Got my Applicators License, now what?

[EddieWalker]

My license arrived on Saturday. It's really just a piece of yellow paper that has my name printed on it, with some information on what I can buy. I must admit to being disappointed in seeing it, but then again, nobody wasted any money creating it.

I spoke with a few people, plus took notes on suggestions from here. I decided to go with an initial application of 2,4-D. Figuring it my rate of application, mixture and coverage was just about more then my brain could handle. I went with one gallon per 100 gallons of water at a very slow speed.

A few months ago, I bought a 275 gallon, square tank that had been used for a red colored syrup of some kind. I washed it out and put it on my ATV trailer. Then I saw some sprayer tips for sale at Northern Tool that spray 16 feet out. I put one at the end of each boom for a total spray width of 31 feet. The boom was a challenge, but the more I thought about it, the simpler it became. When I built it, I think I had it down to the very simplest design possible. I also want it to be quick and easy to take apart for storage. The pump is a 12v unit that I turn on and off with an inline 110v switch that hangs down near my ankle. The switch is really simple and easy to use. I turn it on, and I have spray coming out instantly. I turn it off, and it's not pumping any more.

While buying the two gallons of 2,4-D I noticed some dye to show up where I sprayed. Since I don't know what I'm doing, I bought it so that I could see where I'd been and hopefully avoid spraying the same area twice.

During the week, I had been playing around with the sprayer and water in the tank. How far did it spray and what was it like to operate it. This proved to be very helpful and allowed me to know a little bit of what to expect before the real thing.

This morning, I sprayed. It went really smoothly, so that was a shock. I didn't know what to expect, but mostly it was just a challenge to spray the grass and keep it out of the trees. The width was also a challenge to get it through the trees. Fortunately, it's very quick and easy to stop the pump.

Now it's a matter of time until it take effect. Any thoughts on how long it takes to work?

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[chh]

You a should start seeing results overnight. Ragweed and most broadleafs should be starting to curl up, though it will take a few days for them to die completely.

 

[dmccarty]

Last year I bought a pint or a quart of blue spray marker for my huge 4 gallon backpack sprayer. Just used the spray, marker and roundup type stuff Friday.

BE VERY careful wit the marker. If it gets on you its kinda wants to stay. And I don't care HOW careful I am, even wearing gloves that stuff gets on you. Friday was really bad because I bent over slightly with the back pack sprayer and the stuff spilled out on my head and neck. I looked like one of those Blue men drummers.

Alcohol seems to get off the dye pretty good once water stops working.

They marker DOES help you know where you have sprayed. Tis worth the mess.

Later,
Dan

 

[EddieWalker]

chh,

Thanks, I went out there this morning and noticed what I thought was some curl in a few of the plants. The sort of look like they are drooping just a bit. I'm hopeful that's the poison at work. I really want to mow, it's killing me to wait, but I know I need to be patient for the poison to work it's way to the roots.

Maybe I'll be able to mow next week. I have an area of a few acres that I didn't spray and can mow, it's going to be built up and then covered in gravel one of these days, so there's no point in trying to make it pretty.

Dan,

For 200 gallons, I just used about a quarter of the bottle of die, and it turned everything blue. You're right about how well it stains your skin!!! I had blue fingers all day Sunday!! Funny think, it's gone today and I didn't do anything special to remove it. I also sprayed some on my white vinyl fence and was wondering if that was something I'd have to live with. I looked for it this morning, and it's not there anymore. We haven't had any rain, so I think it just sort of fades away after a couple of days. It is nice to know where I've sprayed . Especially in the wooded areas where I'm turning the pump on and off allot as I go through the trees. I can see the blue dots on the plants as I drive by them on the tractor and then see where there are no blue dots.

I hope you had somebody take your pictures with the blue die all over you??? That would have been pretty funny, but one of those things that it's better to see on you then on myself. LOL

Eddie



Eddie

 

[dmccarty]

We had a good 1/2 inch of rain about 24 hours after I sprayed. The blue is all gone. I left the sprayer, die bottle and roundup stuff outside to wash off in the rain. For some reason it was all blue.

