Used this first with TSP. Mixing the TSP with hot water and dissolving it completely posed no problem for the sprayer. There was never any leakage (see why below). The handle was comfortable to hold. Jet setting was way under the power of my ordinary hose nozzle so I'm going to look into removing the restricting valve at the hose connection of the sprayer. May not be possible without damaging the unit. We would have liked more power than what we get as is. Mix setting dial was easy to use and with a little experimentation we were able to adjust the concentration very nicely.
Update: it is possible to remove a portion of the flow restriction valve, and it does increase the power and distance of the jet spray without interfering with anything else. There is a small plug-like insert where the hose connects. Remove it carefully because you will be putting it back. With the valve removed proceed to remove the astericks shaped restriction from the valve 'plug.' I used a small knife to cut through the projections. Once removed replace the plug back into the handle as it's essential to seal the connection with the hose.
Also I found why I had no problem with leaking at the handle as described by others. I inadvertently had two seals in place of the one which comes with the unit. It did leak when I removed the extra seal so there are two seals in the unit now.
I've been through 3 or 4 other hose-end sprayers and this one is by far and away the best. I just sprayed a half acre for weeds and I didn't get 1 drop of water on me. My shoes and pants are usually soaked after spraying that much. If you buy this product and it leaks; I would check the hose end to make sure it has a gasket and make sure the bottle is attached properly. I think the way the bottle is threaded could cause problems for some people. I had basically given up on getting a good sprayer after looking at the reviews for all the products out there. This one is a keeper!
The sprayer which I received works as advertised. Specifically I experienced no leaks at all and it worked as expected without any issues at all. Having said that, I will agree that the unit is not a "professional grade" device, but then it is not priced like one either. As noted by others, I would probably pay twice this amount for a heavier unit with a larger capacity. This device is specifically designed to use premixed, concentrated LIQUID plant food, however you can use dry fertilizers if you dissolve them before hand. I had some how managed to accumulate several pounds of Miracle Grow plant fertilizer and wanted to begin using it on my rather large garden. Mixing a gallon at the time and hand applying was not an option, so I purchased this product. According to the Ortho Customer Service people, if one mixes 32 tablespoons of MG in a gallon of water and then set the Ortho unit to apply at a rate of 4 oz per gallon you will deliver 8 gallons of properly mixed fertilizer. I personally prefer to use the "weakly, weekly" method and cut down the amount of fertilizer to 1/4 the recommended amount and apply weekly. All in all, the Ortho unit is an inexpensive and handy little unit which works as advertised.
This sure made spraying for dandelions easy. I used the Ortho brand concentrate in the one quart bottle that fits this sprayer. I set the concentration mix and pulled the trigger. It's that easy. I was shocked to see all of the comments about leaking. Mine didn't leak. Not even a drop. Did I get lucky and get the rare good one? Or maybe there is a threading or seating issue that I was careful to make sure set right while others didn't catch it didn't seat right? I dunno, but for me, this worked flawlessly. I docked a star because it has a cheap feel, and Ortho didn't put a site gauge on their bottles of Ortho so you can see how fast you're using the product (I know, not *this* product per se).
I’ve spent my life avoiding concentrate chemicals because I was too intimidated to figure out the mixing process. I watched a YouTube video featuring this thing and bought it. I used it for the first time today to spray concentrate pesticides under our wooden deck and it’s totally awesome and idiot proof! The only thing I would say is you probably want one for each chemical. You could use the same one over and over but you would need to rinse it out. I would just buy one for pesticides and one for lawn/weed care and label them.
Feature Product
- Makes spraying liquid weed killers, insect killers, fungicides and fertilizers easier
- Extended-grip design keeps hands dry during application
- Direct-connect design makes attaching to Ortho concentrate bottles fast and easy
- Features three adjustable spray patterns: shower, fan and jet
- Features 14 dial settings to automatically apply the precise amount of product-every time
Description
Make spraying liquid weed killers, insect killers, fungicides, and fertilizers easy with Ortho Dial ‘N Spray Hose End Sprayer. The extended-grip design keeps your hands dry during application and the direct-connect design makes attaching Ortho concentrate bottles fast and easy. Also, there are 3 adjustable spray patterns and 14 dial settings, so you can trust that you are spraying the precise amount of product-every time.
Over the years, I've had several different designs of sprayers. This one works well, the downward angle for the hose connection relieves pressure on the connection and aids handling.
My wife previously fertilized shrubs using the watering can method. This was a big pain and very slow considering the mixing and lugging needed for 2 gallons per shrub. Since this device is designed with a flow rate of 2 gallons per minute, she simply adds concentrate to the bottle, dials in the recommended dosage per gallon on the device and sprays for 1 minute per shrub to get 2 gallons delivered with the right amount of fertilizer. I did immediately replace the hose washer that came with it as I had some dripping at the hose connection. Even though the original washer felt okay, the new washer fixed the drip. Oh, and I did the math after spraying and the amount of concentrate used for 19 shrubs was pretty close to the predicted amount.
Awesome product! Ignore where it says not to add water though unless using liquid. One will stand for several minutes until the light bulb goes off that nothing will blend with hose water unless it's liquid.
I love mine! You can put all kinds of things in it and it has three nozzel spray options AND you can take the bottle off to continue spraying in areas you desire only water (manual bypass...just remove the bottle when you get to the plants/items not requiring treatment..
A GREAT product and GREAT value!
I've owned one of these before purchasing a new one here on Amazon and can generally say it was the best experience I've had with a spray bottle.
Simply put, set the amout per oz., Use, rinse, wash and store.
I brought one of these from a local hardware store in the past and made the mistake of leaving liquid inside causing it to corrode.
Just follow the care instructions, make sure to rinse out the access solution in the spray bottle.
Very useful tool for dispensing lawn chemicals. No need to mix chemicals with water, just pour the liquid into the bottle, set the dial for dispensing rate, attach to a garden hose and spray. It has a long enough pickup hose inside the jar to essentially empty the bottle. If liquid remains, just pour it back into the original jar. NICE!!!