Envy on docks. Again?

Agri Spec Solicitor

Member
Livestock Farmer
This year we sprayed a field with Envy to kill docks and buttercups. Grass grew, weeds looked very ill, cut for hay, we thought it was looking good.
As time has gone on the docks have appeared as have the dreaded buttercups. The docks were and still are most common on the drain scars where a big weed seed bank has been stirred.
I am wondering what to do.
Spot spraying would be a big job, probably needs a boom sprayer again. Spray with a chemical now when weather unbelievably warm?
Wait until spring? Something else? Any views greatly appreciated.
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Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
I‘ve found most of the time dock sprays are not as effective as they should be.

Cant beat a good kill with roundup or Kyleo then either direct drill in a new sward running the gauntlet of leather jackets or a full plough and seed with no clover.

Once established spray out the seedling docks.

Spin in some clover the next warm spell.

Should end up with a lot cleaner sward.
 

Ffermer Bach

Member
Livestock Farmer
Not that this will help you now, but I am sure in the future, we will have little robots that will drive up and down the field and spot spray each dock with roundup.

Could you weedwipe with roundup after cattle have grazed the field, leaving the docks higher than the grass?
 
I‘ve found most of the time dock sprays are not as effective as they should be.

Cant beat a good kill with roundup or Kyleo then either direct drill in a new sward running the gauntlet of leather jackets or a full plough and seed with no clover.

Once established spray out the seedling docks.

Spin in some clover the next warm spell.

Should end up with a lot cleaner sward.
most of the time they are sprayed at wrong growth stage
i found best is after 2nd or 3rd cut when everything is all the same growth stage
 

Yale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Not that this will help you now, but I am sure in the future, we will have little robots that will drive up and down the field and spot spray each dock with roundup.

Could you weedwipe with roundup after cattle have grazed the field, leaving the docks higher than the grass?
Actually had great success with the weed wiper last year,a lot cleaner this year.

Scorched some patches of grass however was worth it.

The tricky bit is getting the docks to the stage to wipe in pasture,grazing around them to get the grass down and having them in a healthy growing stage.
 

AndrewM

Member
BASIS
Location
Devon
Envy is not a specialist Dock spray. On the tec sheet at 1.5l/ha it gives good control of seedling docks. At 2.0l/ha it gives moderate control of docks upto 200mm.

There are better sprays on the market for docks
 

bobk

Member
Location
stafford
This year we sprayed a field with Envy to kill docks and buttercups. Grass grew, weeds looked very ill, cut for hay, we thought it was looking good.
As time has gone on the docks have appeared as have the dreaded buttercups. The docks were and still are most common on the drain scars where a big weed seed bank has been stirred.
I am wondering what to do.
Spot spraying would be a big job, probably needs a boom sprayer again. Spray with a chemical now when weather unbelievably warm?
Wait until spring? Something else? Any views greatly appreciated.View attachment 984368View attachment 984367
Barely warmed them up
 

The Ruminant

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Hertfordshire
Docks appear when the soil is damaged - poaching in wet weather or, as you’ve found, drainage channels that disturb the soil. We had docks in neat circles across a field where we first tried bale grazing in a wet autumn, 150+ animals crowded round a few round bales for a day at a time left perfect circles of poached land. The docks could be seen on Google maps for a number of years afterwards.

Most pasture soils have a seedbank full of dock seeds (and other weeds). They generally don’t germinate unless conditions are right (which is lucky or we’d have fields taken over by them and thistles etc. )
 

Agri Spec Solicitor

Member
Livestock Farmer
Has the sprayer man missed . Best product for docks is Minstrel, don't get coned into docksstar ,it's no better and 3 times the price
No fault on spraying as the docks are everywhere, just more of them on drain scars.
They were apparently killed off but the roots must be strong.
We have Doxstar in our store now so the question may be whether it is better to spray now or wait til spring?
I am trying to kill the buttercups too, and maybe that was why we used Envy.
 
No fault on spraying as the docks are everywhere, just more of them on drain scars.
They were apparently killed off but the roots must be strong.
We have Doxstar in our store now so the question may be whether it is better to spray now or wait til spring?
I am trying to kill the buttercups too, and maybe that was why we used Envy.
Thing is is it actually the old dock regrowing or some of the seed bank growing
 

Agri Spec Solicitor

Member
Livestock Farmer
I am no plant expert but there are some little ones with 2 leaves which I think are from seeds, then the big ones which I think are last years big strong plants which survived the spray.
 

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