Weed control on acreage?

[whinnyninny]

I am planning on planting a bermudagrass pasture later this spring. There is just one problem... our acreage (14 acres) is covered with weeds. Dandelions, sunflowers, henbit, and some other weeds I can't identify. They all started coming up about a month and a half ago.

How do I control weeds out here? My husband thought about getting a tank and boom sprayer for our 50 HP tractor, but how much herbicide would it take to kill weeds on 14 acres? And what kind could I use that won't kill bermudagrass?

These sunflowers are incredible, in a bad way. You can chop off 90% of the plant, and it'll start spurting out new growth on the sides of what you just cut off. If any part of it is left at all after pulling it out of the ground, it'll grow right back. (Why can't that happen with plants we actually want? The neighbor's dog ran through our month-old row of spinach in our garden and killed it...)

Anyway, suggestions needed!!

[Ken in Maine]

goats!

[whinnyninny]

No fence. I can't afford the $5,000+ that it would take to put one up. That's a project for next year.

Though I swear, this must be the goat capital of the world... just about everybody out here has goats. (Well, the International Boer Goat Association is based out of the county I live in...)

[Ken in Maine]

The companies that do weed eradication use electro-net with solar chargers.. less than $800.00. 7 sections of 150 foot fencing does the trick. Then, of course when you're done with the goats they go in the freezer. You are almost in the middle of goat country. You could buy 10 or so and have the place cleared of weeds in no time.

[Rockin'B]

2-4-D will kill the broad leaf and leave the grass. Available at any farm store like farm and fleet, Tractor Supply etc.

[ericjeeper]

But do not buy it at walmart, You will get stronger doses from a farm store. or the likes. Actually you can hire a company to come in and do a broadleaf burndown. Instead of buying the sprayer. I myself would rather do my own spraying.
How does the land lay? pretty flat? or hills and hollers?

[whinnyninny]

The land is mostly flat, it just slopes downwards towards the back of the property a wee bit... maybe a 8-10' elevation change over the length of 1,000 ft. There are a couple of what looks like dry riverbeds running through the property, from erosion. Another reason I need to get some decent grass planted!

Do I need any sort of permit or license to buy 2-4-D? How much would I need per acre?

[Rockin'B]

Originally Posted by whinnyninny

The land is mostly flat, it just slopes downwards towards the back of the property a wee bit... maybe a 8-10' elevation change over the length of 1,000 ft. There are a couple of what looks like dry riverbeds running through the property, from erosion. Another reason I need to get some decent grass planted!

Do I need any sort of permit or license to buy 2-4-D? How much would I need per acre?

You do not need a permit. It's actually pretty easy going stuff, as far as herbicides go. It's not really all that expensive either. There are two kinds. Amine and Lowvol. I buy the lowvol. My ground was not taken care of for a long time and is covered up with burdock and every kind of thorny bush imaginable. I use the 24d for the pastures.

[Dirtslinger]

Before anything, decide what you plan to use the field for. If you are going to spray it then let it grow wild again, I'd suggest going over it with a brush cutter every so often to keep it down.

[bill not in oh]

Get a load of goats - they'll seek out the weeds and provide you with an income while they provide their service - and you don't have to worry about the environmental impact that herbicides can cause. There's a reason that there's a major goat population in yore area... learn from your neighbors.

[rambler]

You can find 24D at many farm supply stores. There are other things on the same shelf, that is kinda based on 24d but stronger, designed for brushkilling or otherwise controlling boradleaves in pasture. Might want to browse the labels.

You have to use 8 oz of 24d per acre to just tick off the weeds. Double will actually do something to the weeds, and in some cases (read the label) you can use even more per acre. Typically one sets up the sprayer to apply 10-20 gallons of water per acre, add the amount of spray you need to the water.

It is _much_ easier to kill young weeds, if these are getting old & big, perhaps mow it and spray later? Or, you will need to use more spray per acre. Again, please see the label for the correct way to go.

The 24d has some residual effect, and will keep some weeds from sprouting for a time after applying it. That really depends on the rate per acre you use. Be careful that you don't spray too close to your planting date - some seeds don't much care, some are real fussy for a month or so.

Those are the basics. I'm not aware of any regulations banning you from using the stuff, but you legally have to follow the label, so go by that. It tells you how to mix, what it kills, how much you can use on different crops, how long to wait before planting certain seeds, etc. Hope my simple guide line gives you a clue tho.


Wait, wait - I reread your question, you don't have anything you want to save now, you want to plant grass later, but killing everything now would be ok????

Use glysophate! Much simpler. (Glysophate is used in Roundup...) Also in the spray area of the farm store you will find 'generic Roundup' which is 2 gallon jugs of 40% glysophate (don't get the watered down pre-mx!). Will cost about $15 a gallon. Use on quart per acre. It kills just about anything green it is sprayed on, but it does not stay in the soil at all - has no residual activity in the soil. You could plant your grass seed a day or 2 later, no harm. But remember, this stuff kills everything that is green, so you will have nothing left growing, if that is what you want. It works slowly, you will think a week later it didn't do anything. It travels down into the root & kills the plant from the bottom up, so it really gets rid of some of the nastiest deep-rooted weeds out there. You might want to plan for 2 sprayings 3 weeks or so apart, to really get the tough things. Again, read the label for exacte use.

