Sprayers101 Archive
Search our archive of expert-written, data-driven analysis of spraying techniques, equipment, strategies, and more.
Closed Transfer for Airblast Sprayers – A Learning Process
As Canadian farmers begin to adopt closed transfer systems (CTS), growing pains are to be expected. Instructions for installation and use are primarily European…
Fungicides and Integrated Pest Management – An Apple Scab Case Study
Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in the Winter, 2025 ONCore newsletter (Volume 29, Issue 1). We thought it was an excellent description of…
Alternate Row Spraying
Alternate Row (aka Alternate Row Middle [ARM]) spraying is an application method where the air-assist sprayer does not pass down every alley during an…
Airblast Spraying in Poor Conditions
Some springs are tougher than others. This article was originally written in 2019, which was particularly challenging. The frequency and duration of rain events…
Optimizing a Greenhouse Vegetable Sprayer
In April 2025 we visited Cedarline Greenhouses to assess their spraying methods. Our hosts invited us to examine their practices and then graciously agreed…
Sprayer Cleanout and Cleaner Selection
Editor’s Note: Changes have been made to this article since its original publication in 2015. When in-crop spraying is around the corner, sprayer tank…
The Real Story behind pH and Water Hardness
Editor’s Note: Changes and updates have been made to this article since its original publication in 2019. The quality of water being used in…
Drone Spraying in Canadian Agriculture (up to 2024)
Note: There have been updates to Canadian regulations governing drones since this article was written. For updates, please refer to this article. Introduction In…
Adjusting Orchard Airblast Sprayers for Spring
For those on the fly, hit play to hear a shortened, narrated version. I have far too many photos and videos of airblast sprayers…
Airblast Spring Start-up and Winterizing
Any description of airblast sprayer start-up must, contextually, make assumptions on how it was winterized for long-term storage. This cyclic relationship is why I…
Stan and Blade’s Drone Emporium
In this parody of SCTV’s Tex and Edna Boil we have some tongue-in-cheek fun while reminding people to maintain a healthy skepticism when reading…
A Strange Case of Herbicide Injury in Grape
In the summer of 2024, six Ontario vineyards participated in an authorized herbicide trial. The objective was to assess efficacy as well as determine…
Nozzle Choice in Vegetable Crops – an Australian Perspective
Editor’s Note: Any brand-specific references or recommendations in this article are based on the author’s experience. Sprayers101 endeavours to preserve brand independence and impartiality…
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…
Closed Transfer Systems – They’re here.
Closed Transfer Systems (CTS) permit the direct transfer of pesticides from container to sprayer while isolating the process from the operator and the environment.…
Tank Mix Compatibility
Tank mixing is the practice of combining multiple registered agricultural products in the sprayer tank for application in a single pass. The Pros of…
Beluga Drop Hoses in Corn: Utility and Return on Investment
In 2019 we evaluated the spray coverage from nine application methods on corn silks. The results showed that a directed application from drop hoses…
Think Before Adding Adjuvants
It’s odd to begin an article by suggesting the reader consult another, but Dr. Tom Wolf wrote a great summary about adjuvants for SaskPulse…
RPAS Swathing in Broad Acre Crop Canopies
This work was performed with contributions from Adrian Rivard (Drone Spray Canada) and Adam Pfeffer (Bayer Crop Science – funding partner). Dr. Tom Wolf…
Establishing an Optimal Airblast Carrier Volume
North American product labels may or may not include carrier volume recommendations. When they do, it could be based on a two-dimensional value like…
Fungicides with a Custom Applicator: Drive-Along Diaries #4
In this fourth installment of the Drive-Along Diaries, we’ll shift our focus a little. I’ll continue to share observations about real world spraying practices,…
Determining Airblast Travel Speed – The “Air Displacements” Method
The concept of Air Displacements was developed by Dr. David Manktelow, Applied Research and Technologies Ltd. What is the “right” speed to drive when…
Airblast Productivity and Work Rate Calculator
There are many factors that affect the work rate of an airblast application. If an operator can improve their work rate, without compromising spray…
Pre Emerge Spraying with a Custom Applicator: Drive-Along Diaries #3
It was May 16th, and I was standing at the front counter of Clean Field Services (CFS) in Drayton, Ontario, looking forward to an…
28% UAN in Winter Wheat: Drive-Along Diaries #2
I’d been pestering Dan Petker to let me come along as he and his father Paul applied 28% UAN to the winter wheat on…