Spraying Pre-M's with Backpack

[slimart01]

Anyone spraying pre ems on lawns? (Feedback)
Can you get it down at a good enough rate?
I'm thinking it would only be practical on lawns less than 5000 sq.ft.

[Whitey4]

Anyone spraying pre ems on lawns? (Feedback)
Can you get it down at a good enough rate?
I'm thinking it would only be practical on lawns less than 5000 sq.ft.

Why would you want to? Granular is cheaper and easier to apply on small properties. I only use backpacks for surficant herbicides.

[PHS]

I've had good results with a backpack and pre-m's, Dimension, Pennant, and Prodiamine mostly when I don't have the hydraulic sprayer with me. I've been applying at 1g/Msqft with a boom attachment although I suppose I could go lower than that but I probably don't do enough lawns with the backpack to be calibrated well enough.

[Jason Rose]

I've honestly never thought about using a BP sprayer for preemergents... Might be handy for those hot edges though. It's always tough to get the coverage perfect along pavement and sidewalks, and with the pre-em that's very important! I might give this a try this year for those problem areas. I used all granular otherwise, so I won't need to be covering whole lawns.

[RigglePLC]

I was not satisfied with pendimethalin. Backpacks have no agitation and the wettable powder tended to settle out. No filters so nozzle plugged up. Plus when I bent over to put on my boots it leaked out the top and I got yellow in my shirt and all down my back. Yuck! Equipment is still yellow in spots. Every four gallons I had to measure the powder and mix a new batch. No more.

[PHS]

Why would you want to? Granular is cheaper and easier to apply on small properties.

Granulars work well in a lot of situations. Around shrub beds and things like that a backpack works pretty darn well and you can get excellent coverage that would be tough with granulars.

[Whitey4]

Granulars work well in a lot of situations. Around shrub beds and things like that a backpack works pretty darn well and you can get excellent coverage that would be tough with granulars.

That's why I still have a drop spreader and and a hand grinder. I think for doing say a 2.5M front lawn, it would be difficult to get full coverage without missing some spots. A backpack sprayer will do maybe 3 foot swaths, as opposed to 10 or 11 foot swaths with a broadcast spreader? It just doesn't seem like the most effective way to get the job done. Then, you still have to mix, another PITA with a backpack sprayer.

If it works for some peoople, that's fine, but it's not my preferred application method. It's a whole lot easier to refill granular than it is to mix in front of a customer's house.

[Doster's L & L]

I was not satisfied with pendimethalin. Backpacks have no agitation and the wettable powder tended to settle out. No filters so nozzle plugged up. Plus when I bent over to put on my boots it leaked out the top and I got yellow in my shirt and all down my back. Yuck! Equipment is still yellow in spots. Every four gallons I had to measure the powder and mix a new batch. No more.


Double this post on my behalf.

[CHARLES CUE]

Anyone spraying pre ems on lawns? (Feedback)
Can you get it down at a good enough rate?
I'm thinking it would only be practical on lawns less than 5000 sq.ft.

I would think the time factor alone would keep you from doing it unless it was realy small under a th.use a dye to make sure you get it all you could forget where you have been. the results should be the same as long as put down the right amount and even it tacks practise
My thought Charles Cue

[Jason Rose]

Ok, but who uses wettable powders? I'm looking at aqua-cap in 2.5 gallon jugs of liquid. Not really much worry there... Though you DO still need some agitation since they are oil based. But a shake of the BP would suffice to get thru spraying some edges and beds.

[PHS]

think for doing say a 2.5M front lawn, it would be difficult to get full coverage without missing some spots. A backpack sprayer will do maybe 3 foot swaths, as opposed to 10 or 11 foot swaths with a broadcast spreader? It just doesn't seem like the most effective way to get the job done. Then, you still have to mix, another PITA with a backpack sprayer.

Getting good coverage isn't a problem. I use a 110deg even spray flat fan nozzles or I have one 6' and one 9' boom attachment if I'm doing open areas. On small lawn areas you can easily see where the grass is still wet. On a 2.5M lawn it takes 15 secs? to walk from one side to the other. Even if you couldn't see it wouldn't be hard to remember where you're swath was.

Whitey, for a variey of reasons that aren't all that interesting, I just find electric backpacks and hand cans to be a very versatile option for me. I use them for a variety of other treaments this time of year anyway so it just seems easy to continue with them for some pre-m treatments (I do the bulk of them with my hydraulic sprayer) and I don't have a lot of extra room in my trailer this time of year for spreaders and bags of granular. I get exceptional coverage, to the point that I almost never stop to pull or spray a weed which is a nice benefit for weekly maintenance customers. I'm treating with Prodiamine for about $0.55/Msqft.

[slimart01]

You all made some good points. I think i'll give it a try on some smaller lawns first. Making sure to get those edges that are always prone to weeds. And stick with the granular on medium+ lawns until a larger spray unit becomes needed.

[ArizPestWeed]

Granules are 3 times more $ than liquid , I used them in hard to get places.

Using liquids prem in BP does settle .

Best to agitate in power sprayer system for long time and then add to BP

[ArizPestWeed]

I was not satisfied with pendimethalin. Backpacks have no agitation and the wettable powder tended to settle out. No filters so nozzle plugged up. Plus when I bent over to put on my boots it leaked out the top and I got yellow in my shirt and all down my back. Yuck! Equipment is still yellow in spots. Every four gallons I had to measure the powder and mix a new batch. No more.

What BP are u using ??

[RigglePLC]

My back pack sprayer is old. Not sure of brand; it might be an SP-1. Seldom used--want to get rid of it.

[ArizPestWeed]

My back pack sprayer is old. Not sure of brand; it might be an SP-1. Seldom used--want to get rid of it.

what's stopping you ?