a lot of valuable take-home information. It’s one of those episodes where you will want to take notes. Listen in and don’t forget to download the Spray Adjuvants to Increase Pesticide Efficacy Grower Guide.

In this episode, you will hear:

• What adjuvants are, when to use them, and which ones to use

• The two main categories of adjuvants - surfactants and special purpose

• When to use buffers and drift control agents

• The importance of knowing your water’s pH before adding an adjuvant

• Differences between non-ionic surfactants and organosilicone surfactants

• Understanding the use of methylated seed oils for tank mixing and pesticide application

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Resources:

Download Fritz’s member-only Spray Adjuvants to Increase Pesticide Efficacy Grower Guide available to podcast listeners through August 2025.

If you are starting a vineyard or thinking about starting a vineyard, apply to be on the podcast for Fritz’s help planning your vineyard - https://www.vineyardundergroundpodcast.com/contact/

Come grow with Fritz through VirtualViticultureAcademy.com! Save $75 off your first year of membership with the code Underground at checkout.

Today’s Guest:

Paul Crout is a Pest Control Advisor and Certified Crop Advisor, and one of the foremost experts on wine grape nutrition and spray adjuvants. He currently works as an Agronomist with Helena Agri-Enterprises in California.

Connect with Paul on LinkedIn and learn more about being Grape Wise with Helena.

Episode Sponsor:

Today’s episode was brought to you by SensorInsight and by Vigneron Toy Store.

Thank you to SensorInsight for sponsoring today’s episode. SensorInsight is a leader in vineyard soil moisture and weather monitoring. SensorInsight designs state-of-the-art, remote satellite monitoring of soil moisture and weather, bringing actionable information for your vineyard operations straight to your phone, with real-time data so you can best decide when to turn on your irrigation, how long to run the system, and learn how the dynamics of soil moisture can change over a given season. Visit them today at https://sensorinsight.io. And don’t forget to mention the code Underground to receive a discount on your SensorInsight solution.

Thank you to Vigneron Toy Store for sponsoring today’s episode. Vigneron Toy Store specializes in Harvesters, Sprayers, Frost Mitigation Equipment, Canopy Management Trimmers, and more. As grape growers themselves, they can expertly help you determine the best equipment for your specific vineyard needs. And, as a special offer for our podcast listeners, you can save 5% off in-stock machines by entering the promo code Underground on the contact form at vignerontoystore.com.

Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com. Let them know we sent you.