Fall Weed Control

This is about controlling weeds in the fall regardless of whether you grew corn or grass this year. Some comments apply to grass, some to corn, and some to both. If you rented the field in question, I suppose these comments might not be for you, unless these practices were in your rental contract, or you decided to be nice to the next renter. Hey, it could be you!

Regardless of whether corn or grass was grown this season, if there is significant growth of perennial and problem weeds, fall is really a good time to do something about it. Controlling problem weeds now means you have one less thing to do in your busy spring. If you want or need to plow or disc, make sure you give any herbicides you apply to work, before cultivating. A caveat: if your field is very dry in the fall, the weeds may not be growing actively enough to take up herbicides through their leaves. You may have to irrigate a couple of times before spraying.

If you grew corn, two major problem perennial weeds will be easy to see after harvest. These are Horsetail (Equisetum arvense) and Quack Grass (Agropyron repens). Although it is in limited supply, Amitrol herbicide will control both species. Glyphosate will control Quack Grass but will have only limited effect on Horsetail. Quack Grass is much harder to see in your forage grass stand, but Horsetail is easy to spot. It likes to grow along the fence lines.

In permanent grass stands, and in pastures, another problem perennial weed that can become established around the fences is Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus). Again, fall is the best time to control this weed. It can be difficult to completely remove. Best results are obtained using the herbicide glyphosate (e.g. Credit) applied in the fall when the canes are actively moving nutrients into the roots for winter storage. Glyphosate sprayed directly on the leaves and canes is taken up and translocated through the tissue down into the root system.

There may be other serious weeds; too many to talk about here. If in doubt, take samples into the sales desks at either or our locations in Abbotsford or Delta.