Coastal Meadow with Johnson Grass

[LauraleesFarm]

The land we recently bought has a wonderful coastal hay meadow, about 75 acres. It is remarkably clean for East TX and has virtually NO BAHIA!

It does have some patches near the woods/creek where the hogs have torn up the ground, and some areas with nutsedge in those rough spots.

And there is Johnson grass in some small patches across the field.

I have priced the outrider herbicide treatment and read the threads here on getting rid of nutsedge. I just don't think I can justify the cost for outrider, based on the amount of nutsedge that is there. So I'm willing to let the nutsedge exist for now.

BUT I could possibly spot treat the johnson grass by hand, since it is in clumps.

Will roundup kill the johnson grass if I hand spray it?

 

[Brute 23]

Both those will get worse every year. Hit them ASAP. Both are easy to get under control early on. What was the cost? Around $20 an acre?

 

[greybeard]

Yes and maybe no. Some Johnson grass stands have become resistant to glycosphate (roundup). If your meadow has been sprayed with roundup in the past and some plants survived, it is possible you have the roundup resistant variety. Can't tell by looking at it either. Here's some reading material for ya--you might consider building a weed wiper (or wick) instead of spraying. Or, let the cows eat it down in spring or summer.
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=66167

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=11478

 

[Tim/South]

We spot spray our Bermuda grass fields with Pastora. Mostly this is to control Bahia. (I feed Bahia hay in a Bermuda pasture)
I have seen Pastora kill Johnson Grass. They sprayed it early, or just after cutting the Bermuda for hay and sprayed once the JG came back out.
Cows will kill JG grave yard dead. Johnson Grass is like Kudzu. It can not stand up to constant grazing.

 

[Brute 23]

We spot spray our Bermuda grass fields with Pastora. Mostly this is to control Bahia. (I feed Bahia hay in a Bermuda pasture)
I have seen Pastora kill Johnson Grass. They sprayed it early, or just after cutting the Bermuda for hay and sprayed once the JG came back out.
Cows will kill JG grave yard dead. Johnson Grass is like Kudzu. It can not stand up to constant grazing.

Im pretty sure that is what we spray. I want to say it was running around $19 an acre for them to put out. It will get JG, stickers, any brush or regular weeds. Its good stuff.

 

[JWBrahman]

Lauralee, talk to a greenskeeper at a local golf course, he will know the most economic solution

 

[LauraleesFarm]

Outrider (formerly Maverick from Monsanto) is the herbicide that will kill nutsedge and johnson grass. It costs $381 for a 15 acre treatment. AND at least 2 treatments is necessary because the first spraying won't completely kill it all. Even after 2 treatments, there will be survivors left.....

This is why I decided to let the nutsedge alone.....since the hogs have that area torn up and the bermuda can't really thicken up . The cost IMO outweighs the benefit--it is not that much of an area but would probably take up 15 acres to treat it.

So I decided to focus on the few stands of Johnson grass--they are not bad at all, just a few small islands of it. At least I could kill that.

The field is otherwise really clean, and pure coastal bermuda.