Tools

Tools of the Trade

• Ground based
• Manual
• Mechanical
• Aerial

Ground Based Application Systems

Mechanical granule spreaders

Mechanical granule spreader; skidder mounted

Granule spreader on a John Deere 450

Ground Based Application Systems

Mechanical liquid applicators

Two nozzle head mounted on a boom on a dozer	Close up of a shorter boom apparatus for broadcast spray
Two nozzle head on boom in use	Another view of the boom in action
Shorter boom in use to control kudzu	Efficacy of kudzu topkill – will need to be repeated for control
Multi-nozzle assembly for mounting behind a tractor or dozer	Assembly in operation
Similar multi-nozzle assembly in operation	Side view showing downward directed spray – minimizes drift
Palmetto-gallberry incursion following clearcut (Osceola NF)	Four wheeler strip spray – palmetto- gallberry – Garlon 4 + Arsenal
Different view of same treatment	Tree planter modified to spray seedlings over-the-top at planting
Radiarc nozzle head	Radiarc nozzle head in use
4-wheeler adapted as a twin-nozzle spray platform	Mist blower in operation in a seed orchard

Ground Application Tools

• Cut surface tools
• Injection
• Hack & Squirt

Cranco injector bar	Cranco injector bar - parts
Jim-Gem injector bar	Jim-Gem injector bar - parts
Injector bar in use – jab tree base, pull wire & inject herbicide	Jim-Gem injector in use – jab, push handle, jab, push handle,…
Cran-jector (Cranko Co. injector bar) – from ad	Cran-jector (Cranko Co. injector bar) – from mimeographed ad
Hypo-hatchet and belt mounted herbicide reservoir	Hypo-hatchet and belt mounted herbicide reservoir
Hypo-hatchet – ready to use	Hack-and-squirt apparatus – a hatchet and a squirt bottle
Hacking (right hand) and squirt (left hand)	Girdled tree – notches not deep enough – tree survived
Hack-’n-squirt tree – good deep cuts – red dye marks herbicide excess	Squirt part of Hack-’n-squirt

Ground based manual tools

• Liquid applications
• Backpack foliar
• Soil spot
• Generally selective – but not always

Most common manual tool – a backpack spray assembly	Tank (1); Diaphragm pump (2); Pump lever (3); Hose (4)
Valve assembly (5), Wand or extender tube (6), Nozzle (7)	Veterinary syringe (spot gun) for spot applications – squeeze trigger, metered amount dispensed
Vet gun in operation – target selective operation	Model 30 Gunjet
Model 30 Gunjet	Field use of spot guns – spray to side, walk through untreated vegetation
Backpack herbicide reservoir – spray nozzle at end of long wand	Soil spot treatment (note blue dye) next to a released seedling
Broadcast Pronone site preparation	Close up of efficacy of the hexazinone treatment in the previous slide
Avoid using Velpar near a (loblolly pine) RCW cavity tree	Red maple stump sprouting can be a serious problem
Use of spotgun to "streamline" an undesirable tree – note band and drip	Oil stain from JLB Oil Plus Improved (vegetable oil) several days after treatment
Streamline is often the best method to treat multiple stems	Effective removal of a multi-stem competitor of a desirable seedling
Kudzu infestation overtopping trees	Four wheeler carrying a nurse tank – spot gun with hose to allow mobility beyond the vehicle
Effectively a broadcast spray of kudzu despite using the 4-wheeler unit	Clopyralid treatment – pine unaffected
Foliar treatment to release oak seedlings	Mortality to non-target oaks which were inadvertently sprayed
First growing season - can’t separate material to be treated	Second growing season – ideal time to treat using foliar spray
Fourth growing season - for F.S. this treatment is too high risk (spray over shoulder height)	"Blue Worker" – shirt, face and arms dyed due to improper application
Difficult situation – competition too high to safely treat ex. by streamline	Chestnut as nurse crop for white pine – no release necessary, chestnut blight will do the job
Foliar application from horseback	Moving spray equipment from site to site

Aerial Pesticide Application

Where is it the appropriate tool?

• Herbicide application from the air is limited for use in R8 by the Vegetation Management EISs – more later
• Insecticide application from the air is permitted in the Region for defoliator control when necessary and for some applications made to seed orchards
• Cost may be prohibitive if areas are small
• Often when it is considered – applicator safety is an issue in alternative treatments
• Helicopter application only for herbicides in R8
• Potential problems
• Treatments are broadcast
• Evaporation and drift are real environmental concerns

Tools most commonly used to dispense pesticides from aerial platforms.

