Ready with Your Weed Prevention
Program?
| Author: |
Leslie Huffman - former Weed Management
Specialist (Horticultural Crops)/OMAFRA |
| Creation Date: |
16 May 2007
|
| Last Reviewed: |
16 May 2007
|
Many weed problems can be prevented or avoided. Like other Best Management
Practices (BMPs), they should be written down and shared with others who
are on your farm. Take a rainy day write down your weed prevention strategies:
Here are some suggestions:
- Prevent perennial weeds from moving into your fields. Work infested
areas last, and clean equipment before moving to new fields. Watch for
quackgrass rhizomes, nutlets of yellow nutsedge, and fleshy roots of
Canada thistle and milkweed.
- Include weed scouting in your IPM program. Create field maps showing
weed patches. Note areas of concern, and compare with last year's maps
to note changes in weedy patches.
- Identify unknown weeds. Prepare a sampling kit to preserve collected
samples. Collect 3 or 4 whole plant samples, including flowers and root
structures. Put them in a paper bag, label it with name, date and location,
and place this inside a plastic bag. Samples can be stored in a cooler
or fridge for several days.
- Scout for weeds along the edges of fields, in fencerows and ditch
banks. Note "new" or invading weeds and destroy them before
seeding.
- Reduce weed seeds by mowing or by selectively treating weed escapes
before they flower.
- Plan to clean up fields to be planted next year by spot treating any
perennials at the proper time.
- Where straw mulch is used, ensure that no weeds are piggy-backing
into your fields. Spring hormone herbicides and proper bale storage
is important to produce clean straw.
- Where plastic mulch or landscape fabric is used, plan regular weed
control along the plastic/fabric edges.
What's been your most successful strategy for weeds? Let me know your
best strategy to prevent or reduce weeds and we'll build this list to
share with others.
For more information:
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
Local: (519) 826-4047
E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
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