Time to calibrate your spray rig

April showers bring May flowers ... or so the old story goes. 

Well, in the world of weed control – April showers brings May weeds, thus weed control is important to maximize forage growth and quality. 

So producers it’s time to dust off the spray rig and make sure it’s operating properly.  Most herbicides need to be put out with so many gallons of water per acre.  To make sure this is occurring, you need to calibrate your sprayer.

Calibrating a sprayer is important because the newer herbicides come as dry flowable powders that are put out at the rate of 1/10th to 3/10th oz. per acre. It is also as important to make sure you have good coverage of the product on the plant to maximize control. 

 The following is a way to calibrate a boom-type sprayer:

1. Determine nozzle spacing.

2. Refer to Table 1 for length of calibration course.

3. Measure calibration course.

4. Record time required to drive calibration course at field gear and rpm.

5. Park tractor, maintain rpm used to drive course and turn on sprayer

6. Catch water from one nozzle for time equal to that required to drive calibration course

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