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Hard water areas are spread over the country – predominantly in the South-east, Midlands and East Anglia. Any levels of dissolved calcium and magnesium salts over 100-150ppm means there is an increased risk of limescale furring up pipes and clogging machines.
For the landscaper/ gardener who is spraying herbicides, fungicides or even foliar feeds this has a serious consequence of ‘lock up’. The minerals in the water, 90% calcium carbonate, bind with the active ingredients in chemicals such as; Roundup, Polax & Praxys to make them unusable. This happens the instant they mix and increases the longer the solution is left in the tank – reducing the effective strength of glyphosate spray solutions, for instance, by upto 50%.
Most spray chemicals work best in a slightly acidic solution –between pH 4 - 6. Although, adjuvants to help with this are known collectively as ‘Water Conditioners’, products on the market will either act as a barricade between the calcium and active chemical – known as ‘Buffers’ or physically change the pH of the water to avoid any lock up.
Water conditioners not only improve poor spraying quality but can help reduce dilution rates - saving money on products.
Key points for spraying in hard water areas:
• Add the water conditioner to the water before adding the pesticide
• Some products combine wetting agents with water conditioners, eg: Solar Plus
• Water conditioners can save money & time: better results & reduced dilution rates
- pHixer is a new generation water conditioner that turns the water pink when the optimum pH range 4-5 is reached.
- KPlus is a buffering conditioner available in small size packets for single use applications
- Attak is a buffering agent available for large gardens or contractors
For more information contact Progreen Weed Control : www.progreen.co.uk, 0800 032 6262
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