GETTING A WEED MANAGEMENT PLAN. YOUR PROPERTY. YOUR WEEDS.

Here we are again - weed season. Summers in the rear-view mirror for most of us around the country, and replaced with morning dew, chimney smoke & late night rug runs out in the paddock.

Winter also means weeds. So, let’s talk about making a plan for them. Making a weed management plan doesn’t have to be like a studying for that master’s degree or passing your driving test for the first time either. Keep it simple. Who knows your property best? You do. In fact, if you think about it for just a few short minutes, you probably already know where your weeds are, what paddocks the worst, and what weed annoys you the most. So why not make this year, the year, to start biting into that weed cake, one bite at a time.

The first bite, is mustering up the energy to write a plan & map. You don’t have to be an artist either, we call them mud maps for a reason. That said, our

‘friends’ at google have even taken satellite snaps of your property and with a few simple clicks and some printer ink, your map can be that work of art after all. I’d advise on two maps. The first – The Master Map. This map is the overall view of the weed density as it stands on day one. The second – The Annual Map. This map is for the weeds you are attacking this year.

Now the maps are on the table, raid the kid’s schools bags or that mystery third draw where the highlighters are kept and grab a hand full them. Throw the maps on a clipboard and draw as you go, or walk around first & hit the dining table with a coffee and let’s begin.

On your master map - Choose different colours for different weeds & simply highlight areas all the weeds in blocks or small dots & have a legend. The aim, obviously, is that over the years these the blocks/dots get smaller & smaller as your weed management skills pay off.

The annual map will generally look a little different. This map should highlight only the weeds causing the most destruction to the property and the weeds you are attacking this year.

Manual Weed Controllers

If you’re a manual labour lover who’s got time and energy in spades, choose to map only one or two weed species to pull/dig out to start with. Try not to get over zealous with your first map. Pick your most significant weed species then get to work & repeat. Time can get away on manual removal methods and as the season passes try not to get to far ahead of yourself.

Herbicide Weed Controllers

If you’re broadacre spraying yourself, or engaging a contractor, your annual weed map can be a little broader. A lot of products will treat a large variety of weeds in one foul swoop depleting weed density fairly swiftly in the scheme of things.

In the August & September issue we’ll talk about how to wear the weeds down and reduce them from your maps. These two particular months are what we call the “golden” months for applying your weed control methods. Most of the annual weeds are generally up for the year, but haven’t flowered yet, making this the optimal time for controlling a lot of weed species. So, map up, sharpen your weed weapons or dust off the old spray pack – The war is on its way.