Spraying tomatoes technique

[ScottinAtlanta]

Folks, I spray my toms regularly but as they grow, the time needed gets longer and longer. How important is it to spray the underside of leaves? That more than doubles the time to spray - but it seems to me that the spores are more likely to land on the top of the leaf.

Just how important is it to invest the time in spraying the underside?

[ContainerTed]

The underside is where most of the bad critters hang out. Aphids, thrips, and a long menu of others like to do their dirty work in the shade where they can't be easily seen by critters that eat them. Also, the underside is the last area that rain will wash off your spray. If you're time constrained, spray the undersides and leave the rest alone.

[kurt]

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

Folks, I spray my toms regularly but as they grow, the time needed gets longer and longer. How important is it to spray the underside of leaves? That more than doubles the time to spray - but it seems to me that the spores are more likely to land on the top of the leaf.

Just how important is it to invest the time in spraying the underside?

Do not know if you have one but if not this is a must have for the garden.http://www.hydroponics.net/i/137347

[ScottinAtlanta]

I like that, but two liters? I usually go through 3-5 gallons for a complete spraying.

[RayR]

Scott. I see you are talking about spraying a fungicide. What product are we talking about spraying and against what pathogen(s)? If the pathogen attacks stems or fruit also, you gotta spray them too.

[kurt]

Originally Posted by ScottinAtlanta

I like that, but two liters? I usually go through 3-5 gallons for a complete spraying.

http://www.solousa.com/store/flypage...ollabout_.html

[b54red]

When I spray Daconil I only try to hit the tops of the leaves. If I am spraying with a copper fungicide or with the dilute bleach spray then I try to get all of the plant including stems and undersides of leaves.

Since I got my SP2 Systems backpack sprayer with the very high pressure spray I have cut way back on the amount of spray material used and on the time it takes to apply it. The high pressure fine mist just covers so much faster and with much less runoff and puddling on the leaves.

Bill

[nnjjohn]

by golly i do believe b54red's idea worked ..I only sprayed after a warm tropical rain that hit my plants with something and so I sprayed using a pump mist applicator i bought for 10.00 some time ago for bleaching weeds in my driveway.. anyway 4 cups bleach to a gallon of water and plants are looking much better two weeks after,cheers to b54red

[b54red]

Originally Posted by nnjjohn

by golly i do believe b54red's idea worked ..I only sprayed after a warm tropical rain that hit my plants with something and so I sprayed using a pump mist applicator i bought for 10.00 some time ago for bleaching weeds in my driveway.. anyway 4 cups bleach to a gallon of water and plants are looking much better two weeks after,cheers to b54red

That might be way too much bleach unless you have some that is a very weak concentration. I use 5 1/2 ounces of the new concentrated Clorox to a gallon of water or 7 to 8 ounces of the older Clorox bleach to a gallon.

I do go a bit stronger if the plants are very wet or if I am dealing with Late Blight.

Bill

[Barbee]

I have a homemade mister/blower for spraying
It gets the job done quick!

[Salsacharley]

Originally Posted by Barbee

I have a homemade mister/blower for spraying
It gets the job done quick!

WOW!

That is fantastic! How do spray at the upper levels with that?

Charley

[Barbee]

The tank is rechargable battery operated and the blower is gas powered. They are connected with hose that runs straight into the blower with a spray tip installed inside. Maybe these pics will help. The sprayer hose is about 6 ft long and the blower shoots the spray about 30 ft on full throttle. I just pull the cart wherever I need to go and it does a nice job.
I looked at the Stihl backpack misters but they are just too heavy for me to carry empty so I knew full of gas and solution would never work. This was a nice alternative.

[ScottinAtlanta]

Wow, Barbee! Looks great, but beyond my technical skills. I still wonder how I can speed up my spraying - perhaps technique, perhaps technology.

[Barbee]

Well if you're using 3-5 gallons of solution a spraying then first thing I would suggest is to make sure you have a big enough sprayer to hold that much solution. You dont have to fill it all the way up early in the season but when you need more, its nice to have the bigger sprayer. Nothing worse than having to stop and refill in the middle of spraying. One thing I used to do before I had this was to buy the longest wand I could find for my pump sprayer and flip it upside down (facing up) to spray the undersides of the leaves. I used to do all the undersides going down a row then flip the wand over and come back doing all the tops.

They also make foggers that are electric. When you switch over to a mister or fogger you use maybe 1/4 to 1/3 of the solution you normally do with a pump sprayer. Something to think about when you are looking at prices.

[ScottinAtlanta]

Great ideas, Barbee. Thanks!

One important thing I learned this year is proper spacing and tying are critical to efficient spraying. When my plants are tangled together with branches in all directions, the spraying becomes a nightmare.