Category: Speciality Sprayers

Main category for all sprayers that are not horizontal booms

  • OMAFA Spray Drift Videos

    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 management practices in an effort to educate, and hopefully to reduce the incidents of spray drift.

    The first video, ‘What is Spray Drift?’, highlights the various causes of spray drift. The second video, ‘Equipment and Methods to Reduce Spray Drift’, focuses on how applicators can modify equipment to reduce spray drift. We have them in English and en Français.

    Watch drift happening during night spraying under high powered lights, see air induction nozzles prevent drift on a boom sprayer and learn about how spray particles behave from unique computer-animated segments. Also, enjoy the “rock-and-roll” soundtrack. You can’t image how difficult it was to get permission to use rock music in a gov’t-produced video!

  • The Pros & Cons of Aerial Application – Tips with Tom #10

    The Pros & Cons of Aerial Application – Tips with Tom #10

    Hiring an aerial applicator means fewer tracks in the crop and often a quicker spray application, but spray planes are not miraculous, says Tom Wolf. In fact, they deal with a lot of the same challenges as their well-grounded counterparts.

    In this last installment of his 10 part series, Tom answers some of the most common questions around aerial applications, including:

    • “Does the aircraft wing generate a downforce that forces spray droplets into the canopy?”
    • “Is it thus that aerial spray applicators can apply such low water volumes?”
    • “Is it worth paying extra for a custom application from above?”

    In addressing these questions, Tom corrects a few agricultural myths, provides tips for determining which method is better for your operation and emphasizes the importance of communication.

  • Measuring Spray Coverage – Tips with Tom #8

    Measuring Spray Coverage – Tips with Tom #8

    The importance of good spray coverage is emphasized in all kinds of agricultural publications, including product labels. But, according to Tom Wolf, “the labels are remarkably silent on what good coverage actually is and how you can actually measure it.”

    Tom goes on to explain that spray coverage can be defined using three main criteria: droplet density, area covered and dose administered. In order to measure and assess spray coverage, we recommend using water sensitive paper, a rigid, specially-coated, yellow paper which is stained dark blue/purple by aqueous solutions. The paper can be positioned at the targeted levels of the crop canopy with a paper clip or other handy instrument and the coverage received in the field then compared to recommended levels produced in the lab to give an indication of whether or not coverage needs to be adjusted through increasing water volumes or altering droplet size.

    Learn to integrate spray coverage evaluation into your spray operation, and how doing so can help you fine-tune applications.

  • Spray Quality – Tips with Tom #7

    Spray Quality – Tips with Tom #7

    One of the greatest threats to lost return and non-target plant damage in spraying is drift. Spray applicators have to be conscious of all kinds of factors that affect the risk of drift, including wind speed, boom height, potential inversions and, of course, spray quality.

    Tom Wolf zeroes in on spray quality, explaining what it means and how a given nozzle is categorized. Wolf also suggests which categories of quality (from Very Fine to Ultra Coarse) should rarely be considered in agricultural applications, and where spray applicators can find information to aid in one aspect of the crucial decision making process surrounding spraying.

  • 7 Steps to Total Sprayer Cleanout – Tips with Tom #6

    7 Steps to Total Sprayer Cleanout – Tips with Tom #6

    The first question during the spray season is likely, “what kills this weed spectrum? The second might just be, “How do I clean our my sprayer properly without risking crop injury next go-round?”

    Tom Wolf, spray application specialist and @Nozzle_Guy, answers not just that question, but also a few more —

    • “Can you neutralize chemical?”
    • “Is there a tried and true mixing order?”
    • “What does ammonia actually do in the cleanout process?”

    From the importance of being thorough, to top tips on minimizing issues with specific Group 2 problems, to a handy method for getting a much more effective tank rinse, Wolf will walk you through his top 7 tips for effective sprayer cleanout.