How many roses do you spray? What do you spray? Do you mind pumping?

Black and Decker Sprayer

Mantis Sprayer with a Longer Wand


There are many good sprayers on the market. The spray pattern or the amount of spray used is not the fault of the sprayer as much as it is the spray tip. Make sure you get a sprayer with an adjustable tip so you can control it. The amount of pressure in the tank also has a lot to do with the amount of material used. The more pressure the smaller the droplets, the finer the spray, the less material used. As the pressure drops the larger the droplets and the more material used.  


I stopped using pump sprayers because my arm got tired trying to keep the pressure up for a fine spray. I bought an Atomister which has a one or two gallon tank and has the finest spray on the market. Bad thing, you have to drag an extension cord behind you but it sure cuts down on the material you use.

It sits in the garage now because of the electrical cord and having to fill it 3-4 times each time I sprayed. I bought a 12 gallon, Battery operated Mantis sprayer. The tip is adjustable and if I use the fine mist I can spray all 500 roses with one tank full when the roses are at their fullest. The picture shows a different battery than that which comes with it. The regular battery is a small 12 volt gel pac battery. I can purchase 3 of the batteries pictured for the cost of one from Mantis so I made some adaptations.

I prefer a little coarser spray so I got a  tip that gives me a wide fan pattern. I like to spray my roses so the material drips off onto the ground thus controlling the fungus in my mulch material. I can also spray all of the roses in 1 1/2 hours with the coarse spray. It take almost 3 hours with the fine spray. Their are also 3 gallon battery operated backpack sprayers on the market. I get books with tons of different sprayers from one gallon to 50 Gallons and up. A battery sprayer with a fine mist tip would do the best for you with what you want to do unless of course you have tons of roses. A really good inexpensive 3 gallon battery operated sprayer is available from Black & Decker for less than $100. It uses the rechargeable Versa Pac batteries. If this is what you choose, I recommend you get the Versa Pac gold batteries. They don't retain a memory and have a longer operating time

Want more info?  Just ask. I have lots of sources if you want a particular unit. 

rosenut@direcway.com