Before going out to spray pastures, hayfields or other agricultural areas, take time to calibrate your spray rig. Calibrating a sprayer does not take a lot of time, and there are several benefits.

By calibrating your sprayer, you will determine the amount of water you are applying per acre of ground you cover. This is very important so you will know exactly how much of the weed killer or other product you need to add to the mixture. If you don’t have the right mixture, you probably will not get the results you desire.

Also, as you calibrate your sprayer, you can detect problems or repairs that need to be made to your equipment. A common problem is an un-uniform spray pattern. This can be caused by worn spray nozzles that need to be replaced or maybe just screens that need to be cleaned.

So, whether you are using a boom or boomless sprayer, take the time to calibrate it and make sure everything is in good working order before heading to the field. Feel free to stop by the Extension office to get a copy of a sprayer calibration guide or call us at 638-2548 and schedule a time for us to come out and go through the calibration steps with you.

Calibrating a sprayer usually takes less than 30 minutes. The time you spend doing this can help tremendously with the results you get from spraying and help to ensure that you are applying the product correctly.

Norman Edwards is coordinator of Walker County Extension Service.