To spray, or not to spray, part three

Let's wrap up summer and our weed conversation for now. As fall creeps towards us we are still battling weeds in pastures, yards, and hayfields, but is spraying the best option? Maybe, but maybe not. Pesticide applications of any kind adjacent to wetlands and environmentally sensitive areas, near schools and homes, gardens, and crop fields should be the last resort or avoided entirely. Some weeds including ragweed and marestail are developing herbicide resistance, plus it is too late in the year to spray those weeds anyway. Effective weed control in pastures and hayfields begins with improved grazing practices and maintaining a good fertility program. Given the opportunity grass will outcompete many common pasture weeds including goldenrod, tall ironweed, and buttercup. Never graze or mow cool season grasses below 3". Submit a soil test and apply nutrients as recommended. Clipping pasture once or twice a year, leaving 3-4" of residual keeps most weeds in check. A Maryland study reported woody weeds such as multiflora rose and blackberries can be controlled by mowing, but it requires a lot of mowing. Clipping pastures 6 times a year over a two to four-year period offered good control in established thickets. If you have a blackberry or multiflora rose problem, a better use of time and resources may be targeted herbicide treatments (including fence rows) in late summer for initial control. Scientists attribute the significant losses in native pollinator and the honey bee population to a number of complex factors including pesticides. Common herbicides including glyphosate and 2,4-D are moderately toxic to bees, never apply herbicides when target weeds are in bloom. Never apply any herbicide near your vegetable garden. Tomatoes, peppers, and beans are very sensitive to 2,4-D and dicamba. 2,4-D is a common component in many herbicide products and subject to drift. Drift is the uncontrolled movement of pesticide through the air away from the target site. Herbicide damage to vegetable gardens, flower beds, and crop fields is very common and very avoidable! Rarely does herbicide drift kill plants, but if you see deformed and curled leaves, reduced canopy, stunted plants, and delayed fruit you may be dealing with drift. Goats are natures weed control specialists. Their escape artist antics are regularly over-exaggerated, but do not underestimate them. Goat browsing, like mechanical mowing, stresses plants, forcing them to constantly pull nutrients from their energy reserves. Regular and consistent defoliation from green-up through Aug. 1 is the goal. Defoliation after July has little long-term effect. It may require several seasons for goats to penetrate the thickest bramble patches, but they are an extremely effective tool for controlling blackberry and other invasive woody plants. Adding a few goats to your existing cattle herd will help, but rotating goats through a paddock system is more effective and quicker. We all struggle with weeds, formulating a plan now puts us ahead next year. Enjoy the fall colors of ironweed and goldenrod – you can't do anything about them now anyway.