In some situations, this can be easier said than done. Below are several things to consider to help reduce particle (not necessarily, vapor) spray drift.

• Spray at low wind velocities (<10 mph); in general, winds are less early in the morning or late in the evening

• Reduce spraying pressures; lower pressures allow for larger droplet sizes

• Increase carrier volumes/application rates; if possible use 20 gallons or more/acre instead of 10 gallons or less/acre

• Select the proper nozzles with coarse spray droplets; there are several companies that manufacture nozzles that are designed to reduce drift; some examples include: TeeJet AI, AIXR, and TTI; Greenleaf TurboDrop XL; Hypro Ultra Low Drift, among others

• Use lower spray boom heights; make sure to use nozzles that have 110° or more spray angle which allows the boom to be lowered more than nozzles with lesser angles, but ensure spray pattern and proper overlap is maintained

• Reduce sprayer ground speed (<10 mph); faster speeds cause more boom bounce and spray vortex to occur sending spray droplets higher in the air

• Use drift retardants; there are many good products on the market for this purpose

• Spray when wind direction is away from sensitive crops, homes, etc.

• Invest in “high-tech” sprayers (e.g., pulse modulation); some of the new sprayers use a pulsing system to assist in better application and drift reduction

  Dwight Lingenfelter

  • Program Development Specialist

  William Curran

  • Professor of Weed Science