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Decatur, IL

What is a good spreader/sticker for pesticides, fungicides, etc.? Thanks, Charlie

2/14/2007 1:38:53 PM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

I've been using spraytech oil, part of the Agro-k program, but available for purchase at www.candjfert.com 1 gallon is $21.00 plus shipping.
www.candjfert.com, click on products, then giant pumpkin fertility program.
Tom

2/14/2007 3:34:58 PM

South Bloomfield, Ohio

Any surfactant will do. I acquire mine from ag supply sources.

2/14/2007 6:33:48 PM

[email protected]

Tom, Is spray-tech oil a methylated seed oil?

A former coworker of mine now works for the leading adjuvant/surfactant company in the US. We talk a lot. Organosilicone surfactants are the absolute best that money can buy if you can find them. Real OS will make your fungicides truly penetrate the leaf cuticle with mush less chance of plant injury than the cheaper non-ionic chemical surfactants & oils. They also lay the material out on the leaf with many fewer hot & cold spots so there is much less risk of leaving part of a leaf under-protected or burning it with a "hot spot".

I've worked with agriculture chemicals & surfactants for over 25 years & have never been as impressed with anything as much as this. I tested this stuff at up to 8X in a greehouse on bean, tomato & AG seedlings & couldn't damage plants even when I tried! LOL

I am negotiating to have this material for sale in quarts by spring. Keep your fingers crossed.

2/14/2007 11:14:04 PM

southwest MO

ORGANOSILICONE SURFACTANTS
use them with utmost care!!!
Organosilicone Surfactants are being actively promoted as excellent penetrators as well as good surfactants with superior rain-fastness properties.

They are definitely recommended for use with herbicides, which will have their effects considerably enhanced because of the properties of the organosilicones.

But then, nobody cares what happens to the weeds, and hopes that they die and disappear quickly and don't come back!

Now, this is not the kind of approach for crops that we want to grow, nurture, and develop into quality, profitable products. And here are the reasons why:

*Organosilicones are so efficient at spreading materials, that they have been known to enter plant stomata and hydathodes - organs not normally penetrated by other surfactants.

Hydathodes are the tiny openings along the leaf margins that allow excess water to escape during the night. This type of action can lead to the penetration of unwanted bacteria that could cause serious plant disease problems1.

*Because of their rain-fastness properties: silicone type sealing of stoma, they would also act as anti-transpirants that would be detrimental to respiration, especially under warm and sunny growing conditions.

*Due to their enhanced penetration qualities, organosilicones would promote uptake into the stoma cells of spray materials that should remain on the surface(epidermis), hence possible damage or injury to the plant. They definitely should not be used in conjunction with oils or metals (fungicides).

Consequently, care must be excersized when selecting a surfactant or sticker/spreader, and one must first consider the safety and health of the crops.

Crop Protection, when promoted by commission and quota driven salespeople, can often turn into an "Oxymoron".

Not starting trouble here... Just did a quick search and found this... The more I know the less I understand...

2/15/2007 9:55:34 AM

Decatur, IL

I just saw this article also. Now I'm confused. I want to make sure it's safe to use with fungicides before I spend a pretty penny for it! Charlie

2/15/2007 10:10:31 AM

Decatur, IL

Also, I found that Scotts makes a modified organosilicone spray adjuvant called Capsil. It's available at B&T Grower Supply for $78 a gallon. It would be nice if you could find a smaller size.

2/15/2007 10:40:26 AM

Montoursville, PA

Don't be confused. The above statements are correct when not supported, by a proposed seller. Your natural plant based horticulture oils are biodegradable and much safer for you and your living plants. No arguement here...just simple facts on both sides of the coin.

2/15/2007 3:49:05 PM

[email protected]

BG,

The website you site goes on to better explain (elsewhere on the same site) how fast drying surfactants are potentially dangerous. The material I am having packaged is noted as keeping foliage wetter longer. This guy is a southern greehouse grower so his needs are quite different than ours. Anyone who would compare oils & organosilicones outdoors in the northeast with a southern greenhouse needs to rexamine their own motives for criticism.

"The HAVOC product looks especially attractive for use in hot weather because it is slow drying. One of the problems that we have with the regular organosilicone surfactants is that they tend to dry quickly in high temperatures and thus can contribute to poor absorption, reduced contact residual action and, the most feared of all, elevated phytotoxicity and burn.

This generally is not the case with surfactants based on fatty acids (Amway APSA 80) and mineral oils (Stylet, Sunspray, etc), as they tend to resist quick evaporation. However, extreme care must be excercised in hot weather because the oils will act as anti-transpirants and cause epidermial burn or other problems of the stomate and/or hydathodes. But in the case of HAVOC, they have combined the two elements: an all-natural seed oil with organosilicones to give us a combination that is claimed to be relatively safe in high temperatures. (Florida, Texas, Caribbean and Central American vegetable growers, take note.)"

2/15/2007 11:03:39 PM

southwest MO

Thanks Tremor... Being from extreme sw MO I am always battleing very hot temperatures and leaf burn issues. What would you recommend for hot climates??

2/16/2007 5:01:09 PM