Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
Dandelion, being a perennial weed, tends to follow the cycle typical of most perennial plants. Energy flows towards the top for growth and flowers in the spring, and towards the roots in the fall, as storage for winter survival.
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Provincial Weed Control Specialist Clark Brenzil believes that is the best time to control dandelion.
“When glyphosate herbicide is applied in the fall, as it is absorbed by the plant, it travels with the sugars in the plant towards the root system, which become the target. As a result, weed control is more effective.”
Brenzil points out a major factor that ensures the success of fall treatment: “The availability of good leaf tissue is very important, because leaves that have been damaged by a series of frosts or a serious frost will not take in the herbicide as effectively, and retain or transport it through the root system.”
The advantage with fall treatment is that the dandelion population is already under control when spring comes because of the fall application. In the case of a spring application, usually the dandelion have already had an opportunity to grow and use some of the nutrient resources in the soil that will not be available for the crop. This can impact overall yield performance.
“As a rule, the level of control you get with fall application is higher than spring applications, given the same rate of herbicide treatment. In essence, the effects of fall applications are felt throughout the entire growing season,” concludes Brenzil.
Ken Sapsford is a Research Associate with the Weed Control Unit at the Crop Development Centre in Saskatoon, and has conducted trials that confirm the value of Brenzil’s recommendations.
“After the harvest, dandelions usually get a lot of sunlight and start to actively grow again. We conducted fall treatments and got excellent results with glyphosate in late-September.”
Sapsford has one caveat: “Fall treatments are good at seasonal control, but in order to control dandelion over the long-term, more of a systems approach is required.”
Quick fixes are just that when it comes to weed control. Not losing sight of the big picture is what is likely to give weed control practices a longer shelf life.
For more information, call the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.
For more information, contact:
Clark Brenzil
Provincial Weed Control Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 787-4673
Ken Sapsford
Research Associate, Weed Control Unit
Crop Development Centre
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4999
Dandelion, being a perennial weed, tends to follow the cycle typical of most perennial plants. Energy flows towards the top for growth and flowers in the spring, and towards the roots in the fall, as storage for winter survival.
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Provincial Weed Control Specialist Clark Brenzil believes that is the best time to control dandelion.
“When glyphosate herbicide is applied in the fall, as it is absorbed by the plant, it travels with the sugars in the plant towards the root system, which become the target. As a result, weed control is more effective.”
Brenzil points out a major factor that ensures the success of fall treatment: “The availability of good leaf tissue is very important, because leaves that have been damaged by a series of frosts or a serious frost will not take in the herbicide as effectively, and retain or transport it through the root system.”
The advantage with fall treatment is that the dandelion population is already under control when spring comes because of the fall application. In the case of a spring application, usually the dandelion have already had an opportunity to grow and use some of the nutrient resources in the soil that will not be available for the crop. This can impact overall yield performance.
“As a rule, the level of control you get with fall application is higher than spring applications, given the same rate of herbicide treatment. In essence, the effects of fall applications are felt throughout the entire growing season,” concludes Brenzil.
Ken Sapsford is a Research Associate with the Weed Control Unit at the Crop Development Centre in Saskatoon, and has conducted trials that confirm the value of Brenzil’s recommendations.
“After the harvest, dandelions usually get a lot of sunlight and start to actively grow again. We conducted fall treatments and got excellent results with glyphosate in late-September.”
Sapsford has one caveat: “Fall treatments are good at seasonal control, but in order to control dandelion over the long-term, more of a systems approach is required.”
Quick fixes are just that when it comes to weed control. Not losing sight of the big picture is what is likely to give weed control practices a longer shelf life.
For more information, call the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377.
For more information, contact:
Clark Brenzil
Provincial Weed Control Specialist
Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food
(306) 787-4673
Ken Sapsford
Research Associate, Weed Control Unit
Crop Development Centre
University of Saskatchewan
(306) 966-4999
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