Author: Jason and Tom

  • 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.

  • Selecting the Right Sprayer Boom Height – Tips with Tom #5

    Selecting the Right Sprayer Boom Height – Tips with Tom #5

    What’s the right choice for nozzle fan angle? 80 degrees or 110 degrees? This question leads us to boom height. How do we select the right boom height?

    Nozzle fan angle does play a role, but so does the type of sprayer you run and, more importantly, the height that creates the best overlap pattern. In this Spray Tips, Tom Wolf explains the drift risks and realities of boom height settings on high clearance sprayers, why high-set booms can negate the benefits of certain nozzle designs and why low-drift nozzles need 100% overlap. Then, it’s off to the white board to illustrate the relationship between nozzle spacing and ideal boom height.

  • Making the Pressure Gauge your Speedometer – Tips with Tom #4

    Making the Pressure Gauge your Speedometer – Tips with Tom #4

    Good spray quality is essential in application, but all of the factors involved can make getting there quite a challenge. In reviewing magazines, you may see that publishers will bold a certain pressure (like 40 psi). They do this not because that is the pressure the nozzle must experience, but because that is the pressure at which the nozzle produces its nominal flow rate.

    So if you don’t have to spray at that bolded/highlighted number, how do you decide on your ideal pressure?

    Tom Wolf talks about the evolution of pressure ranges in nozzles and walks us through an applicator’s decision-making process. After following the tips in the video, calibrating your sprayer and driving out to the field, you should be able to maximize spray quality by simply using your pressure gauge as the speedometer.

  • Choosing Nozzles for Diverse Applications – Tips with Tom #3

    Choosing Nozzles for Diverse Applications – Tips with Tom #3

    After running through your sprayer’s routine maintenance, it’s time to assess the suitability of its nozzles for upcoming applications, and, let’s face it, that decision can be pretty complicated. Besides the typical competition between manufacturers, you also have to consider spray quality. Do you want coarse droplets? Fine droplets? Air induction nozzles? Twin-fan nozzles? How many gallons of water will you need per acre? Are the nozzles you want readily available and replaceable?

    I have three spots for different nozzles on my new sprayer. I want burn-off, in-crop and fungicide; what three should I have (5-15gal/acre)?

    In this video, Tom Wolf discusses the attributes of some of the best of Canada’s spray nozzles, providing a visual demonstration of their differences, and thoughts on nozzle selection for pre-seed, in-crop and fungicide spray applications