Jerry Baker Hose-End Sprayers
Tips, Tricks, and Frequently Asked Questions
Here's some of the helpful hints on how to get the most our of your hose-end sprayers:
- Before mixing any ingredients, make sure your sprayer jar is super clean as well as the pail or bucket you're mixing them in. It only takes one tiny particle of dirt to clog the siphon tube.
- If you find that the contents in the sprayer jar is not siphoning after 30 seconds, stop! Take the cap off the sprayer jar, gently mix the ingredients again, and re-apply the cap to the sprayer.
- When using tobacco tea, pour it through a sieve first to eliminate any small particles that may clog the tube.
- If using instant tea, be sure it has dissolved completely in your tonic.
- Make sure the Epsom salts (or Magnesium Sulfate) is completely dissolved in your tonic.
- Water with high concentrations of chlorination may interact with baby shampoo, causing excess foam in the sprayer jar, making it difficult to spray. Remove the tonic, mix a small amount of antiseptic mouthwash with water, and run this through your hose end sprayer to cut the foaming action.
- Liquid dish soap and dishwashing liquid have a heavy consistency, especially if it is concentrated. So add it last to any tonic.
- Do not use liquid dish soap that is advertised as antibacterial, detergent, or a "degreaser." When a manufacturer uses these advertising words, they may have added ingredients which may
be too harsh for plants. Also, do not use automatic dishwasher soap.
- Gently mix all tonic ingredients in a pail or bucket before adding
to sprayer jar. This also eliminates clogging the tube.
- Be sure your water pressure is all the way on, and there are no kinks in the hose.
- Molasses is another ingredient that can clog the
sprayer tube. It must be at room temperature, not just taken out of
the refrigerator. Corn syrup must be mixed thoroughly with the other ingredients to work properly.
- Remember that the opening of the tube in the sprayer jar is only as
small as a plastic straw. Dirt particles and Epsom salts, if not dissolved completely, will not siphon through this tube.
- If the problem continues:
- Take the entire contents, and pour them through a sieve. Even a small particle can clog the siphon tube.
- After you've emptied the sprayer jar of its contents,
rinse the jar out, fill the jar half full with water, pull off
the siphon tube from the cap, and rinse it clean, too. Then reinsert
the tube, turn the hose on with cap still attached, press the lever on the cap forward so the water cleans the top part of the
sprayer cap.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about my
hose-end sprayers:
Q: What is a 20 gallon hose-end sprayer?
A: The 20 gallon "Lawn" hose-end sprayer with the green lid is a 32 oz.(1 quart)jar with a sprayer attachment that connects to the end of your garden hose. This sprayer has a tube inside that siphons the correct ratio of tonic out of the jar as the water passes through the sprayer to correctly dilute the tonic with 20 gallons of water (which means it works at a rate of 1.6 oz. of solution per gallon of water).
Q: What is the difference between the "Weed" sprayer and the "Lawn" sprayer? Aren't they both "20 Gallon" hose-end sprayers?
A: The 20 gallon "Weed" hose-end sprayer with the red lid sprays at the same rate as the Lawn 20 gallon. However, this is a special sprayer for weed-killers only. Herbicides can leave a residue in the sprayer jar, even if they're cleaned out and you just might end up spraying a little leftover herbicide on your prize-winning flowers! And that would be tragic! That's why this handy, separate sprayer was created, with
an easy-to-recognize red lid that signals caution.
Q: So what's so special about the 6 gallon Insecticide hose-end
sprayer? When should I use that?
A: The 6 gallon Insecticide hose-end sprayer with the blue lid is also a 32 oz. jar, but it sprays at a rate of 5.3 oz. of solution per gallon of water. And that's just right for a lot of insecticide tonics or sprays. Of course, always double-check application directions to make sure you're spraying at the recommended rate. You wouldn't want too much of a good thing!
Q: Can I use my adjustable rate, dial-type sprayer for your tonics and if so what setting should I set it at.
A: While some dial sprayers can be used, others will be labeled that they may be damaged if used with soaps. It's usually best to use the recommended 20 gallon hose-end sprayer with the recipes rather than chance damaging your sprayer. Make sure you read the label and instructions for your sprayer before using these with my tonics.
If you decide you want to take the chance, the ratio breakdown for my
20 gallon hose-end sprayer recipes is 1.6 oz. of tonic per gallon of
water.