Welcome to Sprayers 101

Welcome to Sprayers 101

Sprayers 101 is a non-profit resource describing best practices in safe, efficient and effective agricultural spraying. The site is based in Canada with content freely contributed by international authors. Browse our library of articles, videos, presentations, apps, calculators, tables and ePubs.

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Our most recent articles:

  • Grandpa used pesticides on my property 50 years ago. Should I be concerned about contamination of my well?

    Grandpa used pesticides on my property 50 years ago. Should I be concerned about contamination of my well?

    Occasionally, I receive a question or concern about impacts from the previous use of pesticides on a property. These concerns could be categorized as historical or legacy concerns from the use of pesticides over 40 or 50 years ago. This article provides some context for these past concerns and some options for follow up for…

  • Closed Transfer Systems – They’re here.

    Closed Transfer Systems – They’re here.

    This article was originally co-authored by Mick Roberts (Owner/Editor of Pro Operator Magazine) with significant contributions from Jan Langenakens (Principal at AAMS) and informed by insightful communications with both users and manufacturers of CTS. It has been updated as of January, 2025. What is a Closed Transfer System? Closed Transfer Systems (CTS) permit the direct…

  • Tank mix compatibility

    Tank mix compatibility

    This article was co-written with Mike Cowbrough, OMAFRA Weed Management Specialist – Field Crops What is Tank Mixing? Tank mixing is the practice of combining multiple registered agricultural products in the sprayer tank for application in a single pass. The Pros of Tank Mixing The Cons of Tank Mixing Tank mixing requires caution and careful…

Past articles you might like:

  • What’s the Cost of Poor Deposit Uniformity?

    What’s the Cost of Poor Deposit Uniformity?

    We’ve heard it often: calibrate your nozzles to be sure your boom output is uniform across its entire width. The downside of poor uniformity is obvious: strips of over- or under-application causing problems with pest control or crop tolerance. A graduated cylinder held for 30 s under each nozzle is the approach of choice. Several…

  • Broadcast Boom Nozzle Spacing

    Broadcast Boom Nozzle Spacing

    North American built boom sprayers have nozzle spacings of 20” (50 cm in the rest of the world), but other spacings such as 15” (37 cm) and 10” (25 cm) also exist. What are the reasons for these alternative spacings and do they offer any inherent advantages? Why spacing matters Nozzles are spaced along a…

  • The Ideal Sprayer (an open letter to sprayer manufacturers)

    The Ideal Sprayer (an open letter to sprayer manufacturers)

    Today’s sprayer has to excel at a lot of things. It has to have capacity and low weight. It has to go fast but be comfortable. It needs wide booms that stay level over complex terrain. It has to deliver the right spray volume at the right spray quality for the job. It has to…