The good spring continues, with little excuse for all fieldwork not being up to date. Ground conditions continue to be excellent, with silage being cut in ideal conditions, maize drilling and potato planting is now completed in most areas. Unfortunately for many waiting on the rain last weekend it amounted to very little and spring cereal crops are beginning to show signs of stress.
Potatoes
Where broad –leaved weed control has yet to be completed and the crop has passed the latest timing for Sencorex a reduced rate of Sencorex tank-mixed with Titus will provide a wider weed spectrum of weed control than Titus used alone and can be used on emerged crops up to 25cm high where the label allows. Scutch, other grasses or volunteer cereals are not controlled by the Titus/Sencorex mix. Where these weeds become a problem in coming weeks the graminicide Falcon can be used. Falcon can cause transient yellowing and is therefore not approved for use on seed crops. The first fungicide application should be made at the rosette stage or sooner if a blight warning has been issued. Potato farmers should be aware products containing metribuzin i.e Sencorex must be used up by 24th November 2025.
Grassland
Grassland herbicides use growth function to kill weeds, therefore peak growth periods should be used for herbicide application. There must be sufficient growth to allow herbicides to be effective and vegetive growth is the key time to apply, as the chemical then gets drawn down into the roots. Herbicides are less successful once plants have progressed to the reproductive stage and have thrown a stem or began to seed. Once weeds are beyond the ideal growth stage for spraying, they should be mown or topped and allowed to regrow again, and a herbicide applied to the fresh young growth.
To optimise efficacy of any herbicide, recommended water volumes should be observed, even when it means more time spent spraying. It is important to note ragwort plants in their second year must be sprayed before flowering as flowering ragwort is poorly controlled. The routine herbicide treatments for this weed are Thrust, Lupo or 2, 4-D, and they are most active on growing rosettes with reduced activity as the stem starts to extend. They are not clover safe. Forefront is also very effective on ragwort. Stock must be kept off until the weeds have rotted away, which can take up to six weeks.
Buttercups are now ready for treatment. Best results are achieved if sprayed before flowering. ENVY is very effective on both buttercup and dandelions. Envy contains florasulam and fluroxypyr. Together they deliver excellent control of weeds found in pastures which typically get over grazed, receive minimal nitrogen or have poorly competing grass species present. Envy has no manure management restriction and has a short seven-day stock withdrawal period so animals can return quickly. Envy is very safe to grass and won’t hold back its growth. Buttercups are best controlled when they are still green and leafy and before the main flowering period. Envy will still give reasonable control even when the weed is flowering but for the best effect treat now. Product choice depends very much on which other weeds are being targeted.
Doxstar Strapline