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  • From: Road's End Farm <organic87 AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] posting a question: backpack sprayer
  • Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2010 18:44:42 -0400


On Apr 26, 2010, at 12:59 PM, Jen and Derek Campbell wrote:

I would like to know if anyone could reccomend a certain kinda backpack sprayer, we grow approx 2 acres of mixed vegetables for our CSA program.  We are organic and want to use the sprayer for compost tea, fish emulsion and BT.  I would like it to have a comfortable back straps and a hip belt to help support the weight.  Either hand pump or electric (rechargeable battery). Any suggestions?


On Apr 26, 2010, at 2:22 PM, <sunnfarm AT netscape.com> <sunnfarm AT netscape.com> wrote:

. Spraying two acres is not easy with a hydraulic backpak there is just too much foliage to get into. You will never do a good job with any hand sprayer. I have used backpak gas powered airblast mist blowers that are better but a hassel to fuel and maintain... You really need to look into a tractor mounted high pressure boom sprayer... Bob.
Sunny Meadow Farm
Bridgeton, NJ.


Welcome to the list, Jen and Derek!

Bob, if the Campbells are growing 2 acres mixed organic vegetables, it's unlikely that they'll be spraying the entire two acres at once: only some of the crops would need BT, and while a number of the crops might well benefit from fish emulsion and/or compost tea (though I avoid fish emulsion on the leafy greens), they wouldn't all be at the same growth stage at once, and so wouldn't be all getting sprayed at once; and if soil fertility is good some of the crops might well not need this at all. I do something over two acres, and while I have a tractor mount sprayer, some years all I use is the Solo 4 gallon hand pump backpack, because I'm just doing spot applications here and there where needed. -- I agree that if they are going to be spraying two acres all at once, a backpack sprayer would be an awful lot of work and time for the job.

Jen and Derek, you might want to look into recent information about compost teas and possible pathogenic microorganism issues, especially if you're using manure-based composts that haven't been through the full process currently required by USDA to call the result finished compost. I'm not using compost teas at all, so I'm not really up on this area; but I've heard an occasional comment in passing that leads me to think that this might be a concern.


-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale






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