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1. Equipment:
Storing knapsacks correctly is crucial to ensure their longevity. De-pressurise, inspect the cylinder (piston pumps) or the diaphragm pump, rubber seals and harness, then triple rinse to clean it thoroughly before storing dry in a frost-free environment.
Plus, while its quiet(ish), how long since you last calibrated it? Try a simple jug test – add 2 L of water to the knapsack and time yourself for one minute while spraying at full pressure into a jug. Check the nozzle you are using and compare the stated Litres /minute with the amount in the jug, eg: a green CP anvil nozzle (AN1.2) should be within 5% of 1.2 L/min. A wildly different result may indicate a pressurisation issue, nozzle wear or filter blockages…
2. Training:
The demise of Grandfather Rights in November 2015 has seen a huge rise in people seeking training to become qualified to apply a professional pesticide. Although there are shorter courses available for those who want to spray solely on their own land, the common PA6 (qualification for hand-held sprayers) has now been split into many parts. Applicants for PA6 training since January 2015 can choose whether to add a ‘W’ to qualify them to spray in aquatic situations and use of other hand held equipment entails a separate test, eg: PA6INJ for stem injection equipment or PA6PP for using Ecoplugs.
3. Aquatic weed control:
The list of invasive aquatic plants is growing. Many lakes, rivers and streams are clogged with exotic sounding weeds; parrot’s Feather, duckweed, Australian swamp stonecrop not to mention reeds and the ever present Himalayan balsam. Spraying emergent weeds in water requires permission from the Environment Agency and the best time for treatment alters with the species. Eg: Parrot’s Feather can be treated from March while reeds, lilies, etc are best done from July. An adjuvant called Topfilm should be mixed with an aquatic glyphosate (eg; Roundup) to improve the chances of success.
Contact Progreen Weed Control for more information on any of these items:
Web: www.progreen.co.uk email: info@progreen.co.uk
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