What practice should be followed when spraying vegetation on ditchbanks?

When spraying vegetation on ditchbanks, keeping the sprayer traveling upstream is important for several reasons. This practice helps minimize the risk of herbicide drift and ensures that the sprayed materials reach the intended target effectively. By moving upstream, the sprayer can reduce the chances of overspray affecting downstream areas, which could lead to unintended harm to desirable plants or water bodies that are downstream from the application site.

Additionally, this method allows for better control over spray patterns, making it easier to direct the application onto the vegetation that requires treatment while avoiding contamination of surroundings. Moreover, spraying downstream might increase the likelihood of the herbicide being carried off by the current, leading to ineffective treatment and potentially causing environmental harm.

Spraying during calm conditions is beneficial for controlling drift, but it isn't specifically related to the direction of travel, which is why that option is not the best practice in this context.