Liquid!!!

[Hoosier3030]

Got a new toy for my B3030 that I plan on utilizing to the fullest extent but need some insight. I bought a new 55 gallon boom sprayer for the 3 point hitch and purchased an 8 roller PTO pump to pump with. My intention was to kill weeds on my 5 acres of lawn, spray something on my 1/2 mile long gravel driveway to keep the dust down, water newly planted trees etc... Let me start by saying that the PTO pump is the way to go!! I have it metered down to 100psi and this is more than enough to run all sprayers on the boom. I ran a T and shut off from the boom valve so that that I can shut off the boom and run a garden hose from my seat to water with. My problem is that I am new to spraying and am not sure what to spray. Any insight would be appreciated.

For the weeds I have already sprayed 2-4-D that I got from TSC and this seems to work well on the broadleaf weeds. Is there liquid fertilizer available to the general public that I can spray? If so whats the best?

For the driveway I read up on some stuff that you can order from the internet called soiltec but it looks pretty salty. Good ole calcium chloride is a no-no around here I guess, so I wont be getting my hands on that. I am just looking for anything that will retain moisture and keep dust down to a minimum. Any suggestions?

 

[Harry c]

I have an 80 inch boom sprayer set up for my BX 24. Bought the tank and pump at Northern Tool. Built a quick attach bracket to mount it on the tractor. Got some spray nozzles from Tractor Supply and put together a PVC boom, a valve and hoses. The 60 psi pump is electric and plugs into my power outlet. I put a diverter valve and a spray wand on mine as well. It works great for a variety of things. I fertilize and spray weed killer on the yard. Takes about a third of the time as my pull behind spreader. I use the wand to spray my peach and apple trees, spray Round-Up, fungicide on Wifey's roses, liquid detergent on the gutters before pressure washing, you name it. I use it pretty often, probably because it only takes 30 seconds or so to put it on the tractor.

The 2,4-D weedkiller works great if you use the right mix and application rate. Buy the concentrated stuff from a farm supply by the quart and save a bunch over the prepared Ortho, Scott's etc.
PBI Gordon makes a couple of liquid fertilizers at better prices than most others. Sometimes available at Tractor Supply. Even this stuff's pricey though. Varies from $15 to $25 per 2.5 gallons depending on where you can find it. Some of the other brands run near $40 per 2.5 gallons. Analysis is 20-0-0. (they do offer some other fertilizers if you're not just doing grass) Best bang for the buck is bulk liquid Nitrogen fertilizer from a local Southern States Cooperative store. Only one of the stores around here has it... They sell it for $150 a ton if I remember correctly. I have to take a container with a good size opening, they have a 2 inch hose on their tank. Obviously, they're focused on farmers with large pastures. A gallon weighs about 10 lbs. It's a little heavier than water. Analysis is 30-0-0. You usually apply about a third of a pound of Nitrogen per 1,000 sq ft about 3-4 times per year. Since the liquid is 30% Nitrogen, you need about a gallon of fertilizer per 9,000 sq ft. Mix 1 gallon of 30-0-0 with 6.5 gallons of water (1 gallon to 5 water if you're using the 20-0-0) and apply 1 gallon of solution per 1,000 sq ft. You can mix with more water and lessen the chance of burning the grass. Err on the light side with your application. You can always spray again in a couple of weeks but too much will absolutely destroy the grass! Too much Nitrogen looks like you've sprayed with Round-Up. If you can, water the grass after you apply. Get ready to mow! The grass wil be noticeably greener in a day. And taller!
PBI Gordon's website also has a good tutorial on calibrating your sprayer. I set mine to spray 1 gallon per 1,000 sq ft at 2,000 engine RPM with the HST in low range and full pedal. That makes it repeatable, don't have to recalibrate, and easy to remember.

 

[Bob_Young]

You might want to wash the equipment down after use; or at least don't let the spray residue accumulate. Some of that stuff appears to be corrosive. With windshifts and all, it's hard to keep from being doused with it occasionally.

My Dad used to spray his nut trees from a rig he had mounted in the back of a Gator. After awhile it did a number on the Gator's bed and on some of its wiring.
Bob