December 2016 Technology

PGR Support Just a Click Away By Brian A. Krug

Many growers have relied on the PGR MixMaster app on their phones to quickly and easily calculate the volume of water and amount of a given plant growth regulator (PGR) to mix for a desired concentration. The app allows a user to specify a product, final dilution volume (in gallons) and dilution concentration (PPM). Once these three inputs are made PGR Mix Master will display the amount of PGR needed to obtain the desired concentration.

If you are an iPhone user you probably have found, like many growers, that it would no longer allow you to select the PGR product in the dropdown menu after updating your phone to the latest iOS. Other users may have found that some newer PGRs were not listed in the products on the app. Just in time for the 2017 growing season, the new version of the app is complete that works for all devices and has an updated list of PGR products.

Most apps automatically update on your device when a new version is released; however, due to the new programming of the PGR MixMaster users will have to delete the old version of the app from your phone and download the new version.

Easy Access

To get the new version of the phone or other device, go to www.e-gro.org; click on the menu item on the top of the page called “MixMaster App.” This will open the main screen for the PGR MixMaster (see Figure 1). At this point you can start using the app, but it is recommended that you add this to the home screen of your device so you can access the app quickly and easily.

To add the app to your home screen of your iPhone tap the share button, the rectangle with an arrow pointing up (See Figure 2). You then tap on “Add to Home Screen” and a new window will appear for you to review what you are adding and then tap on “Add” on the top right-hand corner of the screen. This process can also be done for Android and Windows devices by tapping on the “Menu” or “More” buttons, respectively, and follow steps similar to those described above.

Using the App

Now that you have the app easily accessible to you on your home screen you are ready to use it.

Step 1:
Use the dropdown menu to select the PGR type that you need to calculate (see Figure 3). You will see all the PGRs labeled for greenhouse ornamental use listed in alphabetical order by trade name. You also will notice that the percent active ingredient is listed for each product. Once you have highlighted the product you want to use, tap “Done.”

Step 2:
Most growers in the United States will want to calculate their PGRs based on the number of gallons they want in their sprayer. If you would like to calculate based on liters, simply click on the radio button to select “Metric” (see Figure 4). You can toggle back and forth at any time.

Step 3:
Tap on the box next to “gallons” (or “liters”) and enter in the amount of final spray volume you want to mix.

Step 4:
Tap on the box next to “ppm” and enter the concentration of the PGR that you want in your final solution.

Step 5:
Tap on “Calculate” and PGR MixMaster will display the amount of PGR that you need to mix with a volume of water to get your final volume and concentration.

Being precise is important when mixing PGRs to ensure that you obtain the desired effect. This can be difficult when mixing small volumes of PGRs, especially when the units are displayed in fractions of an ounce. PGR MixMaster has the flexibility to switch back and forth between metric and standard units, even after you have completed the calculation. Simply tap on “Display in Metric” and the amount of PGR product is converted from ounces to milliliters — or in some cases, grams, (see Figure 5). The volume of water will remain in gallons or liters depending on the selection you made in Step 2 from above.

At any time you can change the units the water volume or PGR are displayed in; the conversion will happen automatically. If you need to change the final volume of solution, concentration or the PGR used be sure to tap on “Calculate” to update the changes.

When mixing PGRs always be sure to first add the PGR product to the sprayer and then bring the water up to the final volume to obtain the correct concentration.

PGR MixMaster is a simple, yet powerful tool to use for any grower. It takes the guess work out of any PGR mixing situation and has the benefits of being in your pocket at all times.