Sprays and sprayers - everything you need to know

Experienced growers generally do not rely solely on classic watering in the form of a nutrient solution applied to the roots, but also use small or large pressure sprayers or spray bottles, with which they apply certain nutrition or protection to plants as a spray. In this article you'll find out what, with what and why to spray!

How to spray correctly?

Right from the start it's important to realize that whatever type of spray product you use, its declared effectiveness largely depends on the quality of its application. Inside a grow tent, where you can easily create an ideal microclimate, you won't need the following tips as much. All the more keep them in mind when growing plants outdoors (outdoor).

• This point may seem obvious, yet some beginning growers consider the small holes through which water flows from a classic watering can for manual irrigation to be a form of spraying, and see a quality sprayer as unnecessary. When using a watering can the solution immediately runs off the plants, so you would only waste it and might even damage surrounding vegetation. So to be clear – never a watering can, always a sprayer. We'll look at specific sprayers and how they work a few lines below.
• Weather and current conditions play a key role when spraying plants in the garden. First of all, always watch for calm conditions. If you use chemical sprays, wind can easily carry them to unwanted places in the garden. If your spray is purely natural, it's a shame to waste it, so only spray the garden when it is not windy. Weather, especially in summer, is also related to outdoor temperature. You should not apply spray in direct sunlight or at temperatures exceeding 25 °C. That's why spraying is usually done in the morning or evening. Heading out to spray after lunch is not a good idea. The surface of the plants should be dry during application, so also check that it is not still damp and that rain is not expected in the next few hours. Regarding rain, note that some sprays are systemic and others are contact. While systemic products penetrate to plant tissues within a few hours, contact products act only on the plant surface, so even a light shower means wasted effort and resources.
• It's worthwhile to regularly disassemble and clean the sprayer.
• Last but not least, don't forget personal protection (gloves, goggles, a respirator and other protective equipment) when using chemical pesticides, which are toxic. While working with chemical sprays do not drink, eat or smoke.

Sprayers and spray bottles - how they work and how to choose?

A sprayer disperses small droplets of the liquid, which then adhere to the plant surface where they can act as intended. Even more sophisticated and effective are foggers (see below). If you invest in quality, a sprayer will last you several seasons, allowing you to precisely and evenly mist, fertilize and protect all your plants.

A small spray bottle is usually used at home for misting houseplants or balcony plants with plain water or for foliar spray. And if you have a grow tent where you harvest herbs, fruit or vegetables several times a year, you'll surely think that a smaller, and especially pressure sprayer will definitely find practical use inside the grow tent, where it will serve you well for foliar applications!

The smallest spray bottles, as you can see in the picture, are often mechanical (the 500 ml variant). Overall we recommend pressure sprayers (1 and 1.5 l variants) equipped with a piston pump, a valve in the sprayer head, a safety lock for continuous operation and an adjustable nozzle to set the spray pattern. The grow tent is also a perfect match for the 2-liter Garden Highpro PUMPRO. Smaller sprayers and spray bottles are also appreciated for how easy they are to clean. They are light, so handling them is not strenuous.

Our TIP: Are you a grower interested in high-tech tools? Then you'll be pleased by a new item in our range, the automatic handheld mister VAPR Nano Spray Gun. This powerful misting gun, powered by a battery, brings exceptional comfort and efficiency when spraying any solution or spray. Dosing a large amount of liquid at low pressure creates a characteristic mist, ensuring better reach and spray effectiveness.

Large and backpack sprayers

A pressure sprayer with a capacity of 5 or even 20 liters can be strapped to your back, which is a very popular and practical method of spraying when caring for a garden or greenhouse. We recommend, for example, the popular Aquaking sprayer.

For greater reach you can use the popular spray guns with an adjustable pole.

The advantages of misting arise from the operation of the above-mentioned novelty VAPR Nano Spray Gun, but if you want to apply this principle on a larger scale, there is the reliable electronic fogger - atomizer from Aquaking with a 1000 W output and an effective reach of up to 8 meters!

Purpose and composition of the spray

Now we'll explain what can be applied to plants via a sprayer or spray bottle.

• Clean water: Mainly used in small mechanical spray bottles for misting houseplants.
• Fertilizers: For some products or in our articles you will find mention that they are suitable not only for irrigation but also as a foliar spray. Foliar feeding as a supplementary, non-root nutrition has the advantage of delivering needed nutrients to the plant immediately. A good example is the 100% organic foliar biostimulant Biotabs Boom Boom Spray. With organic products, you can often apply nutrition and plant protection at the same time.
• Protection against pests and diseases: Herbicides against weeds and mosses, fungicides against molds and insecticides against pests. As a preventive measure and while the situation allows, definitely prefer biological agents. Chemical ones should be reserved strictly for extreme situations when there's no other option. This approach is important for the final quality of the harvest, human health, soil health and environmental protection. More information and many tips on specific products are available in separate articles: How to deal with pests and How to deal with plant diseases. A long-time hit is the universal and 100% natural spray Canna CURE. Unique is the spray BioBizz Leaf Coat, which you can even use during winter, and about which you can read more in a separate article: BIOBIZZ can excite growers about ecological agriculture. The renowned Dutch brand BioNova developed the bio pesticide NovaFoliar, which not only protects the plant from pests but also cleans the surface of its leaves, focusing on clogged stomata.

With purely natural agents it is common to combine nutrition and plant protection in one spray. If you'd like to ask us anything, we will be happy to advise you at the well-known email address info@higarden.cz.

We further recommend these products:

• B.A.C. Plant Vitality Plus
• B.A.C. Foliar Spray
• AGRO CS Sviluška STOP RTD 0,5L

Further reading:

• Flower stimulator - why and when to use it?
• Beneficial microorganisms (microbes) are indispensable helpers
• ROOT!T for cutting collection and propagation