Spray Tank Mistakes Costing Farmers Thousands
Farmers spend countless hours choosing the right herbicide, the right rate, and the right timing. But what if the biggest factor in spray performance is something most growers never test?
The water in the tank.
In this episode of Farm4Profit, we sit down with AGX to discuss how water quality and adjuvants impact herbicide performance — and why many spray failures have nothing to do with resistance or product choice.
Because the reality is, You’re mostly spraying water, not chemical.
And if that water isn’t conditioned properly, your herbicide may be neutralized before it even reaches the weed.
We break down the chemistry happening inside the spray tank.
💧 Why Water Quality Matters
• Roughly 90–95% of your spray tank is water
never tested their spray water
calcium and magnesium can bind with herbicides like glyphosate
the reaction cannot be reversed
⚗️ What Happens in the Spray Tank
• What “hard water” actually means
spray water pH matters
alkaline hydrolysis is and why it can degrade chemistry quickly
while you’re driving to the field
🧪 The Correct Mixing Order
Many spray issues come from simply mixing products in the wrong order.
The correct order should be:
Water
Water conditioner / AMS / buffering agent
Herbicides
Surfactants or crop oils
Drift reduction products
If herbicide goes into bad water first, it can bind immediately and lose effectiveness.
🌱 Understanding Adjuvants
• What adjuvants actually do
surfactants, oils, buffers, and water conditioners
glyphosate specifically requires conditioning
ammonium sulfate (AMS)
💰 The Economics of Water Conditioning
We also compare the real costs:
• The cheap cost of conditioning water
expense of re-spraying fields
yield loss from surviving weeds
And we discuss an uncomfortable truth:
Some weeds labeled as “resistant” may actually be survivors of poor spray applications caused by water chemistry.
Proper adjuvant use and water conditioning can improve herbicide performance, reduce re-sprays, and potentially lower overall chemical usage.
Sometimes the cheapest yield protection available isn’t another chemical.
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