Backpack or knapsack sprayers are unquestionably useful tools. Professionals are missing a trick or two when using knapsack sprayers as they may be much more versatile than one first thinks. By Ivan Zytynski,
It’s all about the accessories.
Sometimes little things can make a big difference. The addition of accessories can be used to enhance many things and not just for decorative or aesthetic purposes. For example, the accessories available for knapsack sprayers will actually add functionality and have the potential to vastly expand the uses for these spraying devices.
Boom, boom, boom!
The most basic add-on to a sprayer is a multiple nozzle boom. This allows for wider spraying enabling much larger areas to be treated quickly. Most professional users will know about the basic booms available, although what might not be known is that apart from side spraying booms, rear mounted and even adjustable angle booms are available on the market. These more advanced booms can dramatically improve performance and help deliver the spray exactly where it is needed.
Injectors
Soil and stem injectors are also available for use with backpack sprayers. These allow fluid to be pumped under the earth (to treat a plant root system) or directly into the stems of plants. There are a variety of applications where this targeted spraying is more effective, such as treating Japanese Knotweed which often needs a stem injected dose of herbicide.
Regulators and dosing valves
Various flow regulators can be fitted to sprayers which will improve the accuracy of spraying but what you might not have seen before is dosing valves. These deliver an exact amount of fluid per trigger press so, if treating thousands of plants in a nursery an accurate dose can be delivered to each one. All these devices can be used to increase the efficiency of the spraying by either ensuring a more consistent droplet size and / or a more consistent flow rate. So whilst they do not increase the utility of the sprayer – they certainly do enhance its performance and cost-effectiveness.
Lances
Most knapsack sprayer users will be aware of basic lance extensions but they might not be aware that the following are also available: telescopic lances, curved lance and two nozzle lances. All these options are a practical way of helping to make those harder-to-reach, less accessible jobs that little bit easier. As with the booms there are many different specific applications for the more unusual spray lance configurations but essentially all help serve to get the spray more easily and more accurately to where it is needed.
Conclusions
With this array of accessories a knapsack sprayer becomes a highly versatile spraying system suitable for a wide variety of spraying jobs.
Ivan Zytynski, is Marketing Director, PROFESSIONAL SPRAYERS PEOPLE (part of the Spray People Group) and the UK’s exclusive distributor for Guarany, a company with a 90 year history of manufacturing backpack and hand-held equipment for use in agriculture, horticulture and forestry.
www.prosprayers.co.uk Tel: +44 (0) 1273 400 092