Chickweed in Silage Ground

[zyklon]

This past two seasons we have notice our silage ground is getting plagued majorly with chickweed. Just had a walk around some of the fields and it’s worse than last year.

Every year we treat the fields with Doxstar and even I think two seasons ago, we used Forefront. It kills it but comes back again but mostly noticeable during the 3rd cut.

Is there a reason for this mess getting out of control? I know the land could do with reseeding but this ground in particular is rented so I could reseed it but find it For sale next year out of my hands if you know what I mean.

 

[zyklon]

 

[wdah/him]

we had ground with that too once, spraying did kill it but it would come back in the bare places. only really got ontop of it when we did a soil sample and found that the P levels was 4.8, and a neighbour was still applying a good coat of hen dung twice a year plus us slurrying it three times, stopped the hen dung and reduced the slurry, and now have no chickweed and less other weeds like nettles and thistles haven't sprayed in ina number of years they left as it fgot into better contion for the grass to op compete them

 

[zyklon]

I have to say, we do coat the fields well with slurry three times a year.

 

[ollie989898]

It is not difficult to kill, it will be in your seed bank and keep popping up rather than coming back from root stocks. The trick is to keep the grass dominant and ensure there is no empty space for weeds to emerge from.

Avoid cutting your grass low and when reseeding use a higher seed rate. By the sounds of it there is way too much fertility being put to the field which would be better put on other fields.

Spraying with hurler/hatchet (which is cheap) will keep the chickweed at bay but it really needs a change in management overall really. Hefty doses of slurry can pool and lay the grass flat for a long time which is where weeds can then take hold.

In some ways it is a nice problem to have. Don't do spraying it with forefront or doxstar unless there are other weeds- they are expensive and killing chickweed is fairly easy. Envy will do it nicely, too.


A good reseed or even a crop of wheat for wholecrop helps clean the ground up no end. Can you secure a longer rental agreement with the owner?

Looking at the picture I reckon you have chickweed and mouse ear chickweed together.

 

[Chuckie]

Einbock type harrow in spring will pull most of it out.

 

[zyklon]

We have a tine harrow with airseeder on top. After the first cut is lifted, would going over it and sowing wheat in it be of any help?

Only ever used wheat in reseeds, part of a grass mix but never in overseeding/stitching.

 

[ollie989898]

We have a tine harrow with airseeder on top. After the first cut is lifted, would going over it and sowing wheat in it be of any help?

Only ever used wheat in reseeds, part of a grass mix but never in overseeding/stitching.

Using wheat in a reseed? That is a new one on me. It's only an annual and has a peculiar growth habit, even spring wheat isn't that explosive out of the blocks.

I meant sowing an actual wheat crop and taking it to harvest, and then reseeding behind that.

 

[zyklon]

If I remember it was used on fields that would have an issue with redshank etc if correct. Between grass & wheat, such weeds didn’t get the edge. The wheat helps thicken the crop up to prevent the weed.

Worked great. Heavy thick reseed mixture.

 

[ollie989898]

If I remember it was used on fields that would have an issue with redshank etc if correct. Between grass & wheat, such weeds didn’t get the edge. The wheat helps thicken the crop up to prevent the weed.

The problem is the wheat will tiller out a lot faster than the grass. If you are not careful you will leave bald patches and this is where the weeds will come in. Wheat crops outwards before it grows upwards if you get my meaning.

I think your reseeds would be better off with a higher seed rate and a spray with something to clean them up when they are newly-established in all honesty.

 

[JMTHORNLEY]

I've just hit our reseed with 1L P/H of Galcon and it's killed everything off. New ley is flourishing and even some new germination from seeds sat in the ground.