How Does a Garden Sprayer Work?
It’s simple, lawn sprayers, also known as garden sprayers, have tanks that hold common lawn care products like pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and liquid fertilizer attached to a sprayer top. You pour the liquid into the tank, attach the top and spray in the desired area. Depending on the type of sprayer you have or the product instructions, some garden sprayers mix water from your hose with product, while others may need to be manually diluted.
What Are the Advantages of a Garden Sprayer?
The best garden sprayers make it easy to:
- Measure the exact amount of lawn care product required for the job.
- Adjust the spray from coarse, drenching coverage to a fine mist to a long-range pointed stream.
- You can start and stop a garden pump sprayer quickly and easily.
- Prevent overspray by using the long-reaching hose and spray wand to precisely apply lawn care products.
- Spray up or down as well as underneath leaves (where most insects and plant diseases can be found).
- Buy concentrated lawn and garden treatment products, which can be more cost-effective than the premixed versions.
Factors to Consider Before Choosing a Garden Sprayer
Before choosing a garden sprayer, you must identify your lawn or garden’s needs.
- Size of the garden sprayer: Some areas can be spot-treated with small amounts of pesticide; other areas (lawns or large gardens) need a larger-capacity sprayer. Sprayer sizes vary greatly, from 1 quart to 4 gallons, find a model to fit your needs.
- Weight of garden sprayer: Consider how you’ll transport the sprayer you choose. Some garden sprayers can be wheeled, while others can be worn like a backpack, and some must be carried.
- How the garden sprayer is powered: Choose between a battery-operated or manual garden pump sprayer.
- Need for special features: Depending on how much you use your garden sprayer do you need a longer spray wand for a better reach? Or would you benefit from investing in an anti-clog filter?
- How many garden sprayers you need: It's a good idea for gardeners to have at least two sprayers, a sprayer for herbicide and a sprayer for insecticide. The residue from many herbicides is difficult to completely remove from inside a sprayer tank, and this leftover residue could harm your plants. Plus, it's not a good idea to mix pesticides. Make sure you label each garden sprayer appropriately.
You can apply both synthetic (man-made) chemicals and organic materials (like dormant oils) with garden sprayers.
Types of Garden Sprayers
There are three main types of sprayers. Review the features below to find the best sprayer for your garden. A good idea? Know how your pesticides, herbicides, etc. need to be applied before you shop for a new garden sprayer.
Hose-End Sprayers
- Hose-end sprayers are the simplest and least expensive of the category.
- They attach to a regular garden hose.
- You add concentrated material to the hose-end sprayer jar or bottle, and an adjustment on the bottle determines the amount you use. The force of the water through the hose pulls the material up from the bottle, mixing and diluting the chemicals with the water.
- A built-in, anti-siphon device prevents unused material from being pulled back into your water supply.
Tank Sprayers
- Tank or compression sprayers are the most common types of spray equipment.
- How they work: tank sprayers combine concentrated chemicals and water in the tank. The handle is pumped to pressurize the remaining air and the sprayer delivers the material under pressure.
- A control lever on the wand controls the spray pattern and amount.
- Compression, or pressurized tank sprayers, provide a precise, on-target, non-drift spray effective for soil and lawn pests. Adjust the tank sprayer for a coarse and drenching spray, a concentrated stream or a fine mist.
- Tank sprayer capacities range from 1 quart to over 3 gallons for handheld models. The tanks may be made from polyethylene plastic, galvanized steel or stainless steel.
- In addition to treatments for pests and diseases, compression sprayers can apply cleaning solutions for decks and siding. Just ensure you don't use a grass sprayer that has held pesticides.
Backpack Sprayers
- Backpack sprayers operate in the same manner as the handheld compression sprayer.
- Homeowner-type backpack sprayers hold up to 4 gallons.
- The over-the-shoulder design makes it easier to carry the heavier load.
- Some backpack sprayer models also use a lever-style pump to maintain pressure without removing the unit from your back.
Garden Spraying Schedule
A regular spraying schedule helps prevent lawn and garden pests and disease.
Spraying Your Garden in Spring
- In early spring: Pests overwinter on shrubs, trees and other woody plants. A dormant spray stops insects and diseases before they develop.
- For weeds on the lawn: Apply herbicide to a weed or before it emerges, depending on the weed. Read the pesticide label for directions.
Spraying Your Garden in Summer
- Spray vegetables and plants: Can be done as needed if you see pest damage.
- Prevent disease: Spray susceptible plants before there's evidence of damage. Repeat every seven to 10 days.
- Check roses: Remove leaves with black spots on the upper surface of the leaf. Begin a regular spray program until the first frost.
- Eliminate mosquito-breeding places: Remove standing water, weed patches, etc. Spray resting places like flowers, shrubs, dense foliage, outdoor walls and under leaves.
- Insects: A spray program targets two types of insects. The first lives in the soil, damaging the grass roots, while the second attacks from above the ground.
- Weeds: If weeds are noticeable or to kill weeds gearing up to attack next spring a spray program can eliminate them.
- Lawn Disease: Lawns that don’t dry out properly are more prone to disease. A spray program helps stop the spread.
Spraying Your Garden in Fall
- Foundation Spraying: Spray the foundation around your house. Crawling insects are less likely to cross a pesticide barrier. Spray just to the point of runoff and spray all the way around the house. Also, spray a 2- to 4-inch band of soil alongside the foundation.
Read and follow the garden sprayer instructions and the spray material directions for mixing and use exactly. Follow all safety precautions. Wear protective clothing, including chemical-resistant gloves and eye protection, when spraying. Don't smoke, eat or drink when spraying. Spray on a calm day to prevent winds from blowing the spray. Wash up after spraying. Follow all recommendations for keeping kids and pets off sprayed surfaces.
Garden Sprayer FAQs
What is the Difference Between a Garden Sprayer and a Spreader?
Liquid forms of lawn treatment, such as insecticides, fertilizers and weed killers, can be applied to your yard with a sprayer. Spreaders distribute solid materials, like grass seed and granular fertilizer. If your lawn requires treatment in a specific area, a sprayer might be the better option between the two — you can direct the liquid exactly where it’s needed.
What Can You Put into a Garden Sprayer to Help Prevent Weeds and Pests?
You can use a garden sprayer to apply both synthetic (man-made) chemicals and organic materials (like dormant oils).
What Tank Size Should my Garden Sprayer Have?
That’s entirely dependent on how much you want to carry or pull behind you. For a large yard or garden, consider a 2 or 4-gallon tank. If you have a smaller yard, anything under 2 gallons works.
Is a Garden Sprayer the Same as a Pressure Washer?
A garden sprayer and a pressure washer are two different types of equipment. A garden sprayer is used to apply liquid lawn treatment materials like fertilizer and insecticide, while a pressure washer is designed to use water at high pressure to clean various outdoor surfaces, such as patios. You cannot substitute one for the other.