Weed wiper for broomsedge

[Bigfoot]

I bought this prolly 5 years ago or longer at the Famr Machinery Show. Only used it once (I believe I waited too late in the growing season broomsedge was not actively growing). Had mixed results, killed some, but not enough to justify the trouble.

Retired now, and time to "fool" with things. Got it back at and used it Friday.




It in use today:



Results from Friday:
Picture does it no justice, but it is turning very yellow. Will it kill it? I'm hoping. Will it be back next spring? I hope not





Also, I don't know if this pic will do it justice. You can see a definite line between where I unrolled hay last year, and where I did not. The unrolling has knocked out about 95% of the broomsedge.

 

[kenny thomas]

Unrolling hay added some needed fertilizer. Soil test and apply to recommendation and you will never have it again. It is an indicator of low phosphorus soil.

 

[kenny thomas]

Roundup or and of the generic is the recommended treatment and a wick is the treatment method recommended.

 

[Bigfoot]

Unrolling hay added some needed fertilizer. Soil test and apply to recommendation and you will never have it again. It is an indicator of low phosphorus soil.

I got some bizarre situation going where lime and fertilizer just make grow taller and thicker. Pretty decent stand of crabgrass under that broomsedge canopy. I'm hoping this'll knock it.

 

[kenny thomas]

Unrolling hay added some needed fertilizer. Soil test and apply to recommendation and you will never have it again. It is an indicator of low phosphorus soil.

I got some bizarre situation going where lime and fertilizer just make grow taller and thicker. Pretty decent stand of crabgrass under that broomsedge canopy. I'm hoping this'll knock it.

I promise you that if you soil test phosphorus will be lacking or the PH is off so much that the fertilizer isn't working. Also it normally grows in areas where the other grass is thin. Again a soil test can explain why it's thin also

 

[OleScout]

Lime and a lot of it. My place was solid sage at one point. Applied two tons of lime & 200## 19-19-19 to turn it around. Fertilizer the next two years then lime and fertilizer the third year and it cleaned it up.
Now just fight buttercups in the spring and foxtail late summer. 2-4D wipes out the buttercups. Wish I knew what to do about the foxtail.

 

[sstterry]

Unrolling hay added some needed fertilizer. Soil test and apply to recommendation and you will never have it again. It is an indicator of low phosphorus soil.

I got some bizarre situation going where lime and fertilizer just make grow taller and thicker. Pretty decent stand of crabgrass under that broomsedge canopy. I'm hoping this'll knock it.

I promise you that if you soil test phosphorus will be lacking or the PH is off so much that the fertilizer isn't working. Also it normally grows in areas where the other grass is thin. Again a soil test can explain why it's thin also

Kenny is right. If the soil is too acidic it will not release the Phospherus from the soil. A soil test will tell you exactly what you need.

 

[snoopdog]

I agree with the above comments, but I will tell you, if you cut it in an early stage for hay, and don't let it get too dry before baling, it aint a bad thing. I've got a lease field that I bale, that has it and assorted mixed grass, and if I get it baled right the cows will run over you for it. If its too dry , forget it.

 

[Warren Allison]

We call them wick bars down here. I use them with Roundup to kill the Johnson grass in my bermuda field.

 

[sstterry]

Let me add to what I said prviously, when you get the soil test, take the samples as reccomended and lime and fertilize just as it calls for. Don't just throw down some 19-19-19 and think you are taking care of the problem. Too many around my area do that.

 

[BFE]

Lime and a lot of it. My place was solid sage at one point. Applied two tons of lime & 200## 19-19-19 to turn it around. Fertilizer the next two years then lime and fertilizer the third year and it cleaned it up.
Now just fight buttercups in the spring and foxtail late summer. 2-4D wipes out the buttercups. Wish I knew what to do about the foxtail.

I don't worry about it. Foxtail has good feed value and doesn't cost much!
https://www.pubs.ext.vt.edu/418/418-150/418-150.html
Scroll down and check out yellow foxtail's feed value.

 

[ClinchValley86]

Ive all but got rid of our BS, it was quite the problem 5 years ago. Have unrolled hay on it in winter, run cattle across it tightly in growing season, and allowed the ground to rest 30 to 60 days. The competition of other forage and the cows willingness to eat it when given no other choice has knocked over 90 percent of it out. No lime, no fertilize. Seems like an increase of organic matter helps very much.

