GETTING CONTROL
There's more to weed control than chemicals. Here are
some tips.
Don't Plant Weeds. Use
weed-free seed when you're planting pastures. Buy certified seed or
sprigs.
Try Flash Grazing. That's high stock density
for a short time, usually about a week. It's often the only way to
manage grassy weeds in new pastures. But let your pastures develop
good roots before trying it.
Fertilize right, following soil-test results. It helps
introduced grasses compete better.
Watch Harvest Height. Take livestock off before they graze
pastures too short. This lets photosynthesis continue and shades out
weeds.
Don't Rely On Mowing. It doesn't kill weeds, and it removes
forages that could be grazed. |
|
Jan Anderson has become a real pro at
pasture weed control. This native Californian bought a 36-acre north Texas
farm, four years ago, for raising and breeding Tennessee Walking Horses.
It had everything she wanted, including a gorgeous house and great horse
barns. But it took a little help from a new friend and some user-friendly
chemicals to nurse the Costal Bermuda pastures to health.
| "I went into Poston Feed Mill, introduced
myself and said, 'OK, what now?' " she laughs. Ed Hulse, assistant
manager of the mill and farm supply at Stephenville, showed her what
to do. |
 |
He helped her identify weeds (mostly
thistles), then suggested a chemical she could use without an applicator's
license. He also encouraged her to take soil samples, fertilize and aerate
pastures.
She bought an aerator and a small John Deere tractor, equipped with a
50-gallon spray tank, and went right to work. Now her pastures are so
clean and productive that she has a growing hay business along with more
than enough forage for her own steeds.
"I advertise horse-quality hay," she says. "But a lot of people buy it
just because it's good quality whether they have horses, cattle, llamas or
whatever." |
|
Anderson sprayed Redeem on
the thistles and Reclaim on 5 acres of mesquite-infested
pastures. She is now on a maintenance program to keep the pastures
clean.
"I try to get a jump on it early in the spring when things start
turning green," she explains. "If I can spray early enough and get
them while they're young, there are no more weeds by the time we cut
for hay."
Ridding hay fields of weeds didn't happen overnight. |
 |
|
"It took me three years to get the
fields weed free and producing, as they were let go for a couple of
years," she says.
A selling point for Reclaim
and Redeem is that they are two of only a handful of pasture
herbicides that can be used without special applicator permits. But
they have drawbacks, too. For instance, they're not nearly as strong
as those requiring a license.
"For annual broadleaf weeds, any herbicide can do a good job if it's
applied at the right time," says Twain Butler, a Texas A&M forage
specialist, based at Stephenville. "But for perennials like milkweed
or silverleaf nightshade, you need to step up and use a stronger
one. Take milkweed: without Tordon 22K or some mixture that
includes it, you can't touch it."
----------------Karl Wolfshohl |
|
|
HERBICIDE TIPS
Two or three pounds of forage are lost for every pound
of weeds growing in an introduced pasture. Plus, some weeds can poison
livestock, and weeds can keep newly planted forages from establishing. So
here's the plan.
-
CHOOSE YOUR WEAPON. Your county agent or farm store
can come4 in handy here. All herbicides work in specific ways. For
instance, Ally and Amber don't require a permit, but are
effective only on really small annual weeds. Redeem controls
perennial broadleaf weeds, and you can buy it without a licence. But for
bad weed problems, you will have to go to a strong product used by
licensed applicators. Always follow label directions.
|
