Dock control after silage cuts
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Spraying docks with an effective translocated herbicide two to three weeks after taking a silage cut will give very good control, as dock plants will all be the same size and have fresh healthy leaves when treated.
“Spraying with a herbicide like Doxstar® Pro a few weeks after cutting means docks will have reached ‘dinner-plate’ size, which ensures optimal spray coverage,” says Dr Nicola Perry, weed biology specialist for Corteva Agriscience.
“There will also be less grass growth around the weeds, so it will be much easier to hit the target plants when spraying. Doxstar Pro should be applied at a rate of 2l/ha in 300 to 400 litres of water, unless low drift nozzles are used when water rates can be reduced to 200l/ha.”
“The fields should be treated at least three weeks before the next silage cut so that the herbicide has time to get down right into the roots to give thorough, long-term control. The dock plant will also have decayed sufficiently, so it is not picked up by the forage harvester and put into the clamp.
“If the interval between spraying and cutting is reduced, for example to around 14 days, control of the weeds is unlikely to be affected, but the amount of weed going into the clamp will increase.”
Book the contractor
Farmers using contractors to spray grassland need to work out when to book them to meet these timings. They should think about when they will be taking their next silage cut, and work back three to four weeks to when the contractor needs to come in to spray.
The benefits of using a grassland spray contractor includes them having appropriate, modern and well-calibrated machinery, being experienced at spraying grassland, and they may take away and dispose of empty containers as part of their service.
If the silage field has a wider spectrum of weeds growing in it, the Pas.Tor Agronomy pack offers a good solution. It offers excellent control of thistles and nettles, as well as docks.
Technical Hotline:
Phone: 0800 689 8899
E-mail: ukhotline@corteva.com
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