All hort articles about achieving, confirming or correcting for spray coverage.
Managing the canopy of any perennial crop (e.g. pruning, hedging, leaf stripping, etc.) is an important consideration. The benefits are manifold: It affects the health of the plant, the quantity and the quality of the yield. It allows light and air to circulate and it keeps the crop manageable. From the perspective of an airblast […]
Read More… from Canopy Management for Improved Airblast Coverage
It’s nearing the end of a long morning of spraying and you just want to get it done.As the tank empties and you watch the last of the spray cloud waft through the row, you’re thinking about rinsing out and moving on… but did the spray land where you wanted? How do you really know […]
Read More… from How to Confirm Coverage with Water-Sensitive Paper
Sprayer operators recognize the importance of matching their sprayer settings to the crop to optimize efficacy. For example, spraying a protective fungicide in field tomato should require a different approach from spraying a locally systemic insecticide in staked peppers. Knowing this, many operators make ad hoc changes and then wait to “see if it worked”. […]
Read More… from How to Assess Spray Coverage in Vegetable Crops
In August, 2016, we were contacted by a cut-flower grower specializing in Dahlias. There are photos in this article, but they don’t do justice to this beautiful perennial flower. Imagine a chrysanthemum crossed with a zinnia: lots of tight petals in the bloom. Unfortunately, they’re a perfect place for insects to hide. Those that buy […]
Back in 2011 we toured a few vegetable greenhouses in Southern Ontario. I wanted to learn more about how greenhouses used hydraulic sprayers (i.e. not misting or fogging systems) to apply pesticides to tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. It was an eye-opening experience for me, because like every commodity group I’ve encountered, they had their own unique […]