Best sprayer for 50 vines?

[richinsd]

Sorry if I'm also violating rules by adding to this old thread.

Could I ask @swv what sprayer you are using? I've convinced myself that my future lies in something other than a 2G hand pump that I've been using (I'm only on the 3rd year of our vineyard...so first couple of years gave me a very false sense of security regarding the amount of spraying I would be doing).

The refills are not a problem early in the season, but now here at the first of May with 4-6ft shoots, the number of required refills are a PIA and quite honestly, at the end of the day, no hand pump sprayer is going to be able to force any material through my canopies in another few weeks. Some of my Sangiovese leaves are the size of small plates and irritatingly stubborn about shielding other parts of the vine.

So I'm looking for something that can get the leaves moving, get a reasonably fine spray for efficient coverage and not have me trudging back to the garage every 15-20 minutes to refill the tank.

The idea of "parking" a 15-20 gallon tank and walking up and down the rows with a hose seems much more efficient. Or perhaps a backpack airblast sprayer but I will say right now that I'm no fan of the reliability of small gas engines (although I've never owned a Stihl). I found a Makita, but it was listed for nearly $1K.

Any experiences would be greatly appreciated.

 

[swv]

@mbrssmd I have a 30 Gallon spot sprayer I bought at Tractor Supply, County Line brand?. I think that’s a Tractor Supply store brand. It has a pump with a 2.1 GPM rating, 60 PSI pressure switch. It has a manifold with an agitation line back to the tank, a port to the spray wand and another where I could attach a boom. The agitation keeps wettable powders in suspension.
I added hose and upgraded the spray wand (from Amazon). I use it either on my UTV box which does not fit down the rows or in a garden cart behind my mower which will fit down the rows.
I have no problem fully wetting the vines inside and out but your training system may affect that. I have high wire cordon and California sprawl so can get the wand inside the foliage without much problem.

 

[richinsd]

This is very helpful! Thanks very much. I'm on VSP and would really like to eliminate the need to get the wand inside the foliage/fruit zone. I'm tired of hitting leaves, fruit and wires. If it can move an adequate amount of air/product through a VSP trellis then it just might be the deal for me.

Thanks again @swv

 

[swv]

I would think VSP would be easier to coat than my setup. 60 PSI is substantial. But I don’t have the same varieties as you.