Weed Control

I'm Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

Due to busy spring schedules, many growers say fall is their one time for controlling certain weeds, and Kevin Hupp, Coordinator with Lincoln County Noxious Weed Control, says now is the perfect time to treat weeds - and what those might be.

HUPP: As far as weeds, we're looking at all perennial plants, so your Canada thistles, Dalmatian Toadflax, those type items are definitely perennial plants, and fall is an excellent time for doing so.

Hupp says that no matter what the weather, either record rainfall, or desolate dry, certain plants will always find a way to survive.

HUPP: Some of these perennials are tap roots and roots are spreading down in a depth of 15 to 20 feet, and then they're going horizontally in all directions as well. They're definitely opportunists and they're going to take all the resource from our desirable plants, so they do find a way to make it. Rush Skeletonweed is another range and pasture nightmare, and this is another great time to catch it.

Hupp addresses one time fall spraying.

HUPP: You're trying to help yourself the following spring. So, if they can use chemistries that have residual - that basically binds to the upper 64th inch of the soil and kind of stays around for any germination that wants to happen throughout the time, maybe some want to try to spurt something out in winter when we don't have snow cover - they get a good shot of rain in November, and you've laid down a barrier of some degree in October, that's helping you in spring so these things aren't five foot by the time your schedule finally gets to it in let's say May.

That's Washington Ag Today.

I'm Lacy Gray on the Ag Information Network.