 

[Bigfoot]

Ive all but got rid of our BS, it was quite the problem 5 years ago. Have unrolled hay on it in winter, run cattle across it tightly in growing season, and allowed the ground to rest 30 to 60 days. The competition of other forage and the cows willingness to eat it when given no other choice has knocked over 90 percent of it out. No lime, no fertilize. Seems like an increase of organic matter helps very much.

I agree with what everybody has said about controlling it with nutrients/and PH. If I can, through organic matter, foot traffic, and a little glyphosate knock it in the head and let nature replace it with something they devour.........Thats the direction I'm going. Money is the short crop here, and I gotta feed hay either way.

 

[shaz]

Unrolling hay added some needed fertilizer. Soil test and apply to recommendation and you will never have it again. It is an indicator of low phosphorus soil.

I got some bizarre situation going where lime and fertilizer just make grow taller and thicker. Pretty decent stand of crabgrass under that broomsedge canopy. I'm hoping this'll knock it.

I promise you that if you soil test phosphorus will be lacking or the PH is off so much that the fertilizer isn't working. Also it normally grows in areas where the other grass is thin. Again a soil test can explain why it's thin also

I'll bet some chicken litter would help too.

 

[504RP]

Around here the price of litter has gotten price wise to where it cost more than commerical fertilizers. Only about 160 lbs out of a ton of litter is NPK. the other 1840 lbs is an assortment of nutrients that might help a little to change the PH of the soil. But not enough to help the problem with brooms edge that much if any.

If i was a polutry farmer i would definitely put it on my pastures for two reasons. One polutry farmers has to get rid of it someway. And two it is free fertilizer for the farmer. I can't say for sure. But i don't think no matter how much litter you put on a field full of brooms edge. It won't ever change the PH of that field enough that it will do away with brooms edge.

Here in my location and i am not the only one here who thinks along these lines. As high as litter is the only reason you will see me putting it out over commercial fertlizer would be because it was given to me and then i am not sure i would want it. If it was a year where rain was in short demand. And i needed to get a maximum yeild off of that field. I would want to use commercial fertlizer so that i would know for sure how many lbs to the acre i put out. You won't know that with litter unless you had it tested and even then it will vary from load to load. Not to mention the rocks that ocassionly shows up in the field due to the loader operator getting a litte deep during clean out.

 

[simme]

Around here the price of litter has gotten price wise to where it cost more than commerical fertilizers. Only about 160 lbs out of a ton of litter is NPK. the other 1840 lbs is an assortment of nutrients that might help a little to change the PH of the soil. But not enough to help the problem with brooms edge that much if any.

If i was a polutry farmer i would definitely put it on my pastures for two reasons. One polutry farmers has to get rid of it someway. And two it is free fertilizer for the farmer. I can't say for sure. But i don't think no matter how much litter you put on a field full of brooms edge. It won't ever change the PH of that field enough that it will do away with brooms edge.

Here in my location and i am not the only one here who thinks along these lines. As high as litter is the only reason you will see me putting it out over commercial fertilizer would be because it was given to me and then i am not sure i would want it. If it was a year where rain was in short demand. And i needed to get a maximum yeild off of that field. I would want to use commercial fertlizer so that i would know for sure how many lbs to the acre i put out. You won't know that with litter unless you had it tested and even then it will vary from load to load. Not to mention the rocks that ocassionly shows up in the field due to the loader operator getting a litte deep during clean out.

Where are you located? Here litter is about $30/load (16 foot spreader truck) if you remove it from the house and about $120/load if you purchase it spread on your pasture and about $500 for a tractor trailer load dumped on your property. I prefer litter to commercial fertilizer. Grass seems to respond better to litter and the litter seems to last longer. Seems to me that commercial fertilizer does not get the response that it did 30 years ago. Especially the nitrogen with ammonium nitrate no longer available. Some of the nutrients in litter are naturally slow (extended) release.

The K component of the litter will be the lowest. You will build high levels of P in your soil by using litter. Soil test will eventually show extremely high P levels. Seems like you will never need lime if you use litter. Litter quality varies depending on the feed fed to the chickens as well as whether the litter comes directly from the house or if it has been stored in a pile. Litter will raise the organic level.