Whatever crop or pasture you plan on sewing this spring you will more than likely require a spray out beforehand to kill undesirable grasses and broad-leaf weeds. Spray outs also help out with soil moisture conservation and assist plant establishment after sewing by reducing weed competition.
Chemical weed control with glyphosate will help reduce the need for excessive cultivation as well.
Farmlands Agronomist Phil Johnston told REX host Dominic George there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account when figuring out when the best time to spray out is.
"It all depends on the crop that you are planting and when you want to get the next crop into the ground so working backwards from the desired sewing date," he said.
He also recommended taking into consideration the fact that old pastures may also require more than one application and that other factors such as weather will also come into consideration.
When deciding what product would best suit your needs, Johnston said the most important factor is identifying the weed spectrum that is being targeted but not the only thing to be taken into account.
"Number one will be the weed spectrum that we are targeting, what products we are going to use as a tag-mix-partner with the glyphosate and also previous paddock history."
Planting withholding periods for the next crop is another key that needs careful consideration in order to prevent a negative impact on surrounding species.
Nufarm and Weedmaster TS470 are two of the best glyphosate options Johnston recommended, alongside Nufarm's Nail as a tag-mix-partner.
This spring Farmlands are offering a chance to win one of three trips to the Calgary Stampede in Canada by buying any two inputs of Seed, Ballance Fertiliser or AgChem to go in the draw.
Find more information at shop.farmlands.co.nz/springstampede.
Listen to the full chat between Farmlands Agronomist Phil Johnston and Dominic George above.
To check out more episodes listen to the REX Today Podcast anytime on your favourite streaming platforms including Spotify, Apple Music and Rova or tune in to REX Mornings live on Magic from 5 am to 6 am every weekday.
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