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Wild West District Extension Blog

Tag: Weeds

Cool-Season Grass Management Calendar

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Cool-Season Grass Management Calendar

By Ron Honig

In an effort to help homeowners plan their lawn management procedures, K-State’s horticulture department has developed a calendar to follow for tips and reminders on cool-season lawn care.

The following suggestions are for cool-season grasses such as Kentucky bluegrass or tall fescue. Zoysiagrass, bermudagrass, and buffalograss are warm-season grasses and require a different maintenance regime.

March
Spot treat broadleaf weeds if necessary. Treat on a day that is 50 degrees or warmer. Rain or irrigation within 24 hours of application will reduce effectiveness. Combination herbicides such as Trimec or Weed-B-Gon containing the active ingredients 2,4-D and dicamba work well.

April
Apply crabgrass preventer when redbud trees are in full bloom, usually about April 1st to the 15th. Crabgrass preventers containing the herbicides Dimension (dithiopyr) or Barricade (prodiamine) normally provide season-long control with a single application. The preventer needs to be watered in before it will start to work. One-quarter inch of water will be enough to water in any of the products commonly available. Remember that a good, thick lawn is the best weed prevention and may be all that is needed.

May
Fertilize with a slow-release fertilizer if you water your lawn or if you normally receive enough rainfall that your turf doesn’t go drought-dormant during the summer. If there are broadleaf weeds, spot treat with a spray or use a fertilizer that includes a weed killer. Rain or irrigation within 24 hours of application will reduce effectiveness of the weed killer, but the fertilizer needs to be watered in. If you are using a product that has both fertilizer and weed killer, wait 24 hours after application before watering it in.

If grubs have been a problem in the past, apply a product containing imidacloprid or chlorantraniliprole during May or anytime from May through June for imidacloprid. These products work to prevent grub damage. If rainfall does not occur within 24 hours, irrigate with 1/4″ of water.

June through Mid-July
Apply a second round of crabgrass preventer by June 15 – unless you have used Dimension (dithiopyr) or Barricade (prodiamine) for the April application as those two will last all season. Again, remember to water it in.

Late-July through August
If you see grub damage, apply a grub killer that contains Dylox.

The insecticides imidacloprid and chlorantraniliprole are effective against young grubs but may not be effective on late instar grubs. The grub killer containing Dylox must be watered in within 24 hours or effectiveness drops.

September
Fertilize with nitrogen around Labor Day. This is the most important fertilization of the year. Water in the fertilizer if rainfall does not occur.

November
Apply nitrogen fertilizer. This fertilizer is taken up by the roots but is not used until the following spring. Water in the fertilizer.

Spray for broadleaf weeds even if they are small. Broadleaf weeds are much easier to control in the fall than in the spring. Try to spray on a day that is at least 50 degrees. Rain or irrigation within 24 hours reduces effectiveness. Follow the labeled use rate for all products.

Increasing Tomato Yields with Red Plastic Mulch

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Increasing Tomato Yields with Red Plastic Mulch

By Ron Honig

Most gardeners employ some type of mulch system in their gardens to control weeds and conserve moisture.  Research has shown certain vegetables may gain an advantage by using varying colors of plastic mulch.  Kansas State University Horticulture Expert Ward Upham provided the following report on the use of red plastic mulch under tomato plants.

Upham says plastic mulches have long been known to provide advantages for the vegetable grower including earlier fruiting, increased yields and weed control. More recently, advantages have been noted for colored mulches over the more traditional black plastic mulch.

With tomatoes, the color of choice has been red. Though normally there is an increase in production of marketable fruit with red mulch over black mulch, the amount of the increase varies with the type of year we have. There may be no increase during years of near-perfect weather or up to a 20% increase with less favorable growing conditions. A good average expected yield increase is about 12%.

How to Apply Plastic Mulch

Upham says commercial growers have a mulch-laying machine that applies the trickle (drip) irrigation line and the mulch in one operation. Home gardeners must do this by hand. The first step after soil preparation is to place a trickle line near the center of where the mulch will lay as the plastic will prevent rainwater or overhead irrigation from reaching the plants.

