put my fodplots in for the year at camp. 125lbs rye 20lbs oats maybe 4-5lbs clover per acre. Nicer plots got 2lbs brassica mix.
Spread seed, then tire dragged, then sprayed. 1st tank was 1 quart surpeme AMS, 1 quart 41% gly, 24oz basagran. Had troubles with the 1st tank. Inlet strainer screen was plugging again just like when using granular AMS. Got orange colored goo. Adirondack water has a orange stain to it, likely tanins from wood decay. Brought a pool test strip to check the water. Lowest pH scale when was orange 6.pH. Was really bright orange lowe than 6.2. No hardness or alkalinity. So, maybe didnt need the ammonium sulfate.
Next 3 tanks I skipped the AMS and bumped up the gly to 40oz vs 32oz. 2-3ft tall sedges, 45ft goldenrod, some grasses, some clover. One plot wasn't tall, virtually no goldenrod or sedges, some native grasses, and a decent crop of clover. Didn't spray that one. 15 gallon tank can do about 5/8 to 3/4 acre. Hoping I wasnt too light on the chemicals. Doen't seem like it on paper. Historically 90% of the golden rod dies from knocking it down.
Short story long, I think the AMS was being a flocculant for the tanin in the water, causing the screen to clog. All tanks after the 1st no problems. I will not be using AMS up there anymore. From primitve pool test, seems like theres no calcium to combat anyways. Water was from running creek or swamp upstream and pumped with a marine bildge pump through a soda can sized 3/4' pipe 50 mesh strainer. Maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of material per tank strained out from running creek and a tablespoon from the swamp due to stagnant debris.
Very much worth checking into the chemical composition of your water. Also, good to have sprare strainer screens around too. Aluminum sulfate is used as a flocculant. IT catches silica and other thing in the water and lets them sink to a settling tank, or stick to a reverse osmosis prefilter. I used to maintain boiler chemistry for large power plants early in my career. Part of keep the lights on for the grid. I am thinking AMS likes to do what aluminum sulfate does too. everse osmosis system and resin exchange beds would remove calcium and magnesium from the water. Otherwise the 2000psi 1000 deg F steam would make the deposits basically turn into glass plugging valves and turbine nozzles.
Using the AMS at home for sure. 250+ ppm calcium hardness and pH around 8.4 with the pool test strip. 5 micron whole house filter. Could use DI water, but would take awhile to fill tank.
