The spray nozzle is perhaps the least expensive but most important part of your sprayer. It directs the flow rate, breaks up the mixture into droplets and disperses the droplets in a specific pattern.
Flood Nozzles
Flood nozzles produce a wide, flat spray pattern for reduced drift. Use for soil applied herbicides, the wide spray angle (110o to 130o) allows wider nozzle spacing and lower boom heights. Tests show there's a higher concentration of spray on the outer edges of the spray pattern, so each nozzle must be set at a spacing, height and orientation to give at least double coverage (100% overlap).
Whirl Chamber Nozzles
Whirl chamber nozzles form a hollow cone, saddle-shaped pattern with fan angles of up to 20o. Lower concentrations of the spray appear in the center while higher concentrations are on the outer edges of the pattern. That's why you should set each nozzle at the right angle, spacing and height to overlap spray by 100% for uniform spray coverage.
Flat Fan Nozzles
Flat fan nozzles, typically used for postemergence herbicides, form a fan-shaped pattern. Many angles are available, but 80o tips are most common. The edges of this pattern have lower spray volumes than the center, so you should adjust the spray height and angle to overlap patterns by about 30% to get a consistent spray pattern without hot spots or skips.
Wide-Angle Full Cone Nozzles
Wide-angle full cone nozzles produce excellent spray distribution and large droplets to minimize spray drift. It's important to set your spray boom at the proper height and your nozzles at the correct spacing to prevent possible gaps in your pattern. Set both to achieve about a 15-20% overlap on each edge of the pattern, and your coverage will be uniform.