Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
II.
DILUTING PESTICIDES CORRECTLY
Unless you have the correct amount of pesticide in your tank mix, even a
correctly calibrated sprayer can apply the wrong dose of pesticide to the target.
Formulations such as wettable and soluble powders, emulsifiable concen-
trates, and flowables are sold as concentrates and must be diluted in the spray
tank with an appropriate carrier. Water is the most common carrier, but kero-
sene, oil, and other liquids are sometimes used. The label or other recommen-
dations will tell:
•
how much to dilute the formulation
•
how much of the dilute pesticide to apply per unit of area.
A.
MIXING SOLUBLE AND WETTABLE POWDERS
1.
Pounds Per 100 Gallons
Directions for wettable or soluble powders may be given in pounds of
pesticide formulation per 100 gallons of carrier. You must know the capacity
in gallons of your sprayer tank (or the number of gallons you will be adding
to your spray tank if the job requires only a partial tank load). Then use the
following formula:
Gallons in tank
× lbs. per 100 gal. Recommended = Pounds needed in tank
100 gallons
Example 1:
Your spray tank holds 500 gallons. The label calls for 2 pounds of for-
mulation per 100 gallons of water. How many pounds of formulation should
be added to the tank?
500 gallons x lbs. per 100 gallons (2 )
= Pounds needed in tank (10)
100 gallons
500 x 2 ÷ 100 = 10
You should add 10 pounds to the tank.
