Spraying tomatoes technique

[Barbee]

I agree with that and weeds are another nightmare. I used straw in my walkways and around my plants this year and I can't keep up with the weeds now. I feel sure that's why I have had so much disease and bug pressure this year.
Next year I will go back to straw/newspaper inside the cages only. That works much better for me.

[Dewayne mater]

Bill

Do you use your SP2 sprayer to spray the diluted bleach spray? I have small solo spray that is nice, but, need to move up to more capacity and more PSI to get the job done better and faster. The SP2 looks like it has brass nozzles which would seem to have better durability than the plastic nozzle on the solo backpack sprayers. I'm hoping for a one sprayer for all spraying needs solution and that include diluted bleach spray. Fighting some serious grey mold right now!Thanks

Dewayne mater.

[b54red]

Originally Posted by Dewayne mater

Bill

Do you use your SP2 sprayer to spray the diluted bleach spray? I have small solo spray that is nice, but, need to move up to more capacity and more PSI to get the job done better and faster. The SP2 looks like it has brass nozzles which would seem to have better durability than the plastic nozzle on the solo backpack sprayers. I'm hoping for a one sprayer for all spraying needs solution and that include diluted bleach spray. Fighting some serious grey mold right now!Thanks

Dewayne mater.

I use the SP2 for all my spraying including the bleach spray. I love the good brass nozzles that I have to work with because those plastic wands and especially nozzles don't hold up very well. The plastic nozzles won't put out a good even spray for me.

I have a table that is just the right height for putting the full sprayer on my back. I just back up to it and slip my arms in the straps and go. It would be difficult to put on your back if it was very full and you didn't have it sitting up high on something so you could just slip it on.

Another trick I have learned with the backpack sprayer is to never set it up completely dry. I always rinse it and pump it up and let it run out the nozzle until it is showing low pressure then I release the trigger and put it up with about a gallon of clean water in it. The reason I put it up with the slight pressure still in it is so when I start the next time I never have any trouble getting the pump started. The first year I had it I would put it up dry with all pressure released and after about a year I had trouble getting the pump to start working when I started the next time. I haven't had any trouble with that for the last two years since I started putting it up with a little pressure still in the pump and some clean water in the tank. I also give the piston rod a little WD-40 ever few times I use it to keep the pump working smoothly. I have never had a sprayer last this long and didn't expect this one to last this long using as much of the bleach spray as I do.

Bill

[ScottinAtlanta]

Bill, I use my sprayer for Actinovate and Greencure and other powders you dissolve in water. Is the SP2 able to handle that? Their site says it cannot handle "Wettable Powders", whatever that means.

[ArthurDent004]

I'm wondering if "Wettable Powders" means that you can't put the powder in one section and water in another section and have them mixed within the sprayer itself.

[RayR]

Originally Posted by ArthurDent004

I'm wondering if "Wettable Powders" means that you can't put the powder in one section and water in another section and have them mixed within the sprayer itself.

Right, a wettable powder is not 100% soluble, it's a suspension of very fine powder when mixed with water. It has to be mixed with water right before use.
Because they are not 100% soluble, some sprayers can get clogged up if they are not designed for it.

Actinovate and Greencure are 100% soluble, so those shouldn't be a problem

[nnjjohn]

Originally Posted by 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

I'll keep that in mind Bill,, It worked nonetheless.. I been giving tomatoes away because we eat them every day and they keep coming on.I still see at least a few bushels before eos

[b54red]

I agree with Arthur there is no way to stir things once they are put in the sprayer because the pump assembly is right in the center of the tank other than just shaking it. You would have to mix your wettable powders before putting them into the tank unless they mix very easily. I have used wettable powders before and had no problems but I first mixed them in a jug and poured them into the SP tank. I used to use wettable powders more but they are more difficult to handle as some of them just don't stay mixed and want to settle all the time. Another problem I have had with them is storage because of our high humidity they must be kept in an air conditioned room to prevent them from getting clumped and hardening. SP Systems does make a sprayer with a mixer in it but I was afraid to use it because of the frequency I use bleach sprays and I figured it was just adding something to break down to an already great product.

Scott, I used to use 5 to 6 gallons of spray mixture with a very good Hudson metal tank sprayer which meant I was always running out and having to remix and start again. It also meant with expensive sprays like Daconil and some others that I was wasting a lot of product. Because of the very high pressure and fine strong mist of this sprayer I use approximately one third the amount I used to use and it makes spraying thick foliage so much easier and takes less than a quarter of the time it used to.

I looked into getting a Solo back pack sprayer because they were easy to find and less expensive; but the lower pressure they develop and the plastic wands seemed less than ideal. They might be fine for the job but I have never used one because after reading the reviews on sprayers I decided to go with the SP Systems high pressure sprayer for my first backpack sprayer. I also thought about using a fogger type but feared that some of the mixes I liked to use would mess them up or wouldn't fog well. Barbee seems to have come up with a neat idea that uses a blower to give a fine mist. I'm no engineer though and would probably mess up the whole thing if I tried to make one and it would be difficult to use in the narrow rows between my beds when the tomatoes get large. I sometimes have difficulty getting between the rows now with all the hanging branches but if I had more room I might give it a try. Fogging would be a good way to use less spray and get good coverage. I guess with the SP pumped up high I get somewhere in between a good strong spray and a fog.

Bill

[ScottinAtlanta]

Thanks, everyone, for lots of information. Bill, I am persuaded that the SP Systems high pressure sprayer is what I need, despite the cost. If I can reduce the time needed to spray, I think I can double my yield, because I am not spraying often enough now. I am spraying with Actinovote, then Daconil, then Greencure, then copper fungicide, then Actinovote again, and I need to do it more regularly to reduce the disease pressure on my plants. They are courageous, but need more regular cavalry!

[b54red]

Since I got the backpack sprayer I have increased the frequency of my spraying and that has generally helped with most disease problems. Even though I am using a spray on my whole garden more often I am spending far less time and effort doing it than before with the regular 2 gallon tank sprayer. I rarely put more than 2 gallons in my sprayer because of the reduced amount of mixture needed for good coverage so it has been a win win for me.

Bill

[ScottinAtlanta]

The SP2 sprayer seems to be out of stock everywhere. Did they discontinue it? If so, is there another good sprayer that someone can recommend?

[b54red]

Scot I have not been able to find the sprayer just like mine available anywhere either. I will keep looking and if I find a source for it I will let you know. I did find this one on Amazon and it seems to be very close in specs to the one I have and it is cheaper.

http://www.amazon.com/SP-Systems-4-G...ystems+sprayer

Bill

[kurt]

This was in another topic here.Maybe another alternative.http://www.gilmour.com/tank-sprayers...-pump-sprayer/

[stromato]

b54red,

Is this the model you have that will "become available" on amazon?

http://www.amazon.com/SP-Systems-SP2.../dp/B00008BFRT

What do you think about some of the customer reviews complaining that it "would not pressurize". That does not sound like the sprayer you have.

[b54red]

Yes that looks like the one I got. I too had a problem with pressurizing it after following the directions of letting all the pressure out and storing it dry the second year. I opened up the pump which is not easy and lubed it well then reassembled it and from then on kept it lightly pressurized with clean water in the tank when I stored it and it has worked flawlessly since then. I have now used it for three seasons using it at least once a week from May til November so I have more than gotten my moneys worth from it; but I have no idea what I would order now if I had to get a new sprayer since it is discontinued. When it does finally quit I will look for another high pressure backpack sprayer because of the ease of use and efficiency.

Bill