Jan Anderson has become a real pro at pasture weed control.
This native Californian bought a 36-acre north Texas ranch
four years ago for raising and breeding Tennessee walking
horses. It had everything she wanted, including a gorgeous
house and great horse barns. But it took a little help from
a new friend and some user-friendly chemicals to nurse
Coastal bermuda pastures to health.
"I went into Poston Feed Mill, introduced myself and said,
'O.K., what now?' " she laughs. Ed Hulse, assistant manager
of the mill and farm supply at Stephenville, showed her what
to do.
He helped her identify weeds (mostly thistles) then
suggested a chemical she could use without an applicator's
license. He also encouraged her to take soil samples,
fertilize and aerate pastures.
She bought an aerator and a small John Deere tractor,
equipped the tractor with a 50-gallon spray tank, and went
right to work. Now her pastures are so clean and productive
she has a growing hay business along with more than enough
forage for her own seven steeds.
"I advertise horse-quality hay," she says. "But a lot of
people buy it just because it's good quality whether they
have horses, cattle, llamas or whatever."
Anderson sprayed Redeem on the thistles and Reclaim on 5
acres of mesquite-infested pastures. She is now on a
maintenance program to keep pastures clean.
"I try to get a jump on it early in the spring when things
start turning green," she explains. "If I can spray early
enough and get them while they're young, there are no more
weeds by the time we cut for hay."
Ridding hay fields of weeds didn't happen overnight.
"It took me three years to get the fields weed free and
producing, as they were let go for a couple of years," she
says.
A selling point for Reclaim and Redeem is that they are two
of only a handful of pasture herbicides that can be used
without special applicator permits. But they have drawbacks,
too. For instance, they're not nearly as strong as those
requiring a license.
"For annual broadleaf weeds, any herbicide can do a good job
if it's applied at the right time," says Twain Butler, a
Texas A&M forage specialist based at Stephenville. "But
for perennials like milkweed or silverleaf nightshade, you
need to step up and use a stronger one. Take milkweed:
Without Tordon 22K or some mixture that includes it, you
can't touch it."
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Herbicide Tips
Two or three pounds of forage are lost for every pound of
weeds growing in an introduced pasture. Plus, some weeds can
poison livestock. And weeds can keep newly planted forages
from establishing. So here's the plan:
Know your enemy. Pull up a few weeds by the roots and take
them to your farm-supply store or county Extension office
for identification. Or search the Internet. One national
source is the Weed Science Society of America at
www.wssa.net.
Pick your target. Select the weed causing the most
problems and spray at the right growth stage for best control.
Choose your weapon. Your county agent or farm store can
come in handy here. All herbicides work in specific ways.
For instance, Ally and Amber don't require a permit but are
effective only on really small annual weeds. Redeem controls
perennial broadleaf weeds, and you can buy it without a
license. But for bad weed problems, you� �� ��ll have to go to a
stronger product used by licensed applicators. Always follow
label directions.