Then, Upham recommends to construct trenches for the outer 6 inches of the plastic mulch. This allows the center of the bed to be undisturbed with the edges of the mulch draping down into the trench. Fill the trenches to cover the edges of the mulch. This will prevent wind from catching and blowing the mulch. Upham states, if the soil has been tilled, a hoe is all that is needed to prepare the trenches.

It is important to remember that the red plastic sheet must be on top of any other mulch so it can reflect the light back to the tomato plants.  Placing an additional organic mulch such as straw on top of the plastic in an attempt to hold the plastic sheets down, will negate the benefit received from the light reflection.

The red plastic mulch is available from a number of sources.  Check with your local garden supply store, but an online search will also provide a number of vendors offering the red plastic sheets.

 

 

 

The use of red plastic mulch has shown an average tomato produce yield increase of approximately 12 percent.  (Photo courtesy of Ward Upham, Kansas State University).

 

Fall is the Best Time to Control Dandelions and Perennial Weeds

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

Fall is the Best Time to Control Dandelions and Perennial Weeds

By Ron Honig

Mid-October to early November is a great time to treat perennial broadleaf weeds such as dandelion and field bindweed.  With shorter days and cooler temperatures, these perennial weeds are moving nutrients from their foliage down to their root systems.  A fall herbicide application applied to the foliage will move a dose of herbicide down to the roots as well and improve chances of satisfactory weed control.

For many perennial broadleaf plants, including dandelion, a fall application of the herbicide 2,4-D in amine or ester form will provide good to excellent control. The best response may be seen when using the herbicide products which are a combination of three or more active ingredients such as Trimec Classic or one of the Weed-B-Gon or Spectracide brand products.  These products usually include the active ingredients 2,4-D and dicamba, plus additional herbicides such as quinclorac or mecoprop (MCPP).

Dandelion is a perennial plant and will survive the winter and green up again in the spring.  New dandelion plants often sprout and emerge in late summer and thus are vulnerable to a fall herbicide application.

University tests show a fall herbicide treatment on dandelions often yields over 90 percent control the following spring verses only 50 percent or less control from a single treatment performed in the spring or summer.

Field bindweed is a perennial vine with whiteish-pink flowers and arrowhead-shaped leaves.  Bindweed produces an extensive root system that once established, can be difficult to decrease.  Kansas State University research shows fall herbicide applications containing the chemicals dicamba and quinclorac provide the best control of field bindweed and the best chance of weakening and reducing the root system.

Chemical premixes containing dicamba and quinclorac are readily available at your garden supply store.  To find these products you must read the portion of the label indicating the active ingredients in the product and not just the product’s brand name.

Henbit is a winter annual and sprouts in the fall up until sustained cold temperatures stop its emergence. When temperatures warm again, henbit then continues to emerge in late winter to mid-spring.  In fertile lawns, henbit can grow a foot high or more with bright purple flowers.  Unlike dandelion and bindweed, henbit will eventually die back when hot weather arrives.

Once henbit begins to grow in the spring and produce flowers, it becomes significantly harder to control with herbicides.  Fall and early spring herbicide treatments with one of the combination products will provide the best control.

The recommended use rates provided on the herbicide product labels are normally sufficient to provide excellent control when applied in the fall.  For best results, choose a day when the temperature is at least 50 degrees F during the daytime.

The one weed we see so much of in late-summer and fall is prostrate spurge.  It is that circular, low growing weed that seems to grow out of every sidewalk crack and when its stems are broken, produces a white, milky sap.  The good news is prostrate spurge is a summer annual and will freeze in the coming weeks. Thus, it will not require any herbicide treatments.

Private Pesticide License

Posted on by Kylee Harrison

 

 

Private Pesticide Applicator Certification

By Ron Honig

Now with what we surely hope is the worst of the winter behind us, producers can look forward to the spring cropping season and the top-dressing of the wheat crop.

Producers either supervising applicators or applying restricted-use pesticides themselves, must obtain a Private Pesticide Applicator license from the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) or from the department of ag in the state where the application is being made.

