Pesticide Packaging - The good, the bad and the ugly?

[aowen]

There are threads in the arable section on this.

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/sprays-and-their-cans-2013-season-awards.4163/
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/sprays-and-their-cans-2014-season-awards.20249/
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/sprays-and-their-cans-2015-season.32335/
https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/sprays-and-their-cans-2016-17-season.138234/

Ideally, a pack should be transparent so we can see if it is clean. The "ribbed and dimpled for her pleasure" versions are not loved, nor are the stupid yellow BASF handles. Necks should be easy to get a rinse nozzle in, ie not like some of the 1lt insecticide cans. Lids should be able to be removed without the assistance of The Hulk. Foils, if still there, should be easy to open with the standard "Mandops" blue can spanner. Finally, cans should be of a suitable size to not need thousands to fill a sprayer ie generic epoxi should now come in 10lt cans.

Very helpful, thank you.

 

[aowen]

Again, thank you all for your comments.

Let me know if the below likes dislikes is accurate?

Likes =

Caps that can be opened easily, whilst wearing gloves and without tools
Colour codes caps/labels relating to product category (herbicide, fungicide, insecticide, etc..)
Easy-clean cans
Square cans that can be stacked for easy storage
Clear viewing strip to easily see product
Wide neck
Lightweight/easy to squash when empty

Dislikes =

Foil seals
Tight caps
Grooves/dimples on the side of cans
Recessed openings that have a well on either side
Outer-packaging

Questions:

1) Do you think a central neck really helps to prevent glugging / splashing?
2) Most preferable can sizes?

Feel free to add / amend this list of likes and dislikes. I look forward to your thoughts / feedback, thank you.

 

[Flat 10]

UPL need some 10lit cans. I use a lot of your beet sprays some of which only work out at 2ha per can, which is not enough. I think your above list about gets it right. I see no benefit to central spouts for glugging/splashing but they are nice to put on the can wash in the induction hopper. (I quite like BASFS dimpled cans). Clear strips for viewing how much is in the can (along with a well marked scale) are most helpful.

 

[Shutesy]

Again, thank you all for your comments.

Let me know if the below likes dislikes is accurate?

Likes =

Caps that can be opened easily, whilst wearing gloves and without tools
Colour codes caps/labels relating to product category (herbicide, fungicide, insecticide, etc..)
Easy-clean cans
Square cans that can be stacked for easy storage
Clear viewing strip to easily see product
Wide neck
Lightweight/easy to squash when empty

Dislikes =

Foil seals
Tight caps
Grooves/dimples on the side of cans
Recessed openings that have a well on either side
Outer-packaging

Questions:

1) Do you think a central neck really helps to prevent glugging / splashing?
2) Most preferable can sizes?

Feel free to add / amend this list of likes and dislikes. I look forward to your thoughts / feedback, thank you.

Think you've got it about spot on, I quite like a central neck as it's perhaps slightly easier to clean out on a can rinse nozzle, no real can size preference as long as there isn't a ridiculous numbers of cans per fill of the sprayer.

 

[Shutesy]

I use your Minstrel and your Xerton this year. Both were fine. Although I havent seen the bill for the Xerton yet, it seems to have done the job required.

Interested to know how you got on with Xerton, did it do a job on the Blackgrass, perhaps not easy to see if used in a stack?

 

[franklin]

Interested to know how you got on with Xerton, did it do a job on the Blackgrass, perhaps not easy to see if used in a stack?

3.5lt Crystal + 100ml straight DFF + 1lt Xerton. That's all it will get. Wont be going through with a BYDV / Atlantis. BG control has been ace. Was it the Xerton? Unsure. All I am sure about is that if it is the same stuff as the ethosumate but 8x the price due to label then I will not be 100% happy.

Again, thank you all for your comments.

Let me know if the below likes dislikes is accurate?

Likes =

Caps that can be opened easily, whilst wearing gloves and without tools
Colour codes caps/labels relating to product category (herbicide, fungicide, insecticide, etc..)
Easy-clean cans
Square cans that can be stacked for easy storage
Clear viewing strip to easily see product
Wide neck
Lightweight/easy to squash when empty

Dislikes =

Foil seals
Tight caps
Grooves/dimples on the side of cans
Recessed openings that have a well on either side
Outer-packaging

Questions:

1) Do you think a central neck really helps to prevent glugging / splashing?
2) Most preferable can sizes?

Feel free to add / amend this list of likes and dislikes. I look forward to your thoughts / feedback, thank you.

I dislike the Rotam cardboard boxes which has very large staples securing them. The cans need to be clear or opaque enough to see if you have got it clean without inverting it and having a good look through the neck. An example of the worst can would be the Karis insecticide in 500ml cans which are goos as useless, especially when they do it in litre cans.

