EARLY IS BEST FOR EFFECTIVE WEED CONTROL
May 21, 2021
It was dry throughout most of Federated’s service area until last week and that made growers wonder about their pre-emerge herbicides as weeds popped up.
“We got moisture now, so the pre-emerge herbicides will be activated,” said Kevin Carlson, Federated’s agronomy sales manager.
Growers who got their pre-emerge herbicides applied will be set to do post-emerge “clean up” down the road, but those who didn’t apply a pre may need to get going with an early post-emerge application very soon.
“Early weed control is essential,” said Carlson, adding, “it always works better to have something down early [pre or early post].” It’s not advisable to wait to spray “just because of the weather.”
History and plot tests prove that early spraying is better the vast majority of the time. “Relying solely on [later] post-emerge applications will promote weed resistance,” said Carlson. “We need to use better weed control practices, and that includes spraying early.”
Weed competition and yield loss affect crops the most early in the season. Late weeds do not contribute to yield loss, Carlson noted. Later on, he said, “it’s all about weed seed control.
Contact your Federated Agronomist to schedule custom herbicide application or to discuss your weed management plans overall.