Timely application gives the best lawn service results

New sprayer technology is enabling Norfolk lawn care specialist Will Dunger to achieve more timely applications for customers across a wider area, at a time climate shift is reducing spraying opportunities this spring.

“We seem to be getting fewer windows for ideal spraying conditions at the optimum timing for treatments. Being able to cover a larger area more effectively, and with greater accuracy, ensures when we’ll get the best results from every application,” advocates Will, owner of Will’s Norfolk Lawns.

With soil temperatures warming up and growth potential rising, herbicide application will soon be a priority on lawns where it’s needed, but that also coincides with the busy spring period for other lawn activities.

“For herbicide applications we’re looking to apply in the narrow window when growing conditions are good to get rapid uptake of product, but before established weeds get too large that makes them more difficulty to control. In recent seasons we’ve also seen conditions can quickly turn too dry for optimum control.

“Being able to spray large areas quickly and accurately means we can achieve better results for customers,” he says.

With his Techneat SPPS (Self-Propelled Pedestrian Sprayer) Will reports they can easily cover a hectare of more lawn spraying in a day across three to four sites. For larger scale jobs, he’s previously sprayed 1.4 hectares in less than three hours.

He calibrates the spray to operate at 400 l/ha, operating with 04 nozzles. “It’s a good compromise between optimum leaf coverage and comfortable spraying speed, with minimal risk of drift.

“We want to make sure that we get the maximum product onto the target, which is better for efficacy and minimises any risk of off-target effects or environmental loss,” he highlights. However, the sprayer’s multi nozzle bayonets allow a quick switch to larger nozzles for drift reduction or higher water volumes, particularly if soil target treatments are being applied.

“We are always looking at new innovations in turf agronomy from golf or sports pitch management, and how that might benefit lawn care quality. That’s where the accuracy and consistency of sprayer applications can also help,” he says.

Previously they have relied on granular wetting agents to counter hydrophobic soils, where dry patch is an issue on sandy sites, for example, but the advent of new longer-lasting liquid wetting agents could offer a spray treatment in the future.

Plant growth regulators, biostimulants and fungicides could also become more important in integrated lawn management strategies, where climate shift is creating new challenges and issues for customers, Will believes.

It’s his second Techneat SPPS sprayer, but with the advent of front folding booms he can now transport it in the company’s van, rather than requiring a trailer with the previous machine. That makes it quicker to move around and access more sites.

“We are solely focussed on giving the best lawn care service possible, where having the latest equipment ensures we can provide more customers with an efficient and effective complete service all through the season,” he adds.

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