Summer is finally here! After I topped them a few weeks ago, weeds in my paddock are starting to make an appearance again. They have reached around 3-4” tall which is the perfect height for them to be treated.
Thistles and nettles are the biggest problems in the paddock. They were topped a month ago due to the large bundles they were in. We don’t want that issue again so controlling them now with a systemic herbicide will keep them under control and get the paddock ready for the colder months.
As there is a large area to spray, I will be using a towable boom sprayer. This will cover more area and as I am using a selective herbicide it will not harm the grass around where I am spraying. I will also be using a micron knapsack sprayer for the areas where the boom sprayer cannot reach and where there are only a small number of nettles or thistles. Ragwort will also be targeted as it will nearly be at the stage of flowering, so controlling it now before it spreads is key.
As some areas are essentially in a drought, this has consequences to the results you may see. When using systemic selective weedkillers, such as Grazon, they may not be as effective on their own. This is when it is perfect to have a mix rate that is suitable for drought.
I will be using a mix of Grazon Pro & Thrust together as not only will it control the varied weeds I have, the 2,4-D in the Thrust will help massively.
Firstly, it is what we refer to as a ‘hot’ product. It will get through the waxy cuticle and allow the systemic product to get in.
Secondly, 2,4-D is a synthetic growth auxin which means that it forces the weed to grow beyond its means and this is what would normally kill it. However, in this situation, when the weed is not really growing very well because the long period of dry spells; it can act as a stimulant and get the weed growing far quicker. This then allows the systemic product to translocate around the plant better.
Read the product label for grazing restrictions especially when treating ragwort
Herbicide treatments can be done as long as the weeds are actively growing. If you have recently re/overseeded an area you need to wait 6 months before being able to use a selective weed killer. There are very few herbicides that can be used on young grass that’s 8 weeks old – leystar is one of them.
You can use a selective weed killer first in which case you only need to wait 8 weeks before re/overseeding.
Systemic herbicides that kill to the root can take 2-3 weeks to start seeing results. Some weeds & grasses will start to die quicker but some may take a little longer. Patience is the key.
