Dramm offers more than 50 different pieces of equipment to apply pest control products in the greenhouse. From hydraulic sprayers to automatic foggers, our belief is that spray equipment is like tools in a toolbox. There are many tools needed for home repair: hammers, wrenches, pliers, screwdrivers. My toolbox has at least a dozen different screwdrivers because no one tool does it all.
Spray equipment is similar. Each machine in the Dramm offering has strengths and weaknesses. Often, the process of helping a grower select the right sprayer for the job depends on matching the strengths and downplaying weaknesses in their particular situation.
Many customers looking to improve pest management efficiency will look at fogging to increase efficacy and reduce labor. Dramm offers several options for this:
- The PulsFOG is a jet engine that uses the propulsion to atomize the solution into a fog and propel it rapidly over long distances.
- The AutoFog is an aerosol generator that uses air pressure and a precision nozzle to create a very even droplet that is distributed over time on air currents.
The PulsFOG treats areas very quickly, but requires someone to run it. The AutoFog takes more time to run, but is automatic and requires only setup time.
Each has its strengths. The PulsFOG is great for treating large areas rapidly or for treating a number of smaller, walled areas quickly. With machines that can treat a 3,000 square foot house in minutes from the door or larger units that can treat acres in under an hour, the PulsFOG is fast. The AutoFog, on the other hand, can be placed in a greenhouse, a timer set, and left alone for it to turn on, fog the space and turn off while no one is present.
Both have a place. When speed or walls are a limitation, the PulsFOG is a better option. For instance, if the facility has many, smaller places, such as a number of individual houses, the PulsFOG can be used to quickly fill each in a matter of minutes. The AutoFog would be more cumbersome for this application. Because it is meant to be unattended and left in the space overnight, it would only treat one space per day and then need to be set up again for the next house the next day. The PulsFOG also excels at large areas. Some large facilities, especially those growing vegetables, can have single zones that are 5 acres or more. One PulsFOG can be used to treat these areas in a little more than an hour where a grower using the Autofog may require 5 machines to cover the whole space automatically.
The Autofog is perfect for when the facility has several zones per machine. A grower with 4 – 5 small greenhouses can use a MiniAutofog to treat these over a period of as many nights without having to be a the house during the application. Similarly, a grower with zones of 1 or 2 acres could do the same with a larger AutoFog. The machine can be set up during the day and left to run later. Coordination of fans, vents and curtains by a climate control computer can make this even more easy and efficient.
Sometimes, the last example may benefit from both machines due to changing seasons. The AutoFog is perfect for early season applications, where the temperature is low and vents are not open much, especially after sunset. Also, in these situations, harvesting or opening hours make for earlier mornings. Because the AutoFog is so precise, it is also slower. It can take several hours to fog an acre. As temperatures rise and vent closings get later, so does the fogging start time. As a result, the application time plus the REI might bump into the opening times for the facility. When this occurs, some growers switch to the PulsFOG.
For example, a grower using the Autofog to treat an acre greenhouse in February can start fogging at 5:00pm. If the machine runs for two hours, the REI would start at 7:00pm. A 12 hour REI chemical would allow them back into the greenhouse at 7:00am the next day.
In warmer months, the vents may not close until 9:00pm. With a 2 hour application time and a 12 hour REI, the earliest the grower could access the zone would be 11:00am the next day.
However, with the PulsFOG, the application would occur at 9:00pm and run for 15 minutes. With a 12 hour REI, the zone could be reentered at 9:15am the next day.
Utilizing both machines when their strengths can be realized, can save labor in the early season and improve logistics later, when warm.
The Dramm team is adept at helping growers consider these issues when choosing application equipment. Please contact any member of our crew so we can help you maximize your application efficiency.