If you only find the brand name Roundup Weathermax or a few others, they may cost almost double the price. But some of them are much stronger, so using 24 oz of them per acre is equal to one quart of the generic stuff. Read the label. Your call on that.....

--->Paul

[Thoughthound]

If you're in no hurry, let it go. In a few years, the grass will win out.

[whinnyninny]

There is NO grass on it right now, it's all weeds. (Well, there's a bit of Johnsongrass which I don't want, either). Last spring we planted "Horsemax" which claims to be a pasture mix formulated especially for the south... it was mostly ryegrass that died once the temperature got over 80º. It never grew back and the weeds took over.

I plan on using for pasturing horses or cattle eventually, if I can ever get grass to grow on it.

About the 2,4-D, though... I should mention that the property on either side of us is planted with wheat (the edge of the wheat field is right smack dab on our property line). Is this something I need to worry about? I don't want to kill this guy's wheat... Also, we have 3 pecan trees planted towards the front of our pasture. Should I not spray near those?

My husband thinks that tilling up the ground would be effective enough weed control... but it takes him 3 full days and 3 tanks of diesel to till up our property, since out tiller is only 4' wide and he can only go 2-3 mph while tilling. Also, those weeds seem to be pretty hardy, so I don't think tilling is going to get rid of them completely. (And then there's the fact that some of them have already gone to seed...)

How soon can I plant the bermudagrass after I spray the herbicide?

[Sand Flat Bob]

Originally Posted by Rockin'B

You do not need a permit. It's actually pretty easy going stuff, as far as herbicides go. It's not really all that expensive either. There are two kinds. Amine and Lowvol. I buy the lowvol. My ground was not taken care of for a long time and is covered up with burdock and every kind of thorny bush imaginable. I use the 24d for the pastures.

You may not need a permit in Ill. but you sure do in Texas. Any product containing 24D, you can not buy without an applicators License. You have to go to school, pass and pay the State fee for a license. You also have to keep it renewed with a fee and more schooling. The only other way to buy 24D is in a max. of a quart size at the garden center at a very high price. Around here, most people just hire a professional to apply it. If you have a big farm or ranch then it is worth it to get licensed. For a complete burn down, you can buy generic Roundup with out a license. Remember that Roundup is mainly a grass killer and the 24D products are broad leaf killers.

My advice, is go talk to your County Extension Agent. They are very helpful.

Bob

[LostnEurope]

Burn it off...Since it is relatively wet and damp in your area (I think Y'all just recieved a LOT of rain recently..Burn it...Let the Fire Dep Know what you are going to do, pick a day when there is little wind and Burn it...It will probably improve the fertility of your land also.........Just a suggestion.......Mike

[whinnyninny]

It's not wet in my part of the state... we get rain every couple weeks, on average (we're just coming out of a couple years of really bad drought, and a neighboring county has declared a burn ban until 2008), and it's pretty windy here as well.

I'll give the ag agent a call and see what he says about the 2,4-D. I've seen jugs of it at Tractor Supply, and I'd *heard* that I needed a permit, but I didn't know for sure. (How am I going to afford to hire a professional? Eek!)

[Silvercreek Farmer]

PLEASE do not spray these chemicals on your land, even if the goat senario costs a little more or is a little more hassle, it is worth it, as we have no idea what these chemicals will do over the long term to our health and to the health of the environment.

[fishhead]

Most weeds will disappear with repeated mowings and mowings seem to just make the grass thicker in our area.

[okiemom]

the ag agent will have good advise. A soil test might need to be done before you get rid of your foilage. If the soil is not in good shape burmuda grass will have a hard time growing.

Bermuda seed is expensive and hard to start. Do not buy seed from lowe's or HD. go to an ag. seed company. Many times teh bagged seeds have things that won't grow in your area. You found that out. bermuda has Many varieties and some won't do as well as others.

Planting a cover crop might also be benificial to keep erosion down. If you are still in a drought and have wind your seed survival rate might be really low leaving you with a dust bowl for a pasture. There are seed sprayers (hired out) that have teh seeds in a special formula that will help the seeds survive better than just drop seeding. Might be worth looking into.

The ag extension agent will come out to your place for free and help you plan how to best start your pasture. It will save you money everytime.

[agmantoo]

The goal is to get an established stand of bermuda grass, is that correct?
Timing is to get it done this Spring. The window of opportunity is limited.
Water is available, soil is moist now but a drought will do you in.
Have you determined how you will get the bermuda established, seed or sprig?
Do you have the source ready to supply your bermuda?
You have a tiller that takes 3 to 4 days to get 14 acres prepared.
When and how are you going to apply fertilizer.
You have a weed cover that you preceive is a problem.
You are considering using a herbicide with no experience and maybe no equipment.
Goats are being presented as a means of eliminating the weeds.
IMO you are headed toward disaster that you cannot afford. There is enough risks associated with just the weather.
Your best chance of achieving the goal is to contact a farmer in your area with a large enough tractor to disk the 14 acres in a few hours. This will rid you of the immediate trash and prepare the land for sprigging or a seed bed for seeding. Meanwhile you must determine the timing for this to happen, have the seed/sprigs ready, possibly spred some fertilizer in the meanwhile. In so doing you will preserve the soil moisture, plant timely and have a properly prepared site free of trash so the remaining obstacle is dealing with the weather which you have no control over. It is imperative that you keep the animals of the bermuda the first year. Doing anything short of this, just fertilize the weeds as you have wasted your time and money!!