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Williamsburg,KY

What is the mixing rate for Companion. The label says 2-4 Liters in 1000 liters of water. It doesnt state how much this covers...And Im almost sure I dont need to use that much! Can someone give me the mixing rate per gallon. Im using it on my newly transplanted plants. Thanks.

4/29/2010 2:13:38 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I'm going to copy/paste a portion of an email from a few years ago. It was specifically pertaining to Thiophanate-methyl but all fungicides for roots need to be drenched so.......

4/29/2010 5:01:05 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

From the Cleary’s 3336 label I clipped the following section for drenching:

SOIL DRENCH APPLICATION
Disease(s) Controlled Rate of 3336 WP
Stem, Crown, and Root Rots 8-16 oz/100 gal.
caused by: Botrytis, Cylindrocladium, Fusarium, Gliocladium, Myrothecium, Penicillium, Ramularia, Rhizoctonia, Sclerotinia, Black Root Rot Thielaviopsis
Apply as a drench or directed spray using hand held, mechanical, or motorized spray equipment, or as a chemigation drench or directed spray using applicable sprinkler irrigation systems, after seeding or sticking of cuttings (8 oz) or after transplanting (12-16 oz) to propagation beds, containers, pots, trays, or nursery or landscape beds at a rate to thoroughly soak the growing media through the root zone. A general guide is 0.25 -3 pints of finished mixture per sq ft depending on the media type and depth (about 4 oz per 4 inch pot or 8 oz per 6 inch pot). Repeat every 21-28 days for adequate crop protection. Note:3336 WP does not control Pythium or Phytophthora. Tank mix combinations with metalaxyl, mefenoxam, etridiazole, fosetyl-Al or propamocarb are required for the control of Pythium and Phytophthora.

4/29/2010 5:01:13 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Let’s start by getting the right perspective for drenching. Drenching is used to treat the entire “rhizosphere”. All of the root zone must be treated for root disease control to be effective.

Since most growers don’t have 100 gallon tank sprayers we need to convert to a more common tank size. I’ll assume we have a common 3 gallon pump sprayer. Once we extrapolate the proper rate you might be tempted to go shopping for a decent used skid mounted gas powered tank sprayer.

One pound per 100 gallons = ½ oz per 3 gallons which is applied to the root zone at 3 pints per square foot. Hence a 300 square foot plant will require 900 pints or 112 gallons of mixed fungicide solution. Our simple 3 Gallon sprayer will only treat 24 square feet properly. Obviously a full grown 600 sq ft plant will require 225 gallons water with 2 lbs of Cleary’s 3336 WSB.

4/29/2010 5:01:49 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

The foliar rate is much simpler to deal with. The same concentration is adequate for Powdery Mildew but 3 gallons will treat one decent sized plant.

Many growers try to get away with less water for drenching. This mistaken approach seeks to spray the correct amount of Thiophanate-methyl onto the patch & then “water it into the soil”. This will always fail miserably since the entire root zone needs to be treated. Soil is a good filter medium (think about a sand based pool filter). As a heavy concentration is watered into the soil, the untreated irrigation water remains near the surface & the fungicide moves too deep. Fusarium & Rhizoctonia dwell (primarily) in the top one inch of soil. The entire area of “rhizosphere” needs to be treated equally.

Some folks try to use a simple hose end sprayer to accomplish this task. I’ve done this with limited success but most hose end contraptions aren’t terribly accurate. Remember that the hose end manufacturer is seeking to entice the lowest cost segment of the agrichemical applicator market here.

4/29/2010 5:02:43 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

I once helped a friend install a drip irrigation system with a Dosatron injector. It would have worked great but the grower insisted on burying his vines (not a great idea in a diseased patch). This required him to bury the drip lines. Once the drip lines were buried under an inch of soil the fungal pathogens survived in the untreated upper inch. He added a couple hundred pounds to his personal best but the pumpkins still stopped growing when the vines turned to mush.

We use a recycled 275 gallon fertilizer “tote tank” for irrigating our pumpkins (see my 2007 diary). There is no pressurized water supply where we grow. A used poly tank like ours would do a nice job for you but MAKE CERTAIN it has never contained herbicide. Despite the illegalities, empty 55 gallon Dormant Oil drums can be rinsed out with no phytotoxicity concerns. I sell hundreds of these to my arborist customers every spring. Most are glad to get rid of the empties as long as the recycler will bear the cost of transit.

4/29/2010 5:02:53 PM

Wi

http://growthproducts.com/pdfs/Ag_Companion_%20Biological_%20Fungicide.pdf

Just gotta find the correct label:
32-128 oz of product per acre as a soil spray (drench)
32-64 oz of product per acre through drip

1 oz / gallon will get you pretty close for foliar spray.

4/29/2010 5:52:06 PM

Williamsburg,KY

Steve, I believe I understand some what of your explanation. So in plainer terms, you dont have to water so much, since it will take the fungicide too deep to work? I really do appreciate the time it took to explain to me and Im sure others what drench means and the use of fungicides in general not just the Companion fungicide. But I guess Im just still confused. I will reread this many time and perhaps it will sink in. Thanks for your time. Its like the time I had trying to understand the use of Merit or Imidadloprid, there it doesnt make much difference how much water as long as you use the proper amount for the footage to be covered. Am I on the right track? Or am I totally confused?

4/29/2010 8:31:00 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

The Companion label is geared more toward golf. That's the way Claire is.

http://www.growthproducts.com/pdfs/Turf_Companion_Biological_Fungicide.pdf

16-32 oz/100 gallons is the correct rate. When drenching at 3 pints per sq ft, 100 gallons will only treat 266 sq ft or about half an average patch.


Why are you using Companion? If root diseases are the target then this is the way.

4/29/2010 9:23:57 PM

Ohio

Croley,,, and this is just a ''very small'' reason why I call Steve the 'Professor',,lol

4/30/2010 7:26:11 AM