Controling weeds in pastures

[inyati13]

Because of the drought and as general practice, I am working extra hard to get ahead of weed control in my pastures. Here is what I am doing this year. I would like to know if this can be successful without the use of herbicides. Here it is: if there is surviving grasses and legumes, I am increasing my pasture mowing. I have mowed some areas four times already this season. Most of the pastures have only been mowed twice some only once. I am making an effort to reduce the opportunity for weeds to seed while promoting growth of the grasses and legumes. I actually want more grasses and less legumes. But mainly I am trying to keep the weeds from seeding and taking over as things improve after the drought (assuming the drought is not multi - yeared :cry2: ).

 

[Bigfoot]

I skipped clipping my pasture all together. I am spot spraying thorns and rose bushes. One lap with the bush hog 6 inches off the fence is all I'm doing. My opinion is treat early with 2 4 d next year. Others may disagree. If I had green grass, I would mOb graze that spot. No use clipping something a cow will eat. Desperate time call for desperate measures.

 

[inyati13]

That occurred to me but I have enough for them to eat until winter. I am mowing at about 10 inches off the ground. Thanks.

 

[greybeard]

Because of the drought and as general practice, I am working extra hard to get ahead of weed control in my pastures. Here is what I am doing this year. I would like to know if this can be successful without the use of herbicides. Here it is: if there is surviving grasses and legumes, I am increasing my pasture mowing. I have mowed some areas four times already this season. Most of the pastures have only been mowed twice some only once. I am making an effort to reduce the opportunity for weeds to seed while promoting growth of the grasses and legumes. I actually want more grasses and less legumes. But mainly I am trying to keep the weeds from seeding and taking over as things improve after the drought (assuming the drought is not multi - yeared :cry2: ).

I wish you the best of luck with this method, and fully realize what you have and what folks in my area have are 2 different things, but I tried the mowing thing, and had very very poor luck with it. Weeds are so dang good and so prolific at making seeds, they can easily drop millions and millions in a single season and those seeds have thousands of years of adaptation --being able to lie dormant for years. just waiting for drought or other favorable conditions. Most of my place was decades old forest, and I had been all over it for years--never remember seeing fennel or goatweed. I cleared it, and the goatweed, fennel, and tallow sprung up everywhere the very first spring, so I know those seed had been there for a long long time. Weeds of every type are just like every other living species, especially annuals. They have but one natural objective and that is to reproduce. Cut 'em, they immediately begin growing again, always moving towards that objective. I don't particularly like herbicides either, but I'm tired of mowing. Like you I used to think I could keep up with or ahead of weed growth by mowing alone. Man, was I wrong!! Chems aren't the fix-all, but neither is anything else. It takes a mixed plan of attack imo.
A suggestion..
Plot off a small area, maybe 20'X20' of representative pasture. Spray it with 2-4d or Remedy, or whatever is effective for your area and situation, just using a 2 gal garden sprayer and then mow the rest as usual. I think you will see the advantage to spraying over constant mowing.

:2cents:

 

[Caustic Burno]

Because of the drought and as general practice, I am working extra hard to get ahead of weed control in my pastures. Here is what I am doing this year. I would like to know if this can be successful without the use of herbicides. Here it is: if there is surviving grasses and legumes, I am increasing my pasture mowing. I have mowed some areas four times already this season. Most of the pastures have only been mowed twice some only once. I am making an effort to reduce the opportunity for weeds to seed while promoting growth of the grasses and legumes. I actually want more grasses and less legumes. But mainly I am trying to keep the weeds from seeding and taking over as things improve after the drought (assuming the drought is not multi - yeared :cry2: ).

I wish you the best of luck with this method, and fully realize what you have and what folks in my area have are 2 different things, but I tried the mowing thing, and had very very poor luck with it. Weeds are so dang good and so prolific at making seeds, they can easily drop millions and millions in a single season and those seeds have thousands of years of adaptation --being able to lie dormant for years. just waiting for drought or other favorable conditions. Most of my place was decades old forest, and I had been all over it for years--never remember seeing fennel or goatweed. I cleared it, and the goatweed, fennel, and tallow sprung up everywhere the very first spring, so I know those seed had been there for a long long time. Weeds of every type are just like every other living species, especially annuals. They have but one natural objective and that is to reproduce. Cut 'em, they immediately begin growing again, always moving towards that objective. I don't particularly like herbicides either, but I'm tired of mowing. Like you I used to think I could keep up with or ahead of weed growth by mowing alone. Man, was I wrong!! Chems aren't the fix-all, but neither is anything else. It takes a mixed plan of attack imo.
A suggestion..
Plot off a small area, maybe 20'X20' of representative pasture. Spray it with 2-4d or Remedy, or whatever is effective for your area and situation, just using a 2 gal garden sprayer and then mow the rest as usual. I think you will see the advantage to spraying over constant mowing.

:2cents:

I cleared timber land eon's ago and I have been fighting Tallow trees since the 80's.
Other big invasive is Knotgrass in the bottom's. When I die I figure the tallow's and knotgrass will have this place reclaimed in about two years.
This is a pretty good link
http://essmextension.tamu.edu/plants/

 

[Limomike]

Same here CB, I cleared some land of trees about 15 years ago, and I still fight with the sprouts every dang year. Mow em down is what I do, along with my other pastures, but I do plenty of spot spraying for thistles, thorn bushes, and blackberries.

 

[cowboy43]

You can control the weeds yearly with mowing and herbicides, but the seed bank seems to be laying there from years back for the right opertunity to sprout. The seeds seems to thrive on drought and wait for moisture to grow and crowd out your grass.

 

[Brute 23]

Because of the drought and as general practice, I am working extra hard to get ahead of weed control in my pastures. Here is what I am doing this year. I would like to know if this can be successful without the use of herbicides. Here it is: if there is surviving grasses and legumes, I am increasing my pasture mowing. I have mowed some areas four times already this season. Most of the pastures have only been mowed twice some only once. I am making an effort to reduce the opportunity for weeds to seed while promoting growth of the grasses and legumes. I actually want more grasses and less legumes. But mainly I am trying to keep the weeds from seeding and taking over as things improve after the drought (assuming the drought is not multi - yeared :cry2: ).

No..... the answer is no. ;-)

 

[Ruark]

Depends on the weeds. Many of them aren't eliminated by mowing. It's like mowing the grass in your yard. You mow it, it comes back up, you mow it, it comes back up.... meanwhile, the live weed population suppresses grass growth. And if the weeds don't go to seed because you kept it mowed down, there's still a 10-year accumulation of seeds in the ground, as well as some winter weeds you haven't seen before that will pop up, all of which suppresses your grass development.

If you don't have new seeds or seedlings in the ground, try a full dose of Chaparral, now and maybe again in late fall. Strong stuff, with a 6-month residual activity. Then Pasturegard in early spring just as spring weeds are emerging.