Garden Sprayers

A good garden sprayer is an essential tool even if you don't use conventional synthetic pesticides. Sprayers allow you to apply 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 sprayer to apply it.

Ideally you should have access to at least two -- one that you use only for herbicides (weed killers) and another one for insecticides/miticides, including insecticidal soap. While it is possible to wash spray tanks 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 handheld sprayer for applying herbicides and a 1-liter (quart) hand sprayer, or a second 1-gallon size, for insecticides. If you have fruit trees or grapes you may want a 4-gallon diaphragm pump backpack sprayer for applying fungicides as well. This backpack sprayer would also be useful for applying wettable powder insecticides for boxelder bug control.

A hose-end sprayer is useful for applying liquid fertilizers, beneficial nematodes and milky spore for Japanese beetle control.

Using garden sprayers

To mix garden chemical solutions first pour half the needed water into the tank, then add the measured amount of chemical concentrate. Use the remaining water to rinse out the measuring cup into the tank. Clean the sprayer after each use. Triple rinse the tank and be sure to rinse out the hose and nozzle with the final rinse water. Hose off the exterior of the sprayer.

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. You can use insecticidal soap (1-2% solution) to clean spray tanks between applications and at the end of the season.

The Pest Management Store

Identification guides, reference and gardening books, etc.