Sprayers101 Archive
Search our archive of expert-written, data-driven analysis of spraying techniques, equipment, strategies, and more.
Strategies to Spray the Top of a Perennial Canopy
Orchardists, nurserymen and hop growers share something in common – they want to get spray to the top of a tall plant canopy with…
Flag the Technology – Matching Herbicide to Genetics
We like to keep things simple ’round here and this poka-yoke from Arkansas is both simple and effective. What’s a poka-yoke? “Poka-Yoke”: a Japanese term…
Hol Spraying Systems – Canadian airblast gets an upgrade
The first modern airblast sprayer was developed in the mid 1900’s, but competed with existing equipment before it was adopted by the majority. As…
Sprayer Nurse Truck Designs Part 2
One of our recent posts highlighted some great producer designed tender systems for the sprayer. We posted four submissions, and are continuing the series…
Continuous Rinsing
We’ve recently been talking about how to save time while cleaning a sprayer. Although it’s very important to be thorough while cleaning, and to…
Sprayer Nurse Truck Designs
We’ve recently been talking about how we can increase sprayer productivity by decreasing downtime. The main productivity robbers are time spent filling and cleaning. Using…
#SprayerHaiku
On the morning of February 27, 2016 (a Saturday) a Twitter conversation sprung up that deserved to be captured in an article. Tom was…
Top Sprayer Retrofits
You’ve got an older sprayer. Your neighbours have newer sprayers. For various reasons, you’ve decided against a trade. How can you still get the…
Exploding Sprayer Myths (ep.5): Early Morning Spraying
Should you really get up before the birds to spray? There are a lot of good reasons for early morning and night spraying, but if…
Lessons Learned from the Top 5 Field Sprayer Articles of 2015
When Jason and I launched the Sprayers101 website in June, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Seven short months and 150 posts later, we’re…
My Sprayer Santa Wish List
Dear Sprayer Santa, “I tried to be good this year. It was hard, though. Yes, I know that fast driving causes drift and lots…
What’s my Spray Quality, in 3 Simple Steps
The introduction of dicamba and 2,4-D tolerance traits in corn and soybeans was accompanied by an unprecedented emphasis on spray drift management by the…
Agrifac Condor: A Wake-up Call For North American Sprayer Manufacturers?
I like good ideas. And at Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show in Woodstock this fall, I saw a sprayer that puts a lot of them…
When is Fungicide Coverage Critical? Always!
Introduction A local strawberry producer was just beginning his harvest when the entire field was suddenly stricken with anthracnose. He would have done almost…
Hydraulic Fittings: A Galling Metallurgical State of Affairs
So it’s been a long spraying season and as you perform your annual maintenance you grudgingly admit that the hoses have given their all.…
Exploding Sprayer Myths (ep.3): Nozzle Pressure
Here’s the third in our series of short, educational and irreverent videos made with Real Agriculture.We wanted to explain where pressure readings are taken…
Exploding Sprayer Myths (ep.2): Canopy Penetration
This is the second of a series of short, educational and irreverent videos made with Real Agriculture to bring a little levity to sprayer…
Exploding Sprayer Myths (ep.1): Rate Controllers
This is the first of a series of short, educational and irreverent videos made with Real Agriculture to bring a little levity to sprayer…
Experimental Hops Sprayer
First, a warning… In 2013, when this sprayer was constructed, Ontario’s hops acreage was expanding for the first time in many years. While there…
Spraywise – Broadacre Application Handbook
I haven’t written a book-report since high school, but I was recently sent a copy of Dr. Jorg Kitt’s “Spraywise – Broadacre Application Handbook” and…
A.I. Pressure – Parody
Sung to the tune of “Under Pressure” by Queen Pressure!Pushing down on sprayHeading down the boom(movin’ so far) Under pressureIt brings the droplets downSplits…
Drift in the Wind – Parody
Sung to the tune of “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the spray is gone…
Biopesticides: Holy Grail or Giant Pain?
Biopesticides are a rapidly growing segment in horticultural pest control. While they are often billed as green “miracle cures”, applicators should be aware that…
A New Way to Purchase Sprayers
I always await a trade show with excitement. Everyone’s going to be there, showing their latest and greatest. You see old friends. And of…
OMAFA Spray Drift Videos
CropLife Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs partnered in 2012 to develop two educational videos on pesticide application best…