when to spray?

[huntermq32]

How long should I wait to spay a newly planted plot. I planted on 5-10-08 every thig is coming up good and the weeds have started come up to. I planted a mix of stuff. .5 ac of bio logic priemum prenial, monster mix, chicory and evalved habitats shot plot and I hope I can use arrest on all this. Suold I spay now?

[backwoods07]

Double check that Arrest will work on all of it. There's a number on the bottle that you can call and pretty much speak directly to someone. Tell them all the things you planted to verify that it won't harm anything since Arrest and it's counterpart, Slay, were pretty much made specifically for clover and trefoil plots.

[dogdoc]

what kind of weeds are you dealing with. Arrest is a grass killer so it will not kill any of your broadleaf weeds--which are usually the biggest problem during the late spring and summer. Arrest will not harm any of the plants/mixes you listed. If your problem is a grass such as fescue, bermuda, johnson grass then arrest will help--if your problem is a broadleaf weed then you will not get any help with arrest.

Slay herbicide will kill all your brassicas and may set back your chicory or even kill it since it is still at a very young stage of plant life.

That's why I never plant perennial plots in the spring. It's just too hard for the young plants to compete and suppress weed growth. I only know this from experience. I started a nice 1 acre clover plot several years back when I was first getting started and by the end of the summer it was 90% weeds. From now on all my perennial plots are fall planted with me spending the spring and summer creating a nice weed free seed bed.

[Darron]

dogdoc,

I was reading on-line about taking control of weeds in clover spring plots. One article suggested that mowing is a great way to choke out the weeds (along with selected herbicides right after mowing). As you know, after mowing clover, it gets thicker and thicker. By mowing the plots every month down to 4-6", this helps supress the weeds. Is there any truth to this?

Another thing I would like to add is weeds aren't always bad. While watching QDM television, they stated that some weeds are beneficial to the deer.

[dogdoc]

Darron--I agree. Mowing is an excellent way to keep the weeds under control. I have two perennial plots that are 5 years old now and still doing great. They survived a drought that I thought would surely wipe them out but by fall they started thriving again. I mow plots at least twice but usually three times a year. I do let my clover complete one life cycle a year (complete flowering). I think it is important for the longevity of the plot to allow one complete life cycle. I also use herbicides only if needed on the plots--but I don't want to overuse herbicides.

When I first started plotting I hated weeds but as time as gone by and I've gotten older I've realized there is no way over time to have a completely weed free plot. My goal is just to keep them under control as to not wipe out the plot. A lot of broadleaf weeds are good food for both deer and the seeds for birds--but not as good as a well fertilized patch of clover and chicory.

todd

[huntermq32]

The grass weeds are definitly the problem at fist I thought is pat of the the biolagic but I planted each product in its own spot and what I think is grass weeds is coming up in all of it. It's hard to tell whats what when your not realy sure what every thing you planted is suppost to look like. As far as a fall planting goes my brother, whom I share this spot with thinks It will realy mess up the hunting if we are out there planting that time of year. Maybe after the weeds over take us this time he will listen to me. God forbid the younger brother be smater!!!