How windy is too windy

[Headless chicken]

I’ve got a lot of acres of very tall maize to cover and the window is getting smaller and smaller.

Spraying all says that but could really do with getting on today if we can.

bbc saying 15-16 mph but seems gusty.

running hypro nozzles. Can get the pressure fairly low to help with droplet size but it’s for eye spot so guessing I want a fairly fine quality to get it on all the leaves.

thoughts please

 

[Chae1]

When you've to put the wipers on, it's time to stop.

 

[teslacoils]

Its too windy today.

Product / neighbours / buffer zones / degree of shelter from woods etc all a factor.

 

[David.]

Can you get a can of the heavy water additive, that some spray contractors evidently must use?

 

[Wombat]

Just get the contractor and large scale farmer nozzles and you will be fine

 

[Will0]

I’ve had some gusts blow through whilst using BFS ex rays, still left a straight line on the headlands.
Its not something I’d intentionally go and do, mind.

 

[melted welly]

Just get the contractor and large scale farmer nozzles and you will be fine

Few yr ago I had a sarky text from a neighbour along those lines when spraying some trace elements on veg in blustery conditions. A couple days later I happened across his sprayer going in cereals in fully worse conditions than I had been. Sent him a text saying I was pleased to see he found those nozzles he was looking for. Got a very very long reply outlining the nozzle choice, pressure, spray pattern, fwd speed, additive….etc etc

 

[Brisel]

I’ve got a lot of acres of very tall maize to cover and the window is getting smaller and smaller.

Spraying all says that but could really do with getting on today if we can.

bbc saying 15-16 mph but seems gusty.

running hypro nozzles. Can get the pressure fairly low to help with droplet size but it’s for eye spot so guessing I want a fairly fine quality to get it on all the leaves.

thoughts please

Which Hypro nozzles? That's only the make, not the model.

For really dodgy conditions, I use BFS Exray 04 and a high water volume. You can always leave the downwind headland or at least a couple of boom sections. Boom height has a massive impact on drift.

Set your alarm early and get up before dawn. Dawn and dusk are when the wind is lowest.

 

[DrWazzock]

I often wonder about this. I was testing the sprayer the other day and reduced pressure to 1 barg on teejet fan jets which is low end of the specified range. Coverage seemed as good as any fancy low drift nozzle or bubble jet and drift was hardly noticeable, all achieved by simply turning the pressure down and driving more slowly of course for same water volume.
With cost being ever more important as selling prices never really increase, why should we bother with switching about with elaborate and expensive nozzles?

 

[Brisel]

What has selling price got to do with it? A lower margin means you need to make every droplet count, just as it does with a higher margin!

 

[DrWazzock]

What has selling price got to do with it? A lower margin means you need to make every droplet count, just as it does with a higher margin!

Efficacy counts. Do these bubblejets really give the same coverage as a low pressure flat fan? I’m not convinced.
One of the big chemical suppliers did a trial a couple of years ago and the flat fan came out as the most commercially efficient nozzle.
There’s more mileage in angled nozzles IMO, but aiming for very low drift will come at cost of not hitting small targets or achieving even coverage IMO.

 

[Andy26]

Efficacy counts. Do these bubblejets really give the same coverage as a low pressure flat fan? I’m not convinced.
One of the big chemical suppliers did a trial a couple of years ago and the flat fan came out as the most commercially efficient nozzle.
There’s more mileage in angled nozzles IMO, but aiming for very low drift will come at cost of not hitting small targets or achieving even coverage IMO.

I only use Guardian Air bubblejets, they are game changing compared to flat fans, so many more spray days available and most often timing is more important than rate or product.
When it's time for new nozzles I wouldn give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

 

[Ben B]

Which Hypro nozzles? That's only the make, not the model.

For really dodgy conditions, I use BFS Exray 04 and a high water volume. You can always leave the downwind headland or at least a couple of boom sections. Boom height has a massive impact on drift.

Set your alarm early and get up before dawn. Dawn and dusk are when the wind is lowest.

Do you have inversion drift. Ie no wind at all (most common dawn and dusk atleast in my climate) the chemical droplets never hits the target area and move in air until wind picks up. Some times travelling 80-100 kms in bad conditions before falling and hitting a target. I know you guys run higher water rates which would help a bit but just interested. It's a big problem here especially with paraquat since it's most effective sprayed at night.

 

[Spud]

Do you have inversion drift. Ie no wind at all (most common dawn and dusk atleast in my climate) the chemical droplets never hits the target area and move in air until wind picks up. Some times travelling 80-100 kms in bad conditions before falling and hitting a target. I know you guys run higher water rates which would help a bit but just interested. It's a big problem here especially with paraquat since it's most effective sprayed at night.

Paraquat has been banned here for 17years!
I guess you'll have diquat too? I don't miss paraquat, horrible stuff, but diquat was handy!

 

[Andy26]

Paraquat has been banned here for 17years!
I guess you'll have diquat too? I don't miss paraquat, horrible stuff, but diquat was handy!

Chloryphrifos, trufluralin, carbetazim, diuron, atrazine, epoxiconazole etc.... all approved for use in Australia.

 

[DrWazzock]

I only use Guardian Air bubblejets, they are game changing compared to flat fans, so many more spray days available and most often timing is more important than rate or product.
When it's time for new nozzles I wouldn give them a try, you won't be disappointed.

I’m maybe misunderstanding something but to my mind a bubble jet nozzle operated in the pressure range to achieve its drift star rating is “ultra coarse”. How can that be effective at hitting targets like blackgrass with all the profile of a cats whisker? I’ve tried bubble jets but found them poor on hitting small targets and even for T3 where I like to see coverage rather than a big blob here and there. I need to refit them and get some photographs. But the drift of bubblejets here at 3 barg was about the same as my flat fans at 1 barg with similar coverage as far as I see just by looking at the spray pattern.

 

[David.]

Chloryphrifos, trufluralin, carbetazim, diuron, atrazine, epoxiconazole etc.... all approved for use in Australia.

Don't hold it against them that their regulations are science led, rather than eco-nutter.

 

[Terrier]

Efficacy counts. Do these bubblejets really give the same coverage as a low pressure flat fan? I’m not convinced.
One of the big chemical suppliers did a trial a couple of years ago and the flat fan came out as the most commercially efficient nozzle.
There’s more mileage in angled nozzles IMO, but aiming for very low drift will come at cost of not hitting small targets or achieving even coverage IMO.

Flat fans are the worst for drift and best for coverage. Anything else is a compromise but can be quite adequate depending on the target and coverage required.
Low and slow reduces drift with any nozzle.

 

[Gong Farmer]

Spray between the gusts - watch the crop upwind and when it's still for a few seconds, go. As soon as you see it waving, stop. OK, that was my technique with knapsack sprayers, but should work with tractor sprayers and get the job done inside a week

 

[Andy26]

I’m maybe misunderstanding something but to my mind a bubble jet nozzle operated in the pressure range to achieve its drift star rating is “ultra coarse”. How can that be effective at hitting targets like blackgrass with all the profile of a cats whisker? I’ve tried bubble jets but found them poor on hitting small targets and even for T3 where I like to see coverage rather than a big blob here and there. I need to refit them and get some photographs. But the drift of bubblejets here at 3 barg was about the same as my flat fans at 1 barg with similar coverage as far as I see just by looking at the spray pattern.

All about compromise, hitting most of the black-grass when its very small is probably better than hitting 100% when its larger and will shrug the herbicide off easily.

In a perfect world you use flat fan at high pressure, at the perfect timing in perfect weather with great coverage and great results.

I think often, done is better than perfect.