My red neck was blue when I went into the house. Funny thing was the wifey did not say much. I had to ask her if I was blue and she just kinda shook her head yes with that way they have that says you ain't all there.

The twitching I developed after spraying pretty much stopped on Sunday.

I still have some blue on my fingers. The cheap throw away gloves don't seem to work so well with this stuff. I'm going for thicker gloves next time.

It does look like the nut sedge is dieing. The TBN thread on nut sedge is when I realized we had nut sedge. After reading the thread and seeing the stuff pop up again this year I'm wondering if we should plant it in the "yard", call it grass and declare victory.

That stuff DID grow through our landscape fabric in the garden. The fabric is keeping the weeds down but as someone said the sedge can grow through the fabric. Hoping turning the sedge BLUE will stop the growing.

Later,
Dan

 

[charlz]

I use that blue marker when spraying along the driveways etc. shows up way better on dirt than grass. With the ATV sprayer I only need a few ounces so I have the bottle where you loosen the one cap, squeeze it up into the little measure compartment, take the cap off and dump it into the tank. I loosened the cap, started squeezing, idly remembered that I really should be wearing latex gloves, thought "why isn't this stuff going up?" about that time the little cardboard piece inside the cap, which had glued itself to the top of the bottle over winter, let go and marker came gushing out from under the cap all over both hands

 

[dmccarty]

I use that blue marker when spraying along the driveways etc. shows up way better on dirt than grass. ...
I loosened the cap, started squeezing, idly remembered that I really should be wearing latex gloves, thought "why isn't this stuff going up?" about that time the little cardboard piece inside the cap, which had glued itself to the top of the bottle over winter, let go and marker came gushing out from under the cap all over both hands

Welcome to the Blue Man Club.

Sounds like we might have the same bottle. Even with gloves I still got that stuff on my hands.

Later,
Dan

 

[CrownHawg]

Eddie you amaze me all the time on how clever you are at "putting together" things. Nice looking spray rig.

I have read this whole thread and thought I might chime in with my "un-expert" advice.

Several years ago my BIL (now ex) had a lawn spray business and he pretty much taught me the basics of lawn care chemistry. There are 3 main chemicals when dealing with lawn herbacides:

1 Atrazine (known my many brand names) is a pre-ermerge. This is what will prevent seeds (of any kind) from germinating. You want to apply this late in the fall to prevent any weed seed that has accumulated from the summers weed growth. You can also apply in the spring for the same effect. You don't want to spray this if you intend on seeding or overseeding in the near future for obvious reasons.

2 2-4D amine (also known by many brands) is a broadleaf control. This stuff will kill ANY plant other than grass. There are about a zillion different strains of grass, and this stuff won't affect any of them. You will want to apply this as soon as your weeds start to grow in the spring. A mid summer application can help knock down your weeds if you did not get them all with the spring spray.

3. MSMA (also known by many brands) is a grass control. It is basically the opposite of the 24D. I will not affect broadleaf plants unless it is sprayed too heavy. It is the hardest of the three to get right though, application rates are very tricky. Too much and you will kill ALL grasses. Not enough and you don't kill any. It is used mainly for bermuda grass yards since bermuda is one of the toughest grasses (and considered a weed by many). It is good for nutgrass (sedge), Dallas grass, crabgrass and a myriad of spotty weed grasses. It is normally sprayed in the heat of the summer in a two part application. When all the grasses have begun to grow vigorously, two applications about 2 weeks apart will "stress" all but the hardiest (read bermuda, tiff etc).

I actually learned years ago, that an occasional "random" spraying of MSMA will slow down a healthy bermuda stand so you don't have to mow as often (yes, I am lazy, plus I'd rather be boating in the summer than mowing).

Of course the above information is only MY observation and a registered herbivore (or whatever they call a grassologist) can tell you more.