Best pack size is 10lt. This applies to most things. The end of 3lt Liberator in favour of 5lt was a good thing. Now I can get epoxi in 10lt that is also a good thing.

Central neck less vital for glugging in 5lt - glugging is mostly operator hurry. But in 10lt cans a central neck eases cleaning with induction hopper nozzles. BASF 10lt cans good for neck loaction.

 

[robbie]

UPL need some 10lit cans. I use a lot of your beet sprays some of which only work out at 2ha per can, which is not enough. I think your above list about gets it right. I see no benefit to central spouts for glugging/splashing but they are nice to put on the can wash in the induction hopper. (I quite like BASFS dimpled cans). Clear strips for viewing how much is in the can (along with a well marked scale) are most helpful.

Phemo 3.5 lt/ha in 5lt cans WTF!!!!!!

 

[quavers]

hope this worked.

 

[quavers]

that kind of breather cap above make for a faster and safer transfer of chemical , I don't know why they all don't fit these breathers .

 

[fingermouse]

Any spray operators based in the North West happy to allow a visit?

Based near Chester if that's any good ,you order some decent spraying weather and I will show you the good bad and ugly of chemical packaging

 

[Al R]

View attachment 599026 hope this worked.

I've never seen those breathers on spray cans as they can leak like the Fuchs oil cans do. BUT I use a lot of Strathclyde Formalin and those 25litre cans have a breather and I can empty 25litres of water out in 3-4 seconds with no glugging. I'll get a photo tomorrow if I remember.

Volume Gauges on the side of cans are handy as a guide if your using 2l/ha of a product as it's a nuisance to measure out 6 litres of a 10litre can.

Everything that is in 500ml bottles should be available in 1000ml and 2000ml cans.
Everything in 1000ml should be available in 2000 and 5000ml cans.
Things that are 5000ml should be available in 10 and 15 and maybe 20litre containers.

Less cardboard and more square cans that stack like optemag/opteB - they will stack 8 cans single file - they have grooves and dimples in the tops and bottoms so they "connect" together.

 

[aowen]

View attachment 599026 hope this worked.

Thank you @quavers for uploading the picture.

 

[aowen]

Based near Chester if that's any good ,you order some decent spraying weather and I will show you the good bad and ugly of chemical packaging

@fingermouse Chester is great. Direct mail me when you're free and i'll try to bring you some decent spraying weather

 

[aowen]

optemag/opteB

@quavers - you don't happen to have any images of the optemag/opteB too by any chance? Good suggestions regarding can sizes, thank you.

 

[aowen]

UPL are based near Sandbach IIRC, so guess that's why NW is preferable for them.

@Shutesy @static thank you both for your offers. If I could get the time to travel a little further then i know where to go, thank you for your offers. I am based in Warrington, hence NW is preferable.

 

[Al R]

@quavers - you don't happen to have any images of the optemag/opteB too by any chance? Good suggestions regarding can sizes, thank you.

In the top picture you can see a breather hole in the top, in the second picture you can see the breather that is under the handle, allowing air into the can. Formalin being such a bad/irritant liquid it's important you get no splashes or gluggs.

You can see the square pieces on the top of the can, these are replicated on the bottom of the can so they will stack as high as you want vertically!

 

[Steevo]

View attachment 599218 View attachment 599220
In the top picture you can see a breather hole in the top, in the second picture you can see the breather that is under the handle, allowing air into the can. Formalin being such a bad/irritant liquid it's important you get no splashes or gluggs.

You can see the square pieces on the top of the can, these are replicated on the bottom of the can so they will stack as high as you want vertically!

Roundup started using these as "no-glug" cans a while back. Price of their glyphosate rather takes the shine off the clever can though.

 

[Al R]

Roundup started using these as "no-glug" cans a while back. Price of their glyphosate rather takes the shine off the clever can though.

Which ones? The roundup I used this year was 15litre cans which had a plastic shrouding around the cab to make it square so it stacked well too. More companies need to get on board and make easy stacking without the need of cardboard boxes! Being able to have pallets of produce with no cardboard for every 2-4 cans is key to reduce operator time being used, the waste of cardboard too. The only use for the cardboard is to put under you when under a machine.

 

[Al R]

Roundup started using these as "no-glug" cans a while back. Price of their glyphosate rather takes the shine off the clever can though.

I used this this year, if you zoom in to the top of the can you can see little dimples in the top so they stack well, I think we had them 6 high with no problems.

 

[Steevo]

That's the ones. Been around 15+years now I think. Generic glyphosate is a fraction of the cost though so just make do with that. When you buy a pallet or two at a time they come shrink wrapped with no cardboard at all. In fact, I don't know of any glyphosate cans that are in cardboard boxes.