2,4-D question

[EddieWalker]

Years ago I went through the course to get my applicators license here in Texas. After getting it I was supposed to take a bunch of ongoing classes to get so many credits to keep it past five years. I didn't do any of this. I bought some 2,4-d and killed what I wanted, then didn't bother with it for years afterwards.

My pastures are becoming more weeds then grass, so we went to Lowes and bought some http://www.lowes.com/pd_92157-316-HG-95834_0+2z8vj__?productId=50065977&Ntt=spectracide&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dspectracide%26page%3D1&facetInfo=$5 - $10

From reading the label and instructions, it came out that four bottles of this mixed with 200 gallons of water would treat one acre. We did this and the results where fantastic. We did it four times on four acres, one acre at a time. I have a trailer with a 300 gallon tote on it with sprayers that I can pull with the Mule or the tractor. It's been great for spraying round up over my roads and big areas I want to kill off all the plants.

Can I increase the ratio of chemicals to water if I'm covering the same area. Lets say 50 gallons of water for four bottles of the Spectracide weed killer with 2,4-D in it over the same one acre? Wouldn't the amount of chemicals getting to the weeds be the same?

Or could I put 16 bottles of the Spectracide weed killer to 200 gallons and spray 4 acres?

Or why couldn't I increase it even more and go with 25 gallons per acre? I'm not sure how many gallons it will take to cover an acre one time, but that would be my ultimate goal. At $14 an acre of weed killer, this is a very affordable, easy to do way to fight weeds. I'm just trying to figure out how to do it in less time.

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[teg]

Do you know how many gallons per acre you are putting out? That will/should determine how much chemical to add to the tank mix. I try to use the least amount of water to spray an acre (in my case 12 gallons/acre) but you still have to get good coverage. Speed and pressure are what you'll be "playing"/adjusting with here.

But spray droplet size is also important, you don't want it too fine or it will drift into place you don't want, likewise to big of droplets; you'll be just adding extra gallons per acre that you don't need to.

There are several methods to determine how much volume you are putting out... but will wait to see if you know what you are putting out.

Edit: you should be able to treat 1.5 acres with 4 bottles (each cover 16,000 ft2) but you might be putting it out at a higher concentration (thus the "results where fantastic" comment).

Are you running the 300 gallons around the one acre until it is empty, then you repeat for the next acre? What type of sprayer are you using?

 

[EddieWalker]

The 16,000 square foot per bottle is rated on Bahia grass. For Bermuda, it's less coverage.

I don't know how much water per acre my sprayer will do, I've always done the calculation from the instructions on how much water and chemical per acre to use and then just going over and over it again until it's all gone. The results with this method have been fantastic, so I think I'm good with my sprayer nozzle size and pump.



I've changed the height of the sprayers since this picture was taken. I was hitting too many things with them down this low.

Eddie

 

[Gary Fowler]

You should have the bar high enough so that each nozzles spray pattern overlaps an inch of so. The more water you put on (to an extent), the better your results so that you get good wetting of the weeds. You would be better served to establish how much water per acre your rig is putting out. To do this, put in plain water and measure off a specific distance that is easy to figure sq footage. Put a container under one nozzle and at the same speed that you will be spraying, travel that distance and note the amount of water multiply by the number of nozzles and divide the area you sprayed in the the square footage in an acre to come up with the portion of an acre that you sprayed. Multiply the amount of water by the fraction of an acre to see how much water you put on an acre. Then adjust your chemical content accordingly.

 

[Western]

Eddie, I always had mine put out by the fertilizer dealer the 1st application of liquid fert each year. They used a die and foamer at the end of each boom, to cut down on over application, or missed spots. You may look into something like that and treat the whole tank. Double coverage takes away from your calculations.

As far as your mixture, I don't know, but you could find out from your local fertilizer place, more than you care to know.

 

[teg]

So basically, you are using 200 gallons per acre. That is very excessive (average range is 15-40 gpa) but as you noted, you have very good coverage (and thus results). To answer your question, Yes, you should be able to use less water, the amount of chemical will still be the same.

