An Essential Understanding The maintenance instructions for each Whitetail Institute perennial include recommendations for mowing, keeping soil pH and fertility levels optimum, and controlling weeds (including grass). Even though each of these topics is addressed separately, they are interdependent. They work together toward a common purpose: maximizing the quality and longevity of perennial forage stands. And that means skipping any of them can reduce the effect of the others. Keep that in mind as you read this article, because we’ll touch on it again.
Don’t Cut Corners with Perennial Forage Maintenance By Jon Cooner Director of Special Projects
hitetail Institute food plot products set the industry standard for performance, and the planting dates and instructions on the back of product bags make it easy for you to get the most out of them. If you’ve planted a Whitetail Institute perennial, you might have noticed a section at the bottom of the instructions that sets out recommended steps for forage maintenance. They’re extremely important, so don’t skip them. The instructions are also available at whitetailinstitute.com. 54 WHITETAIL NEWS
/ Vol. 27, No. 3
Arrest Max, Slay and Sure-Fire Crop Oil Plus No matter how good a job you did when you prepared your seedbed and planted, grass and weeds will often show up again at some point. It’s just the way Mother Nature works, and if you don’t take timely action to control weeds and grasses, the quality and the longevity of the stand will be compromised. The good news is that Whitetail Institute offers Arrest Max, Slay and Sure-Fire Crop Oil Plus to help food plotters control grasses and broadleaf weeds in perennial forage stands.
Arrest Max and Slay Arrest Max and Slay are small-weed herbicides, meaning they deliver optimum results in controlling labeled grasses and weeds that are actively growing but still young. That’s why it’s important to spray in a timely manner — as soon as grasses and other weeds have emerged and are starting to actively grow, but before they mature if possible. Arrest Max is designed to control most kinds of grass, and it can be used in any Whitetail Institute perennial forage stand, in any other clover or alfalfa stand, and in the Whitetail Institute’s PowerPlant annual. Slay is designed to control a few types of grass and most kinds of broadleaf weeds, and it can be used in Imperial Whitetail Clover and any other clover or alfalfa stand. Arrest Max and Slay can also be used in other types of forage stands, but not all, so if you are planning to spray Arrest Max and/or Slay in a forage stand other than the types specified, check the herbicide labels to make sure the forage is listed as an approved crop. You can find the Arrest Max and Slay labels on the package. You can also find them, along with an easy-to-follow set of instructions for mixing the spray solutions, at whitetailinstitute.com.
Sure-Fire Crop Oil Plus Sure-Fire is a type of adjuvant, meaning something designed to be added to a herbicide spray solution when it's mixed to maximize the effectiveness of the herbicide. Sure-Fire is designed to be tank-mixed with post-emergence herbicides such as Arrest Max and Slay, which enter grasses and weeds through their actively growing leaves. Specifically, Sure-Fire helps wet and spread the herbicide on the weed’s leaves, helps the herbicide stick to them and aids with penetration. The addition of an adjuvant such as Sure-Fire is required by the Slay label for Slay to work. Although it isn’t mandatory to add Sure-Fire to your Arrest Max spray solution, doing so is highly recommended, especially when you’re dealing with tougher perennial or mature grasses. www.whitetailinstitute.com