Dealing with Grass and Weed By Jon Cooner, Institute Product Consultant
Problems I
There are a few things you should consider when deciding whether to embark on a catch-up project to try to control mature grass or weeds in an existing Whitetail Institute perennial plot.
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WHITETAIL NEWS / Vol. 16, No. 1
f you’ve ever planted anything, you’ve undoubtedly had unwanted grasses and weeds show up at some point. The same is true of Whitetail Institute perennial plots. Even if you planted the plot according to Whitetail Institute guidelines, you can bet that grass and/or weeds will probably appear sometime during the life of the plot. There are a couple ways to control grass and weeds that show up in perennial plots after planting — mowing and, if appropriate, applying selective herbicides such as the Whitetail Institute’s Arrest grass herbicide and Slay weed herbicide. Mowing is a recommended step in maintaining Whitetail Institute perennial plots during the spring and summer, and for a number of reasons, including weed control. Keeping weeds mowed so that they never have a chance to flower (produce seed heads) can break the reseeding cycle of annual weeds. The key is to mow weeds soon after they appear and, if necessary, keep mowing them periodically throughout the spring and summer to prevent them from flowering. Just don’t mow if it’s hot and dry. Mowing during the spring and summer also helps keep perennials highly attractive by stimulating them to produce lush, new growth. Because Whitetail Institute perennials grow from the root system and can live for years without relying on flowering to reseed themselves — a process that robs plants of huge amounts of nutrients and energy— mowing them helps keep nutrients and energy in the foliage where they are available to deer. Selective herbicides such as Arrest and/or Slay may also be appropriate for use in grass and weed control, depending on a number of factors, such as forage blend and types of vegetation infesting the plot. Arrest is labeled as appropriate for controlling most kinds of grass in any Whitetail Institute perennial plot and in other varieties of clover and alfalfa. Slay is labeled as appropriate for controlling many kinds of broadleaf weeds in Imperial Whitetail
Clover, Alfa-Rack and other varieties of clover and alfalfa. Be sure to check Arrest and Slay labels for additional information on the proper use. The labels are also available online at www.whitetailinstitute.com. For optimum results, grass- and weed-control efforts should be started early. The Whitetail Institute recommends that its perennials be mowed starting shortly after green-up each spring. Also, if grass or weeds are to be controlled with Arrest or Slay, the best time to spray them is shortly after the grass or weeds emerge and before they grow to a height of six inches. But what if you didn’t control your grass and weeds early and now your plot is infested with mature grass or weeds? Is all lost? Not necessarily. It will be much harder to control grass and weeds once they mature, but it may not be impossible. Only you can decide whether to try to eliminate the infested plants or start over with a new planting. The following tips may help you make an informed decision and, if you decide to try to control mature grass and weeds, maximize the results of your efforts. There are a few things you should consider when deciding whether to embark on a catch-up project to try to control mature grass or weeds in an existing Whitetail Institute perennial plot. First, it makes sense to do a cost/benefit analysis to see whether you will come out better financially by throwing in the towel and starting over with a brand new planting. In the long run, replanting may be the better option if your plot is heavily infested and/or several years old and near the end of its intended lifespan. Also keep in mind that, while mowing mature grass and weeds may make them more susceptible to the effects of Arrest or Slay, the plants will still be mature and, therefore, harder to control than seedlings. Weather should also be considered since you should not mow or use Arrest or Slay when it is excessively hot, dry or droughty. If you decide to try to control mature grass and weeds
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