Actually, how many times do you think you go over the acre emptying the 200 gallons? Lets say if you run over it 4 times to empty it then you can easily cut back to 50 gallons per acre and use the 200 gallons to do the 4 acres (only going over it once). You have to put 16 bottles into the tank.

Edit; Reading the label: http://www.spectracide.com/~/media/...trateLABEL4781218845SEP13HG958343A32FLOZ.ashx

 

[4020deereboy]

In spraying field crops and pastures i set my sprayer to hit 20 gal. water/acre. Have even used tips to run 10 gal/acre with excellent results. I have a 25 gal. sprayer with a 30 ft. boomless nozzle i mount on my atv. I can calibrate it to hit 5 gal./acre and have excellent results spraying small pastures and such. I used 2wd based chem. + surfactant (water wetter) + sticker. Don't use oilbase sticker on brush only burns leaves off. Formula to use to calibrate sprayer is
GPA = GPMX5940 / by (MPH X W) W is effective spay width per nozzle

 

[teg]

....I'm not sure how many gallons it will take to cover an acre one time...

You do need to find this out... by my calculation you only need 3.63 bottles to cover an acre.

"...Measure amount of concentrate from chart below into sprayer tank and dilute with 1 gal of water.... to treat 250 sq ft." An acre is 43560 ft2/ 250 ft2 = 174.24 times ("...Bermuda @ 2/3 oz...") x 0.67 = 116.7 oz

116.7oz/ 32 oz bottles = 3.64 bottles / acre x 4 acres = 14.6 bottles total.

Spray one acre and see how much liquid you used... is the easiest way to figure out what's your gallons per acre will be.

 

[M E Race]

Spectracide is a very low concentrate designed for residential lawns. Your local Tractor Supply has a higher concentrate suitable for your pastures at a better price. Nozzle size and speed set your gpa. If you are in an area where soybeans, or worse, cotton is grown you must contact the growers before spraying. 2,4D is deadly for either crop and is notorious for drift. Here in La. a permit is required for application after crops are planted.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

As you should know, 2,4-D is volatile and doesn't stay put. It will evaporate and move along the ground in a dense cloud, killing plants far from the application spot. You would be liable for any damages.

Water application depends on foliage. Ideally, you want to wet the foliage without any spray hitting the ground. At that rate, you want to mix just enough chemical to do the job.

It sounds like you need to brush up on your studies, then do some inspections behind your sprayer, adjust water application rates, then get out your calculator and figure out what amount of chemical you should be mixing.

 

[EddieWalker]

There are no crops or anything within miles of where I live. It's all pine timber and some hay pasture that isn't being cut anymore.

My plan is to measure out an acre and figure out how much water it takes to cover it once and go from there.

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[farmer2009]

Eddie,

That 300 gal tank on a coupe would cover 20 acres at 15 gal/acre. Plenty of water for most weeds and chemicals. Suggest buying it at a farm store not lowes. Your price sound a little high.

What rate of chemical are you shooting for? 1 quart per acre?

Now to calibrate your sprayer. Guessing you have an electric pump. Get a jar hold under one nozzle while running sprayer and catch water for specific time. Then measure. May need to measure in ml then convert to ounces. 29.57 ml per ounce.
Know or measure your speed. And how many inches that nozzle is covering.

Say you measured your sprayer for 30 seconds. Figure out how far you will travel in 30 seconds. 4mph=176feet per 30 seconds. And one nozzle in good for 20 inches. That one nozzle will cover 294 sq feet in 30 seconds. Say you caught 12 ounces. Your rate will be 43560/294=148. 148*12/128=13.88 gal per acre.

Now just note the pressure your pump was running at and you can fine toon it to what ever you want.

The labels on chemicals sold at lowes are usually residential labels not at labels so they tell you how many sq feet the bottle will do not how much per acre to apply. Look up the labels on greenbook.net or cdms.net

 

[rswyan]

Eddie, I always had mine put out by the fertilizer dealer the 1st application of liquid fert each year. They used a die and foamer at the end of each boom, to cut down on over application, or missed spots. You may look into something like that and treat the whole tank. Double coverage takes away from your calculations.

