The basics of using a sprayer!
Using your sprayer correctly is super important to ensure you get an even application across your lawn and therefore the best possible results from the products you’re applying.
Sprayer calibration is one of the most important steps so that you know the exact amount of volume required for your sprayer in future applications. There are multiple methods of calibrating your sprayer, but for home use the simplest method is:
Step 1: Fill your sprayer to the top
Ensure water level goes right to the very top where you can touch it
Step 2: Spray your lawn
Walk across the lawn at a steady pace spraying the water with the nozzle around knee height. Go in 2 directions, eg north to south, then east to west. Try to find the sweet spot of not leaving gaps in the spray or overlapping too heavily- testing on concrete first can help to visualise this.
Step 3: Refill the sprayer
Use a measuring jug to refill the sprayer back to the very top. The amount missing is how much volume you used to spray the yard. Let's say you use a 1L jug and fill it back into the sprayer 5 times, now you know that your sprayer needs to have 5L of liquid in it whenever you spray your lawn.
NOW IT'S TIME TO APPLY PRODUCTS!!
How to use your sprayer
Step 1: Measure your water and products
If your sprayer requires 5L of liquid, and you need to add 1L of product, that leaves 4L of water as the required amount. Measure the product and water out separately in buckets/measuring jugs.
Step 2: Fill the sprayer
Ideally using a funnel add half of the water to the sprayer, add products one at a time, then the rest of the water. Ensure lid is tightened firmly, then shake sprayer to combine. You could also add water and products to a bucket, stir with a clean paint mixer, then tip into the sprayer.
Step 3: Spray the lawn
Apply the mixture evenly across your lawn, aiming for consistent coverage without over-applying in any particular area. For the best coverage, spray in two directions as you did to calibrate the sprayer- for example, once moving up and down the lawn, then again across it.
Step 4: Clean the sprayer
Once you’ve finished spraying, empty any remaining mixture from the sprayer. Flush the sprayer with clean water multiple times, until the water coming out runs clear. Then fill the sprayer with clean water and spray it through the system until the water runs clear again. This helps clean the tank, lines and nozzle.
Step 5: Dry and store
Allow the sprayer to dry before storing it away, and check that the nozzle and other components are clean and ready for next use.
A properly calibrated and cleaned sprayer will help you apply products accurately, evenly and consistently, giving your lawn the best chance of getting the results you’re after.
BONUS SECTION- WHAT TYPE OF SPRAYER
There are lots of different sprayers on the market and getting the right one for your yard size is important for the practicality and usability of it!
Small lawns (50m2 or less) can be well served by small hand held pressure sprayers as long as they come fitted with a spray wand to ensure the product is coming out lower to the ground, not requiring you to bend over or have your mouth close to the spray cloud.
Medium size lawns (50m2-400m2) generally require a backpack sprayer up to 15L in capacity to cover the space evenly.
Large lawns (400m2+) at the low end of the range may have a chance of being covered by a backpack sprayer in one go, or otherwise may require multiple times of refilling to get across the lawn evenly. A walk behind sprayer of 20L+ capacity is definitely the optimal piece of equipment to get the job done here though.
Something to always keep in mind with sprayers is that you get what you pay for. Cheap models are more prone to leaking so always take care when selecting a product and of course spraying, being sure to follow all product labels
Happy spraying!!