Pulling weeds by hand is effective but tiresome and time-consuming, and scattering fertilizer pellets with a spreader is convenient but not precise. Sometimes you need to care for your lawn or garden by applying a chemical in the safest, most efficient way possible.
In those cases, what you need is a lawn sprayer.
Lawn and garden sprayers are tools with a variety of uses. Although some can be used to spray cleansers and sealants, they’re most often used as tools for applying common treatments that keep your yard healthy and green:
Thanks to their low cost and versatility, lawn sprayers are handy not only for residential users but for commercial and professional users as well.
One of the reasons that liquid sprayers are so versatile is that there are so many types available:
They differ in the way they’re transported, the amount of liquid they can carry, and the mechanisms they use to create the pressure needed to apply the spray. Because of all these differences, it’s easy to find a yard sprayer perfectly suited to any outdoors task.
| LAWN SPRAYERS | Handheld | Backpack | Wheeled | Vehicle- Mounted | Tow-Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Type: | Manual Gas Electric | Manual Gas Electric | Manual Gas Electric | Electric | Vehicle |
| Tank Capacity: | 3-5 Gal | 4-7 Gal | 4-9 Gal | 15-65 Gal | 15-65 Gal |
| Avg. Starting Price: | $69.99 | $134.99 | $189.99 | $139.99 | $299.99 |
Many handheld sprayers create pressure through a manual pump mechanism, such as a handle attached to a piston that the user pumps up and down to build pressure inside the sprayer’s tank. However, battery-powered and gasoline-powered sprayers are available.
Need to bring a sprayer around your house or small yard? With a handheld pump sprayer, all you have to do is pick it up by its handle and carry it at your side. This makes handheld sprayers excellent for many residential tasks:
Note: for safety reasons, avoid using a sprayer to apply insecticide, herbicide, or any other pesticide to indoor plants. If you’re using a handheld sprayer inside, be sure that the only liquid you’re spraying is water!
Because they’re made for efficient spraying over a larger area, manual pumps are less common on backpack sprayers (but still available). Instead, many backpack sprayers draw on gas or battery power, which prevents a user from having to stop and pump their sprayer every few minutes.
Backpack sprayers are excellent for tasks like these:
Backpack sprayers are popular with landscaping professionals as well as residential users, and not just because of their larger tanks. Having the tank on their backs leaves the users with one hand free for better multitasking and greater efficiency. Plus, many backpacks come with padded straps designed for hours of comfort during the workday.
Similar to backpack sprayers, wheeled sprayers use battery, gas, and manual power (with manual power being far less common) and feature tanks made to carry four to six gallons of liquid. However, the tanks on these sprayers rest on plastic or metal frames with large wheels attached for easy transport. Simply push or pull your sprayer, and you’ll be able to take it almost anywhere on your property.
Wheeled sprayers are designed for both homeowners and professionals and are ideal for many of the same kinds of grounds as backpack sprayers:
One consideration to keep in mind with wheeled sprayers is that their wheels can compact soil, so take care not to push them over ground that you don’t want to disturb. If your ground is rough or rocky, though, you can rest easy knowing that those wheels are made with durable plastic for rugged outdoor use.
The kinds of vehicles that mounted sprayers are designed for are just the kinds used frequently in land maintenance:
ATV sprayers and other vehicle-mounted sprayers usually have tanks that can hold 15-25 gallons of liquid, but some can hold up to 60 gallons. Many are powered by an electric motor that moves a diaphragm-style back and forth to create pressure within the tank.
Like backpack and wheeled sprayers, mounted sprayers dispense chemicals through a wand with a nozzle attached. Because they can be driven anywhere but can be used to treat a specific problem spot, they're sometimes called spot sprayers.
Tow-behind or pull-behind sprayers feature a large-capacity tank (typically 15-25 gallons, but up to 65 gallons) mounted to a wheeled frame that can be attached to a riding mower, tractor, or ATV. These sprayers draw their power from the towing vehicle, so they’re made to deliver a consistent liquid stream through a boom with multiple nozzles attached.
With such large tank capacities, these sprayers are excellent for tending to larger properties:
Although many sprayers weigh less than 100 pounds, always be sure to check your vehicle’s weight capacity in the product manual before buying and connecting a tow-behind lawn sprayer. The last you want to do is buy a sprayer to increase your efficiency, only to find that your vehicle can’t tow it!
Shop: Tow-Behind Lawn Sprayers
In addition to sprayers made to be pulled behind riding mowers and ATVs, you can find chemical sprayers designed to be attached to other types of vehicles (or attached in other ways):
Thanks to their increased power, tank size, and vehicle-powered designs, these sprayers are best suited to the largest properties and are recommended for those who professionally manage tracts of land.
What distinguishes a lawn or garden sprayer from a hose? It’s the spray, of course. Sprayers have two features that allow them to spread liquid lawn treatments so effectively: the nozzle, and the dispensing mechanism that connects the nozzle to the tank.
The nozzle is the component through which liquid leaves the sprayer; it’s the last part that the liquid touches. As a result, nozzles are designed with tips of different shapes that determine how you deliver your fertilizer, pesticide, or other liquid treatment:
Fan tips are best for a wide application over a flat surface. However, if you want to soak an area with a targeted stream, a shower or droplet-style tip is the way to go.
What does the nozzle attach to? The dispensing mechanism is the piece that feeds liquid from the tank to the nozzle.
Many sprayers with wands include multiple tips so that you can choose the most effective spray pattern for your lawn or yard care project.
You’ll find two kinds of booms on tow-behind sprayers:
Both types of booms deliver liquid across a wide stretch of space so that more ground can be sprayed in less time.
Lawn sprayers can make yard care easy and convenient, but it’s important to pay attention to several details when using them to apply fertilizers and pesticides (which includes insecticides and herbicides).
Fertilizers and pesticides are chemicals that can cause serious harm. However, a few safety precautions will ensure that they’re used properly:
Maintaining and cleaning your sprayer’s parts will help you achieve a consistent flow rate throughout the life of the sprayer. However, if your sprayer has been well maintained and you simply want to spray more liquid, you can increase your flow rate either by increasing the pressure in your manual pump sprayer or increasing the RPMs of your engine or motor in your gas or battery-powered sprayer.
Whether you're spraying a fertilizer or a pesticide, there will be specific times at which that chemical will be most effective. Consider these examples of recommended times for using a sprayer:
By following these tips, you can enjoy not only the most from your plants but the most from your lawn or garden sprayer as well.