TSC sells a dye for spraying which is pretty pricey ($20 for 1/2 quart ?) ... they also sell "Blue Bayou", a colorant for ponds to hold down/suppress algae growth ... sometimes they put it on sale for $10 off (regular $39 per gallon, on sale for $29)

That's what I use.

(Note: A little goes a long ways - I use maybe 4 to 6 oz per 25 gallon tank)

 

[BeltfedGoodness]

I just went through this last week with a 200 gal sprayer with grazon and remedy product for pasture spraying.

it was recommended by Dow chemical for 1.2 to 1.5 pints per acre for the Grazon and 1-2 quarts per 100 gallons for the Remedy. Your chosen chemical should have a recommended guideline to shoot for for application rates.

I found a calibration chart for sprayers that may be of use to you.
Swath width of 35' with a calibration length of 157'. This is what my sprayer can do and the math I used to find out how many gallons per acre were sprayed.

1. Measure out 157'. (only good for 35' swath)
2.Drive the 157' course length in the gear and rpm/sprayer PSI range you plan on using while spraying.
3. Time the start and stop time of the course of 157'.
4. Then garbage bag the sprayer nozzle and catch water sprayed at the same rpm/PSI as you would be spraying for the same amount of time you achieved on the test course. (you are basically catching the sprayed water as if you just drove the 157' course for thee exact amount of time)
5. The amount of pints caught in the garbage bag will reflect how many gallons you will spray in one acre.



Hope this makes.....It does work nicely as I achieved 22.5 gallons per acre at my spray rate with my rig and mixed the appropriate chemical ratio for the acreage desired. Remember, the water is basically the carrier for the chemical, its ok to spray more or less water as long as the mix is right.

Results>>>>The very next day i had sick looking weeds and honey locust bushes (HATE THEM).
Trouble is its gets expensive if you have 60 acres plus to do.

 

[D7E]

10 gallons an acre is nice but you cant get enough acres out of a tank and spend forever filling up . 7.5 gal/acre works for me so I can squeeze 80 acres from one tank load .

 

[hawkeye08]

This is the one I used...

Here is the easiest field sprayer calibration method I've found yet - Machinery - HayTalk - Hay & Forage Community

 

[nc redneck]

A lot of weeds might be because soil is not right. I would send dirt sample and get advice from local AG office. I did and results have been fantastic.
They recommended lime at 3 tons per acre and specific mix of fertilizer. Local supply can mix to what you need and apply in large equipment cover 60 feet in one pass. In the end cheaper than you can do on your own.
I did fertilizer as recommended, 1 1/2 ton per acre of lime ( wait 6 months then do again ) and Grazon Plus. End results have been worth it.
Others who farm for a living can probably look at and tell you what you need faster than you can cut a 2 by 4.

 

[farmer2009]

Eddie can you post some pictures of the weeds you are wanting to kill or atleast name them. There could be something more effective for you to spray. Also what kinds of plants are you trying to leave? Do you care about clovers and such?

 

[EddieWalker]

Here in TX, 2,4-D and Grazon are controlled and you need an applicators license to buy it. So instead, I'm buying the smaller quantities for homeowners. No regulations this way.

There are so many weeds out there that I'm really just trying to get rid of as many as I can. The first try with the Spectracide brand of weed killer did such an amazing job that we want to do the same in our other pastures. Then after we've done that, we can try to identify what else is out there and deal with it.

You guys have answered my question and then some. I'm going to get bigger nozzles and figure out how much water I'm spraying per acre. That seems to be the biggest issue.

I tried a blue die years ago and found it almost impossible to see. Was it just me or is it something that others find hard to see? Is the red easier to see?

Eddie

 

[farmer2009]

Only used to the dies doing spray penetration test. But always hated them they stained the tanks and you couldn't see your mix. I love a foam marker system but they can be pricy. Now that I like the pink or blue foam dies for. There are to many plants that bloom white flowers the pink really pops. Just remember if you get it on you it stays for a few days.