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Home and Garden
Sprayers
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An essential garden tool
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Summary: Small
hand-pump garden sprayers allow you to apply
controlled amounts of pesticides and other
chemicals right where they are needed. Almost
every pesticide, whether conventional or organic,
calls for application by some type of sprayer.
Jack DeAngelis, PhD
OSU Ext. Entomologist
(ret.)
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A good hand-pump sprayer is an
essential tool even if you don't use conventional
pesticides. Sprayers allow you to apply all garden
chemicals in precise amounts and place them exactly
where they are needed. The instructions for nearly
every garden chemical, except dusts, calls for
using a pump sprayer to apply it.
Ideally you should have access to at
least two sprayers -- one that you use only
for herbicides (weed killers) and another one for
insecticides/miticides. While it is possible to
wash your spray tank between applications it is
better to keep these materials in separate,
labeled tanks. This will minimize the possibility
of accidentally applying herbicide on your
tomatoes!
Garden sprayer sizes
Garden sprayers come in a variety of
sizes and quality. I'd suggest you have a good
quality 1-gallon sprayer for applying
herbicides and a 1-liter (quart) sprayer,
or a second 1-gallon size, for insecticides (see
the Solo sprayer link below). If you have
fruit trees or grapes you may also want a 4-gallon
backpack sprayer for applying fungicides.
This backpack sprayer is also useful for applying
wettable powder insecticides for boxelder bug
control (see How to
Control Boxelder Bugs). Finally, you may
want a hose-end sprayer
for applying liquid fertilizers, beneficial
nematodes and milky spore for Japanese beetle
control.
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Solo™ garden sprayer.
This new 1 gallon size can be used for
herbicides ("weed killers") or
insecticides.
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Using garden sprayers
To mix garden chemicals first pour half of
the water into the tank, add the measured
amount of chemical concentrate and use the remaining
water to rinse the measuring cup into the tank. Mix
by inverting the tank several times. When you are
finished spraying rinse the tank 2-3 times with
clean water and spray out the hose and nozzle with
the final rinse water. Hose off the exterior of the
sprayer as well.
Quality sprayer manufacturers, like Solo,
provide spare parts for their larger sprayer models.
I urge you to only consider sprayers that have
spare parts readily available. I use outdated
insecticidal soap
(1-2% solution) to clean spray tanks between
applications and at the end of the season.
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Sprayer maintenance and spare parts
Garden sprayers are made of a metal or
polyethylene tank, a pump mechanism, hose, valve,
wand, and spray nozzle. The pump mechanism is the
part of the sprayer that requires the most
maintenance. Every year you should take the pump
mechanism apart, clean it and replace the "O" rings.
Add a little grease around the new rings as well.
Next, clean the nozzle and replace the wand if it
has been bent or broken. Finally, disassemble the
valve, clean the parts and reassemble with a little
grease. New "O" rings are the
parts that are most often replaced. Large sprayer
manufacturers like Solo sell "O" ring kits for their
sprayers but you can also find individual "O" rings
at most auto parts stores.
Where to purchase garden sprayers
Inexpensive garden and hose-end sprayers
can be found at your local lawn and garden stores
but better quality sprayers are available at stores
that cater to farmers, and here (DoMyOwn.com, our affiliate)
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