Sprayers

This my last feature on the John Deere tour.  The sprayer below has a 120 foot span.  It is equipped with nozzle bodies like the one below.  The body supports 5 different nozzle types.  The can be changed by switch from the cab.  I saw this demonstrated at Saale Farm and Grain Plot tour.  On a long boom, this must be a huge time saving.  With all the nozzle variation needed for various crop protectant formulations, this is an important feature.  I am not sure how much automatic shutoff control there is on the sprayers I saw.  John Deere was touting their Exact Apply system which controls each nozzle individually.  I have no idea if they are the only ones with this setup.  

120 foot sprayer

Multi Tip Nozzle Body 

Sprayer Skip

Not all sprayer mistakes are this easy to see.  This field had several gaps.  If it was custom applied, I would invite them back at their cost.

Sprayer Skip

Sprayer Clean-up

As we move into an era when we are using multiple products with multiple modes of action for good weed control, we also need to pay attention to sprayer clean-out.  Iowa State University offers some tips for cleaning your sprayer.  Click on the link.

Thinking Spring?

In 2012 we were two months from serious field work at this time.  We never know when that window will open so now is the time to think about getting ready for spring.  One of the first tools you will likely use is a sprayer.  No matter what kind  of sprayer you have, one of the  most important parts is one of the least expensive.  Know what nozzles you need for the material you are spraying.  Keep drift in mind when making your choice.  Check and replace nozzles frequently.  Cleaning them out with a paper clip is a thing of the past.  Nozzle manufacturers provide a lot of information about their product.  Take advantage of that fact.  July 2013 Prairie Farmer offers additional advice. 

Sprayer Nozzles

People who apply their own crop protectants should be looking more closely than ever at nozzle selection.  There are plenty of reasons to abandon those flat fan nozzles.

• Larger nozzles have less drift problems
• Different materials call for different nozzles.  Be sure to check your label.
• Be sure to calibrate your spayer
• Use nozzle shutoffs and guidance to avoid overlap

University of Kentucky put out this information on Sprayer Nozzle Selection and Calibration. 
Iowa State University offers the following advice for Sprayer Nozzle Selection for Pesticide Performance and Drift Reduction. 
TeeJet offers and Interactive Nozzle Selection Guide on their website.