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Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Let's all get thinking differently this year. Last spring I looked at an awful lot of digital photographs of young plants exhibiting serious spray injury. WHY? RATE & TIMING.

One such inquiry came my way yesterday. The question was "How many ounces per gallon?"

Answer: Who cares? It doesn't matter. Let's look at a clip from my reply.....

4/30/2004 9:33:09 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

___clip___________________________________________

A point worth considering; Commercial/Professional pesticides are labeled for application on a “per area basis”. Not an ounces per gallon basis. An aerial application of Warrior to a one care field will be from 2.56 – 3.84 ounces in what may be as little as 8 gallons of water. But if the aircraft used can handle the weight & the canopy of the crop being sprayed is dense, then there is nothing stopping the applicator from using the same amount of Warrior in as much as 40 gallons of water. The amount of chemical in ounces per gallon is irrelevant.

I have never seen a Triazicide label & could not locate one on the web to read. I was able to confirm your discovery of the .5% AI.

The Warrior-T application rate for Cucumber Beetles (in Alfalfa?) is 2.56 – 3.84 oz per acre. I prefer to err on the light side of all applications (with increased frequency if needed) so let us use 3 oz per acre as our bench mark.

Since Warrior is 22 times stronger than Triazicide, we can deduce that to deliver the same pounds active ingredient per acre requires 66 oz.

Therefore we would apply 1.5 oz of Triazicide per 1000 sq ft to deliver the same dose. The amount of water to apply the dose in is your own decision. But most folks use between 1 & 2 gallons of water to spray 1000 sq ft of Patch area.

4/30/2004 9:33:34 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

So:

If you use 1 gallon to spray 1000 sq ft, add 1.5 oz to that gallon.
If you use 2 gallons to spray 1000 sq ft, add 1.5 oz to 2 gallons or .75 oz per gallon. I like using more water so this would work well for me.

So the question isn’t “how much per gallon?” The question is “how many gallons per patch?” The key is getting consistent with our use of water. Every year I practice spraying straight water on my patch to decide what amount of water I want to use for the given area. It is my decision what works best for me & the equipment I choose to use.

I think it is important for everyone to start thinking this way. So I’ll copy & post part of this email to Big Pumpkins in the hopes of eliciting a positive change in thinking. I won’t say who got me thinking about it though.

I hope this helps. Feel free to call me cell if you have any questions.

Steve

4/30/2004 9:33:41 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

So we need to stop worrying about "ounces per gallon". And when in doubt, always use less than full allowable rates. Especially on younger plants & growing tips.

In most instances, I use the very lowest rates allowed by the label. Instead prefering to apply more frequently. The plants endure less stress. And since they grow so fast, I leave less area untreated & for shorter intervals of time.

Remember. The high rate is for major infestation of a pest. Not prevention. It is assumed by the manufacturer that once a pest problem gets vastly out of control, the spray injury is of little consequence anyway.

So let's not kill out plants with kindness this year. More isn't better.

Last time. READ THE ENTIRE LABEL. And when it says, 1-2 oz per gallon per 1000 sq ft, what do we do? We spray 1 gallon of water alone on 1000 sq ft of patch first. Did we run out early? Probably! So we now know we're applying more than we should if we followed the labels mix rate. Adjust accordingly. And forget that 2 ounce rate unless you've already let things get ugly & don't mind seeing them get worse.

Steve

4/30/2004 9:42:46 AM

Eveleth MN

Thank you Tremor, very good writeup.

4/30/2004 10:08:15 AM

Central Connecticut

Yes, thar was very good...I like the concept of watering w/ straight water first to verify amount of liquid being used...thanks

4/30/2004 12:18:18 PM

Long Island,New York

Awesome. Now how about a primer on "How to measure powders"...by a gram scale? by a teaspoon? just a pinch?

4/30/2004 4:16:05 PM