Why Hard Water is Stealing Your Liberty® ULTRA Performance (And How to Fix It)

As a grower, you know that timing and execution are everything when it comes to post-emergence weed control. But there is a hidden thief in many fields that might be quietly undermining your spray passes: hard water.

If you are running Liberty® ULTRA herbicide this season, understanding how your water quality interacts with that molecule can mean the difference between a clean canopy and a frustrating escape.

The Hard Water Thief: How It Locks Up Liberty ULTRA

Glufosinate (the active ingredient in Liberty ULTRA) is highly effective, but it has a major vulnerability. It is chemically attracted to the dissolved minerals found in hard water—specifically calcium and magnesium.

The moment Liberty ULTRA hits the spray tank, these minerals can quickly "lock up" the herbicide molecule. Once bound to a mineral, the herbicide can't be properly absorbed by the weed. The result? Inconsistent weed control, wasted input dollars, and a return trip to the field.

Enter Class Act® NG®: Protecting Your Investment

To get the most out of your Liberty ULTRA application, you need to neutralize the hard water threat before it deactivates your chemistry. Pairing Liberty ULTRA with Class Act® NG® ensures the herbicide remains active, available, and ready to work.

Here is how this combination delivers the clean fields you are shooting for:

• Immediate Mineral Sequestration: Class Act NG utilizes a premium liquid ammonium sulfate (AMS) formulation. It instantly locks up the troublesome minerals in your water, so they can't interfere with the Liberty ULTRA molecule.

  
  

• Faster Uptake and Better Coverage: Neutralizing the water is only half the battle; the herbicide still needs to get into the weed. Class Act NG features built-in surfactants and proprietary CornSorb® technology to improve leaf droplet coverage, maximize penetration, and drive the product into the plant faster.

  
  

• Zero Sediment, Zero Hassle: No one wants to waste prime spraying hours cleaning out clogged nozzles. Because Class Act NG is a fully dissolved liquid formulation, you get all the benefits of premium AMS without the sediment, mixing headaches, or downtime associated with dry alternatives.

What to Expect at Harvest

When you add Class Act NG to your Liberty ULTRA tank mix, you aren't just adding an adjuvant—you're buying insurance for your weed control program. Growers making this a standard practice can expect:

• Improved Control on Tough Weeds: Maximum absorption means better knockdown on your toughest target species.

  
  

• Reliable Performance: Consistency across your entire acreage, regardless of varying well or water quality sources.

  
  

• More Time in the Field: Faster mixing and cleaner nozzles mean less downtime and a smoother spray day.

The Bottom Line

Don't let hard water dictate the success of your post-emergence program. By pairing Liberty ULTRA with Class Act NG, you ensure faster weed uptake, superior control, and a seamless application experience from the first acre to the last.

Talk to your Centra Sota crop advisor today about adding Class Act NG to your next Liberty ULTRA order.