How to get the Best out of Selective Weed Control Applications

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How to get the best out of selective weed control applications, is a blog looking at best practice to ensure the best outcome of any selective herbicide treatments. We also look at other treatment/removal options, as treatment is always a last result.  

First step, ask why the weed is there and what are the options to remove the weed and then what can be done to prevent weed invasion in the future. I ll not go into this too much, but there’s a link to a blog below which will go into more details.

Treatment/removal options?

The first thing is to identify what type of weed it is and how many there are, if there are just a few and they are shallow rooted weeds like daisies or plantains then they can be prised/lifted out with a knife. If they are deep rooted and established tap rooted and or large in quantity, sadly you’re more likely looking at needing to go down the chemical route.

Some weeds are an indication of issues within the soil, such as low nutrient levels or just invade compacted high wear areas, so there may be some preventative measures that can be taken on learning this.

Weed control options

·  Hand weed-lifting prising of shallow rooted weeds.

·  Application of a weed and feed type fertilisers application, possibly less effective than spraying but a good option for small weed invasions.

·  Just spray the worst areas with a selective herbicide, not to be confused with a total herbicide such as round up, which will also kill the grass plants.

·  If removing a large area of weeds, you will need to overseed to fill in the dead area, or other weed seeds or weed grasses will end up occupying the area.

·  Chemical treatments to only be carried out by someone certificated to do so, as in the below question.

As a last result

Importance of timing – Herbicide treatments?

To maximise treatments, you need an actively growing weed and grass plant, so timing wise in spring or autumn when the plants are actively growing and not suffering from heat stress. The application of a granular fertiliser a week or two prior to application, will assist the grass ability to fill in areas once the weed has been killed.

There are different selective choices for different weed groups, so ensure you know what weed group you have.

How long before you can cut or roll after selective weed control treatment?

·  Each product could differ, so the label of the chosen product is KING.

·  Most product labels will advise to not cut or roll the treated areas for four days.

·  These are all things a certificated operator would be aware of and the Label is king!

Do l need a spraying licence to apply herbicides?

Yes, the grandfather clause is no longer permitted, anyone handling, storing and applying such chemicals must have a PA1 and then a PA2 (tractor mounted sprayer) or and a PA6 (knapsack sprayer) spraying certificate.

How long before you can seed and or can treat on new grass plants?

Seeding after– Selective herbicides label will often say you can overseed quickly as selective herbicides do not leave a trace of chemical in the soil. However, it’s also worth bearing in mind they advise not to cut and roll after spraying for four days max or so after treatment. Could you overseed sooner, yes but when overseeding you may need to cut prior.

New seed/plants effect– Products can vary greatly from a few days to a few months, another reason to read the label and or ensure the person applying is certificated to do so.

Don’t be overly concerned these recommendations are to get the very best outcome out of the product, still have questions and concerns just speak to a BASIS qualified sales rep.

For more information on seed, take a look at this helpful blog – https://turfcareblog.com/your-grass-seed-questions-answered/

Selective weed control applications-timing is crucial if treating!

 Conclusion

Prevention is always better than cure but we all struggle with the demand of the sport, so in the first instance knowing what weed/s we are dealing with and maybe trying to understand why it is there. Option choices whether cultural in hand weeding or the application of a selective herbicide.

Timing in regards to getting the best outcome from any treatments and then possible overseeding after, if a large area of weeds are to be controlled. For clubs with limited resources, using a weed feed type fertiliser could be a good compromise, in keeping weed numbers down and under control. However  if a bad outbreak occurs, then a blanket application may be required by someone certificated to do so.

What is a herbicide, if you want to know more about what they are and how they work, https://www.homequestionsanswered.com/what-are-selective-herbicides.htm

How to get the best selective weed control applications by Brian on behalf of the TurfCareBlog community.

Any further questions , just shout and l ll try and source the answers!!