[AG-EQ] The Hortex Spray Mixer

Sat Nov 2 14:33:53 UTC 2019

I found generic help, if that's any good. I'm pasting a whole block below.
Tracy

How To Use a Hose-end Sprayer

 How To Use a Hose-End Sprayer 

 Hose-end sprayers are a great tool for spraying liquid garden products. You
need to know a little bit about how they work or you will undoubtedly have a
problem with over or under-applying your products.  

 A hose-end sprayer is simply a tool that  siphons  out products from a
bottle and mixes the product with water for easy spraying . All hose-end
sprayers designed for use with  liquid  products (not powders or granules)
work in a similar fashion.

 When you turn the sprayer on, water passes through the spray head on top of
the bottle and shoots out the other end.  A s the water moves  through the
top of the spray head, it creates a suction or vacuum that siphons the
liquid product up the tube to the top of the spray head.  There, and  not in
the bottle , it mixes with the hose water and gets sprayed out. Most
hose-end sprayers have a knob or button that allows you to close off the
hole on the siphon tube so you can spray water only if desired. 

 The size of the hole underneath the spray head will determine how many
ounces (or teaspoons) of liquid product will be siphoned up for every gallon
of water that you spray .  Sprayers will have either just one hole
underneath, or they will have multiple holes (or settings) that you can
choose from.

Adjustable hose-end sprayers have a dial on top that allows you to choose
from multiple hole sizes, ranging from as low as 1 teaspoon per gallon to 8
oz per gallon. 

You can see the black dial on this one.Gilmourdialamixsprayer250 

Adjustable hose-end sprayers allow you play around with different setting or
to mix a product with water an exact specific rate if needed.  They
generally are very easy to fill and easy to use. And, as you will see below,
they allow you to spray out your products faster or slower.

There are numerous adjustable hose end sprayers on the market, with
different designs.Gilmour sprayer 

 Many hardware stores carry their own brand. You can usually find the Ortho
Dial N Spray or a Gilmour Select N Spray at one of the big box stores.

Ortho sprayer 

Pre-set or Fixed Rate sprayers are usually found on RTU (Ready-To-Use)
products. There is just one hole in the spray head so it always siphons out
at the same rate. 

An example of a Fixed Rate sprayer is the hose-end applicator we use for our
liquid lawn aeration product called  Aerify PLUS , there is a small hole on
this that siphons out just 1 1/2 oz of product per gallon of water.
Aerifyplus RTU bottle

Since this bottle hold 32 ounces of product you would need to spray 32
gallons of water out over your lawn or garden to empty it.

If you have a hose-end sprayer in your garage that says something like "20
Gallon Sprayer", that tells you it is a fixed rate sprayer that will empty
out after spraying 20 gallons of water.  A "10 Gallon Sprayer" empties after
spraying just 10 gallons. Our Aerify PLUS sprayer would then be called a 32
gallon sprayer.

APPLYING THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF YOUR PRODUCT

Most garden product labels will recommended applying a certain amount of the
product per every 1000 sf. But all hose-end sprayers are set up to siphon
out in ounces per gallon- not ounces per 1000 sf.  So, how do you go about
getting the right amount of ounces per 1000 sf applied?  

The key fact you need to know about hose-end sprayers is this:

The amount of product that gets sprayed out on a lawn is determined by both
the sprayer hole (oz per gal) setting , and by how many gallons of water you
actually spray on the lawn as you do an application.

And, because everyone walks at a different speed, sprays a wider or narrower
swath and has different water pressure, there is always going to be some
trial and error when using a hose-end sprayer.

Here is our advice on how to apply products with either a fixed rate sprayer
or an adjustable hose-end sprayer :

1.Before you start spraying, get an approximate idea of the total area (in
square feet) that is going to be sprayed. Walk it off heel-to-toe if
necessary and measure length times width to get the area.

2.Once you have the total area, figure out how much of the product you
should use. For example, if your yard is 4,000 sf and you want to apply our
Aerify PLUS  at 4 oz per 1000 sf rate, you want to use 16 oz total on your
lawn.

3.Attach your garden hose to the sprayer. Turn your water on at about ½ to ¾
pressure for best functioning of the sprayer. You can turn the sprayer to
the Water Only setting while you get the pressure right.

4.If you are using a fixed rate sprayer, turn the sprayer to ON (MIX). If
you are using an adjustable sprayer, set it to 1 oz per gallon (for Aerify
PLUS) or whatever the recommended sprayer setting is on the label of the
product you are using. Walk at a slow to normal pace moving your wrist side
to side enough to spray a 6-8 wide swath over the lawn (or gardens). Spray
enough to make sure all areas get wet on top. You do not have to soak these
areas at this time. You can water it in later.  

1.After you have sprayed a small area, say ¼ or ½ of the lawn, stop and
check to see how much of the product you have used up. Figure out if you
have sprayed too much or too little based on how much area has been treated.
For example, if you have treated about 2000 sf and you want to apply at 4 oz
per 1000 sf, you should have used approximately 8 oz (or 1 cup) of the
product.

1.If you have used too little, you need to walk at a slower pace when
spraying and/or spray a narrower swath. If you are using an adjustable
sprayer you can simply increase the spray setting and walk exactly like you
did the first time. Test another area re-adjust as needed.

If you have used too much, you need to walk faster and/or spray a wider
swath. If you are using an adjustable sprayer you can turn it down to a
lower setting.  

1.If nothing or very little has come out of the sprayer check to see that
the siphon tube is still connected. If there is a filter tip on the end of
the tube, make sure it is not clogged. Our filter tip can be cleaned out
with a large paper clip. 

As we said,  there is always some trial and error when you spray with a
hose-end sprayer. Even commercial lawn spray technicians have practice and
make adjustments to get their walking speed and spray pattern down
correctly. It gets easier after you have done it once or twice.

Hope this has been helpful.

You fill the sprayer with the product, and then set the dial to whatever
rate the label says is needed for your tree issue. Eg, it might say 1 1/2 oz
per gallon of water for fungus control. Normally you would spray just enough
to wet bark, branches, and leaves if they are out. 

Posted by: Stu | May 08, 2019 at 05:40 AM 

If the chart says 5 oz per 5 gallons, that is the same rate as 1 oz per 1
gallon. You need to measure your lawn to make sure you don't over or under
apply. You might want to practice with just plain water instead of weed
killer at first. If the area of weed to be sprayed is small, you could use a
pump sprayer mixing at 1 oz per gallon, wetting the weeds well as you spray.

Posted by: Stuart Franklin | April 10, 2017 at 05:03 AM 

-----Original Message-----
From: AG-EQ [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jewel via AG-EQ
Sent: Saturday, November 02, 2019 2:29 AM
To: nzbg
Cc: Jewel; nz-vi at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [AG-EQ] The Hortex Spray Mixer

I wanted to get details re calibrating it etc, so I mounted a search on
Google and there seems to be 
heaps of info about the product , but how do I read it.  It says :...
contains text" but what this 
sort for text is remains a mystery to me.

          Jewel 

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