good timing planning and preparation, and so you can expect 95-100% control. Languard are spraying specialists. This article will share some of the tips we use to get the best performance out of these potent tools.
All spraying work should start with planning. If you have made the decision to treat your weeds then plan when and how to do it. This is easy. Order the product that will solve your problem. Talk to your advisor and get the problem identified and choose a product that claims control of the weed on the label. Don’t, whatever you do, go for the one that’s on offer or is being promoted - what if it doesn’t control your most predominant weed? The next step is to commit to doing the spraying. Don’t put it off whilst trying to keep on top of day to day tasks. Spraying needs specific conditions, so take advantage of them and prioritise it. Look at the weather. Are there any good windows coming up in the next five days? If so, plan to do the job on the day that looks best - I’ll explain why later. Whilst you are waiting for your product to arrive clean then calibrate your sprayer. This is a significant part of getting the most out of your herbicide. The product label gives the product rates and water volume needed to get optimum efficacy from it. With herbicides this can be between 100-400 litres of water per hectare. When treating weeds in grass it is usually never
necessary to use more than 200 litres. Using a lower water volume means you can go further on one tank - or fill up half the number of times. Decide what the optimum water volume rate will be and choose nozzles that can achieve this. Now calibrate your sprayer. Record your calibration settings as these form part of your spray records - you need to keep these by law. Your sprayer is now ready to go when your product arrives. There are two main advantages to having your sprayer calibrated when it comes to achieving the best results. These are:-
• You won’t overdose and risk damaging the grass.
• You won't underdose and wonder why some weeds survive.
In addition, you can make the most of the coming spray window to help the herbicide do its work.
Applying herbicides in the correct weather is crucial. This is the biggest contributor to poor results. Herbicides work best when the target weeds are actively growing. When they are growing they can actively take up the herbicide and distribute it faster throughout the plant within the nutrient flow. This is particularly true with perennial weeds such as dandelions, plantains and daisies that all have a deep root from which they regenerate each season. Active growth delivers the herbicide to the root quicker
and at a higher rate, delivering better control.
Rain and/or damp conditions can mean a wasted exercise. Identifying and sticking to your spray window will save you from going out in ‘catchy’ conditions as a compromise, that risks any herbicide being washed off the weeds and reducing the dose they receive. Spraying when there is a heavy dew, the humidity is high (misty conditions) means that the product will not dry onto the leaf, and reduce uptake. If the weeds are wet then the spray can coalesce with rain drops and simply roll off. All these factors reduce the potency of the herbicide. A good spray window will have as many conditions as near to ideal as possible. The grass and weeds should be dry, sunny weather is best to help drying and make the herbicide rain-fast. Try to avoid winds over 6mph as these will lead to unacceptable drift, possibly affecting more conservation focused course areas such as the rough and water obstacles. No forecast rain within six hours minimum.
The way the sprayer is set up also effects the performance of the herbicide. The nozzle choice and the spray quality it produces can make a huge difference to the coverage and herbicide dose placed on the weed. On an average surface with the ‘usual’ weeds the ideal setting is a medium quality nozzle at 200 litres of water per hectare. This ensures both good coverage on the weed leaf,
Terratrac Aebi:
the economical, one-stop solution for all turf and groundcare tasks.
Aebi Terratrac Implement Carriers: highly manoeuvrable hydrostatic four-wheel drive and steering (changeable while in motion), front and rear 3-point linkage, extremely low ground pressure, fantastic steep- slope capability and a wide range of attachments. Spacious cockpit, air-conditioning, on-board computer, multi-function drive and control lever, excellent all-round visibility and easy maintenance. Aebi Terratracs are convenient, safe and universal: designed for heavy, continuous use at all the times of the seasons.
Aebi & Co. AG, Farm and Public Works Equipment John T. Taylor, The Cottage, Five Fields Lane, Retford, Notts DN22 7HQ Telephone 01777 86 07 64 Fax
Mobile 07850 12 34 55
aebiuk@aol.com www.aebi.com
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www.pitchcare.com/re 23
www.pitchcare.com/re 01777 71 94 49
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