Liquid-Filled or Dry? Small-plot agricultural sprayers should have a pressure gauge on the wand or boom to ensure accurate application rates. Most are added after-market and the operator has the choice of buying liquid-filled or dry gauges. Glycerine- or silicone-filled gauges are preferred because they dampen pressure spikes, pulsation and mechanical vibration. Compared to dry […]
Category: General Operation
All general hort articles on sprayer operation.
Oh the Places You’ll Spray
Enjoy our take on a Dr. Seuss work-of-art. We’re sure the fine doctor would want to end resistant pig weed’s reign of terror as much as we do. Hear us recite it in the sound bar, read it yourself, or head to the bottom of the article to see the talented Bridgette Readel (@bmreadel) read […]
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 use a chicken-and-egg title slide when giving this presentation. The inability to describe one process without the other is further complicated by the possibility that the sprayer is brand new and was […]
Putting a Number on Pesticide Waste
Waste (noun): an act or instance of using or expending something to no purpose. In agriculture, environment and economy are intertwined. Producers strive to obtain the maximum return on their inputs. They study incremental returns and avoid applying more inputs than necessary, especially if conditions don’t warrant it. The financial incentive is powerful, and waste […]
Homegrown Sprayer Rebuild – Fixed Tower
It was Saturday morning in April, 2016 when I received an email from Steven Bierlink, an orchardist in Washington State. He was curious about the impact of air induction nozzles on lime-sulphur applications (intended to thin apple blossoms). Work-life balance notwithstanding, I happily grabbed a hot cup of coffee and we got on the phone. It […]