- 10 - 



WEED SPRAYING BY HAND 



Vfeed control recommendations are generally given in terms of pounds of the 

 active ingredient per acree For example, if it is recommended to apply two pounds 

 of Chloro IPC per acre, this means two pounds of actxoal Chloro IPC i^pead evenly 

 over one acre* The amount of ivater used to spread the weed killer is usually uniniM 

 portant. This type of area spraying seems to give no end of trouble to the person 

 who has only a small area to cover and' wishes to do it -vTith a hand sprayer. Even 

 when the amount to use on a small area, say a teaspoonful on 200 square feet, ie 

 given, the difficulty still persists. The question, "How much do I put in a gallon 

 of water?", is asked again and again. 



The difficulty arises frcm the fact that the methods of procedure for apply- 

 ing pesticides and herbicides are, in most cases, almost opposite. In spraying for 

 pests the concentration of the spray solution and thoroughness of application are 

 all important. The amount of spray material used is not important so long as one 

 does a thorough job of covering all parts of the plant. This is the old familiar 

 procedure. Add so much to each gallon of spray and spray the plant thoroughly. If 

 too much spray is used, it juns off and is wasted but no other harm is done. 



On the other hand, in weed spraying almost the reverse is true, VJith a fevr 

 exceptions, concentration of the spray and thoroughness of wetting of plants are of 

 no concern. It doesn't make a bit of difference whether a teaspoonful of weed killer 

 is put in a cup of water, a quart or a gallon, so long as it is spread evenly over 

 the recommended area, say 200 square feet. The impprtanjfe th j jjg is to get the recomf. 

 mended gaiount of weed killer spread evenly over I he reccaansn^eTarea, Underdosing re»» 

 suits in poor weed control. Overdo st^r^TDSy result in plant injury. 



Then hm does one know hovf much vrater to use? Vfith a hand sprayer this v/ill 

 have to be learned by trial and error. Suppose it is desired to apply one teaspoonful 

 of weed killer to 100 square feet of area. If the strawberry row is two feet wide, 

 measure off 50 feet of rov/ and place a stake. Fill tlie sprayer to one of the gallon 

 marks. Spray over the 100 square foot area. Measure the amount of water necessary 

 to bring the water level in the sprayer back to the mark* Repeat the spraying and 

 measuring operation about three times. The average yrill give the amount of vmter 

 used per 100 square feet. 



If a compressed air sprayer is used, the amount of liquid delivered will vary 

 with the pressure. It is well to pump up the sprayer frequently. Also the amount 

 of spray delivered to a given area will vary inversely as the rate of travel. Try 

 to walk at a constant rate of speed. If the row is narrovf, it is a good idea to 

 hold the nozzle high enough to cover the vddth of the row as you walk along. If the 

 row is wide, it may be better to go dovm one side and back the other covering half 

 the row each time. This will usually give more even coverage than waving the nozzle 

 around, Vfith a little practice a fairly uniform coverage can be obtained. 



After the amount of vfater to use per 100 square feet has been determined, it 

 ie a simple matter to measure the bed and determine the total amount of vreed killer 

 and water to use. 



Sometimes it is desirable to spray only part of the area of a bed, a strip 

 over the ro\T or a strip between the rows, for example. In such a case it ie only the 

 area actually sprayed that is used in calculating the amount of vreed killer. Suppose 

 a band two feet vdde is sprayed over a row where the rovfs are four feet apart* Then 

 only half the total area of the bed is sprayed and only half the amount of water and 



