As winter winds down, some areas across the nation may have already started to see a few warm season weeds emerging. This is a sign that it may be time to start spraying your plots. This includes spraying perennial fields containing clovers, alfalfas, chicory and the like for grasses, as well as using non-selective herbicides for preparing fields for warm season annuals. Herbicide applications on weeds are much more effective when the target weeds are young and in a thriving and growing stage.
Checklist for applying grass specific herbicides
- Make sure to use surfactant or crop oil, grass specific herbicides don’t work well without them.
- Apply when UV light is low (cloudy days) and air temperature is above 70 degrees.
- Target weeds are actively growing and not in a stressed period such as drought.
- If you are using hard water for tank mixing, use a water conditioner or acidifier to improve herbicide effectiveness.
Getting weeds under control early before they have a chance to negatively affect your plots can have multiple benefits. For more on controlling weeds in your food plots check out “Controlling Weeds With 6 Easy Steps.” A weed free food plot tucked into the woods somewhere is a beautiful sight. So how do you keep those pesky weeds out of your favorite spot?
This article is courtesy of the GameKeepers Farming for Wildlife publication, a quarterly wildlife and land management magazine produced by the Mossy Oak GameKeepers. For more information on subscribing or joining visit Mossy Oak GameKeepers Club.
