Understanding why an early season surfactant application is beneficial can best be demonstrated using a slinky. Looking at soils as a slinky they are loose coming out of winter and become more restricted as the season progresses due to physical traffic from maintenance equipment and play.
Early surfactant application enables you to locate chemistry deeper in the soil profile while that slinky is pulled apart. This is more difficult as the season progresses and soils become restricted. The first surfactant application pays the most dividends.