6/3/2022 - By Dr. Jeff Atkinson

Ride-on application units such as the PermaGreen Triumph or Z Turf Equipment Z-Spray are increasing in popularity. Empowering an applicator to spray liquid and spread granular materials using a single piece of equipment can dramatically decrease application time per property and increase day-to-day profitability.

Why Low Volume Applications?

While ride-on units do have benefits, they are also pushing the envelope as it relates to application volume. Most turfgrass spray-applied products are formulated to be applied in 20 to 80 gallons per acre (GPA) carrier volume as is indicated on most product labels. Ride-on units are capable of spray-applying materials at lower carrier volumes, often as low as 10 gallons per acre or 0.25 gallons per 1000 sq. ft. While lower spray volumes allow for an applicator to cover more area per tank, product efficacy may decrease by not following label recommendations.

Products to Lower Applications

A recent study conducted by researchers at Auburn University investigated the greening effect of Harrell’sMAX® IronMn Mg applied at 6 fl oz per 1000 sq. ft. in 10 or 40 GPA carrier volume to tall fescue turf. Forty GPA treatments were applied with TeeJet 8001VS nozzles, and 10 GPA treatments were applied with TeeJet AIXR110015VP nozzles. The nozzles were selected to provide roughly equivalent droplet size at the respective spray volumes.
Results of the trial are, frankly, surprising. IronMn Mg applied at 10 GPA provided equivalent turf color to the 40 GPA treatment through the duration of the study and significantly enhanced turf color on three of nineteen rating dates (Figure 1). The result indicates IronMn Mg can be effectively used in a low volume spray application to enhance tall fescue turf color.