Extensive areas of cultivated soil develop crusts that impede seedling emergence. In a laboratory study, we tested the effectiveness of several polymer types and a latex emulsion for enhancing seedling emergence, reducing crust hardness, and improving aggregate stability. Guar (G) and polyacrylamide (PAM) polymers, which were either cationic (C), nonionic (N), or anionic (A), were investigated at applied solution concentrations of 0, 10, or 50 mg L−1. Arlington soil (coarse-loamy, mixed, thermic Haplic Durixderalfs) was used. In the first experiment, both A-PAM and C-G (first letter refers to the charge and the second to the polymer type) significantly (95% confidence level) increased the number of cotton seedling emergence as compared with the control. A-PAM provided for higher seedling emergence than C-G. The penetrometer resistance was in the order: control > C-G > A-PAM, whereas the aggregate stability was in the opposite order. In a second experiment on tomato seedling emergence, penetrometer resistances were in the general order: control > latex > A-G > others, which were about equal. The average tomato seedling emergence was considerably higher for the polymer-treated soil than for the control, but variability precluded the establishment of significant differences between the treatments. The third experiment investigated treatment effects on penetrometer resistance and aggregate stability without seedling emergence. The aggregate stability was in the order: N-PAM > A-G > A-PAM = C-G = N-G = latex > control. When latex was excluded, an inverse relationship (r2= 0.73) was found between aggregate stability and penetrometer resistance. Treatments did not affect evaporation from the soil in any of the tests.