A private pesticide applicator certification may only be used to apply or supervise the application of a restricted use pesticide product according to label directions for the purpose of producing an agricultural commodity on property owned or rented by the private certified applicator or such person’s employer.

However, if applied without compensation other than trading of personal services between producers of agricultural commodities, a pesticide can be applied on property owned or rented by another producer of an agricultural commodity.

Farm employees applying either dicamba or Gramoxone (paraquat) products must have their own private applicator license as well as have completed specific dicamba and paraquat training.  Farm employees cannot apply these products using the farm owners (employer’s) license.

Private certification may be obtained by passing an open book examination at a County Extension office.  Please contact the Extension office in advance to arrange a time to take the exam.  On average, it takes two hours to complete the exam’s 75 questions.  A passing score is 75 percent or more questions answered correctly.

Once obtained, the private applicator certification expires on the individual’s birthday in the 5th calendar year after it is issued.  Renewal testing may be taken online at home. First-time initial testing however, must be done at an Extension office.  During the height of the COVID-19 crisis, first-time certification exams were available in online form, however the online format has now been limited to a few select cases.

At the time the exam is taken the Extension office will collect a $25 fee, preferably in the form of a check made out to “Kansas Department of Ag”.

The manual used for the open-book exam can be obtained in three ways:  A copy may be borrowed from the Extension office while completing the test, a copy may be purchased from the Extension office for a $10 fee, or the manual can be downloaded at no cost from the KDA website. By purchasing a private applicator manual, the producer will have the reference needed when it is time take their renewal exam.

For more information, producers should feel free to contact one of the Wild West Extension District offices.

 

Now is the Time to Treat Deandelions and Perennial Broadleaf Weeds

Posted on by Lacey Noterman

By: Ron Honig, Crop Production and Horticulture Extension Agent

Late October to Early November is a great time to treat perennial broadleaf weeds such as dandelion and field bindweed.  After a few shots of cold weather these perennial weeds, if not damaged by sustained hard freezes, are moving nutrients to their root systems this time of year.  An application of 2,4-D or a premix containing 2,4-D and dicamba herbicides (such as Trimec or one of the Weed-B-Gone products) is easily absorbed by the weeds and translocated throughout the plant and roots.

Dandelion is a perennial plant and will survive the winter and green up again in the spring.  New dandelion plants often sprout and emerge in late summer and thus are vulnerable to a fall herbicide application.

University tests show a fall herbicide treatment on dandelions often yields over 90 percent control the following spring verses only 50 percent or less control from a single treatment performed in the spring or summer.

Field bindweed is a perennial vine with whiteish-pink flowers and arrowhead-shaped leaves.  Bindweed produces an extensive root system that once established, is difficult to decrease.  Kansas State University research shows fall herbicide applications containing the chemicals dicamba and quinclorac provide the best control of field bindweed and the best chance of weakening and reducing the root system.

Chemical premixes containing dicamba and quinclorac are readily available at your garden supply store.  To find these products you must read the portion of the label indicating the active ingredients in the product and not just the product name.

Henbit is a winter annual and sprouts in the fall up until sustained cold temperatures stop its emergence. When temperatures warm again, henbit then continues to emerge in late winter to mid-spring.  In fertile lawns, henbit can grow a foot high or more with bright purple flowers.  Unlike dandelion and bindweed, henbit will eventually die back when hot weather arrives.

Once henbit begins to grow in the spring and produce flowers, it becomes significantly harder to control with herbicides.  Fall and early spring herbicide treatments will provide the best control.

The recommended use rates provided on the herbicide product label are normally sufficient to provide excellent control when applied in the fall.  For best results, choose a day when the temperature is at least 50 degrees F during the daytime.

The one weed we are seeing so much of this time of year is prostrate spurge.  It is that circular, low growing weed that seems to grow out of every sidewalk crack and when disturbed produces a white, milky sap.  The good news is prostrate spurge is a summer annual and will freeze in the coming weeks and thus, will not require any herbicide treatments.