Aerial application by helicopter – boom spray standard nozzles	Why a wing lifts
Vortices form at wing tips causing pattern disruption	Often – as here – to control insect infestations
Standard aerial application nozzle assembly on a boom	Boom spray rig mounted under a helicopter, with a nurse tank
Some nozzles are machined to produce swirls of liquids which then break up into droplets	The effect is a curtain of droplets falling onto target vegetation
Or, if pointed down, a fairly heavy flooding or rain of droplets – generally used for herbicides	Microfoil nozzle section – note the tubes forming a comb like edge
A different configuration of the Microfoil technology	Nozzle puts out streams of liquid which subsequently fragment into large droplets
Microfoil nozzles mounted on a boom	A third configuration of the Microfoil nozzle
Microfoil nozzle mounted on the boom and ready for use	Microfoil nozzles in any configuration generally produce a curtain of droplets

Application of granular pesticides from aerial platforms.

A fertilizer spreader can be used to apply granular pesticides	DuPont’s turnkey application of Velpar ULW granules
Loading the granule hopper with a premeasured amount of material	Where to look on the next slide
Granules being blown out of the dispensing pipe	Another "Where to look…"
Granule application as seen from the helicopter	Site preparation using the Velpar ULW aerial distribution system
Pattern distortion during to fixed wing application of pesticides	Restrict the boom to about 2/3 the wing length to avoid vortices
Distortion of distribution pattern caused by propeller	Redistribute nozzles on boom to compensate for the distortion
Effect of nozzle orientation on droplet size	Aerial Application; Don’t Apply Up and Down Hills
Aerial Application: Apply Along Slopes
Powders or granular products which are to be liquefied are measured by weight prior to addition to tank

Nozzles and Calibration

A brief overview of nozzles, their composition and performance, and the numbers used to describe them.

There is a wide variety of nozzles for a variety of purposes	Agricultural multi-nozzle booms are the most common pictures
Agricultural multi-nozzle booms are the most common pictures	Nozzle catalogs are a good source of information
Catalog information	Catalog information
Catalog information	Catalog information
Catalog information	Catalog information
Catalog information	Catalog information
Nozzle types: Flat and flat fan nozzles	Nozzle types: Flat and flat fan nozzles
Nozzle types: Flat fan nozzle	Nozzle types: Low pressure flat fan nozzle
Nozzle types: Extended range flat fan nozzle	Nozzle types: Hollow cone
Nozzle types: Hollow cone	Nozzle types: Solid cone
Nozzle types: Solid stream	Nozzle types: Solid stream - disk

Nozzle types: Also...

• Twin stream
• Raindrop
• Flooding

Nozzle types:

• Flat fan and stream nozzles are the most common in forestry use

TeeJet Nozzle Code

Generally a four digit code like – 2503 or 4502

The first two digits (three when >99°) reflect the angle of coverage at 40 psi

25XX = 25°

80XX = 80°

The third and fourth numbers reflect the flow rate in tenths of a gallon per minute at 40 psi.

An XX02 nozzle is calibrated to put out 0.2 gallons per minute at 40 PSI
An XX04 is calibrated to put out 0.4 gallons per minute at 40 PSI.

Reducing pressure from 40 psi

• Reduces angle of coverage
• Reduces volume per minute applied
• Increases droplet size

To protect nozzles from unnecessary wear, add a filter to remove abrasive contaminants from the mixture.

• XX01 & XX02 nozzle – use a 100 mesh screen
• XX03 or greater nozzles use a 50 mesh screen

For thinline and streamline applications a different numbering system comes into play.

Disc nozzles (0° angle) are commonly used and they are numbered:

• D1 (0.1 gpm)
• D1.5 (0.15 gpm), and
• D2 (0.2 gpm)

These discs require a 25 mesh screen or its equivalent.

Delavan uses a different "Color-bration" scheme

Screens or strainers

In-line screens or strainers are used to reduce wear of the orifice of nozzles.

In-line Strainers vs. Screens

In-line strainers may be substituted for screens as long as the slots have the equivalent straining capacity as the recommended screen mesh.

Tip material

Wear is also affected by the material used to make the tip; brass, aluminum, plastic, nylon, stainless steel and hardened steel are among the materials available.

Nozzles

Stainless steel or hardened stainless steel nozzles are recommended.

Nylon, brass, and aluminum nozzles all have characteristics which make them less desirable; primarily a shorter working life due to being softer and wearing faster. In addition, nylon nozzles shrink and swell.

Graphic showing comparative output of worn or damaged tips.

Graphic showing comparative cost and wear of different tips.

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