To ensure even applications at your desired rates, connect, inspect, and calibrate your sprayer’s wet kit several days before you plan to make your first application.

Check even flow.

Ensure all connections and drops are watertight. Fill your tank with water and bring it up to pressure. Walk the length of the boom, checking the spray pattern of each nozzle. Note any with irregular spray patterns, cat whiskers, or blockages. Turn off the sprayer and disconnect each problem nozzle. Blockages can be corrected with a soft brush or by running water backward. Nozzles with uneven wear patterns should be discarded and replaced.

Calculate spray rate.

Using the unit conversion from Dan Heider’s video, we solve

You have your nozzle spacing directly from a tape measure.

While your boom is stationary, you can measure your Gallons per Minute. Operating at your standard pressure, collect water from a nozzle for 15 seconds. Record the water volume in ounces. Repeat for each nozzle, and take an average. Now you have spray rate in ounces per 15 seconds, so multiply by 4 to get to ounces per 60 seconds—which is the same as ounces per minute.

Now we have everything you need except Miles per Hour. Turn off the sprayer and travel 200 feet at your usual operating rate. Get up to speed before you start your measurement, so you have a consistent speed through the whole 200ft—and use a stopwatch to measure the time it takes you to travel. Convert your speed in seconds/200ft to miles per hour using

Now you can rewrite our original equation with your specific numbers from each line.

Most cranberry products’ labels suggest a 20 gallon per acre application rate. Check your product’s label to be sure. If your Gallons per Acre are higher than the label recommends, you need to drive faster or reduce your flow rate, and re-calibrate until you consistently achieve the label’s recommendation. If your GPA are lower than recommended, you need to drive slower or increase your flow rate, and re-calibrate until you consistently achieve the label’s recommendation.

This article was posted in Cranberry, Other News and Resources and tagged Allison Jonjak, Cranberries, Dan Heider, sprayer calibration.