Update on milkweed fight

Ken Macfarlane · Aug 6, 2008

I spot sprayed a big chunk of my milkweed with a heavy dose of roundup and hand pulled another chunk of it.

A month later the results are:

In the spray patch, overspray killed everything green in the field, except the milkweed. It yellowed some of the milkweed and killed some but it sprouted right out the side of the stalk below the dead part. Quite aggressive regrowth, maybe due to no competition after spraying.

In the pulled patch, the regrowth has been slow, only about 1/4 of the plants pulled have regrown. We pulled them again.

I ran out of time to finish the largest patch so I mowed it down again for now. We are concentrating on keeping stuff in ditches and isolated patches from making it to seed.

I think I won't bother with spray for now as it takes almost as long as pulling and I have to replant.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 6, 2008

Good fence and flock of sheep and goats followed by hogs will take care of most weeds. Hand pull and mechanical cultivation and plowing have a known good result-the problem is the time and effort to do the weeding and ground turning. So far you seem to have won one, lost one patch to milkweeds using herbicide and are back to mowing to prevent seeding from taking over rest of fields-time to check neighbors for hungry critter help (if you have fences). RN

Vernon in Ks · Aug 6, 2008

Ken I don"t know if what you have are the same ones we have in Kansas, but pulling wont do it here. The roots run too deep and break off under the surface and resprout in time. Haven"t found a spray that works well. Heavy tillage will control to an extent. They can be a real pain. If you find a solution please share with us.

oklahay · Aug 6, 2008

I have had good luck spot spraying with Grazon mixed real heavy. One of the ingrediants in Grazon really works on them. Best to spray after they flower and before they put off the seed pod. That is when they seem to be the easiest to kill. Don't know if that is what is recommended but seems to work for me.

Bus Driver · Aug 6, 2008

A mixture of Roundup and 2-4-D might help. I mix them together with each full strength as if it was the only herbicide in the mix. Not low cost, but more effective. Milkweed is known for being resistant to Roundup.

Ken Macfarlane · Aug 6, 2008

Problem I've read about making critters eat milkweed is some varieties are deadly. A handful can supposedly kill sheep.

I've read that tillage can make the problem worse because they regrow from the root, and tillage chops up the roots into many pieces.

I know pulling doesn't get the roots, but if you can get enough plants off the same root system, it will spend energy to grow and eventually weaken the root system leaving it open to fungus attack.

I have been looking a vast areas seem to be interconnected to one common root system, was wondering about grabbing a syringe and injecting roundup into the stalk to get pulled through the whole community. Doubt it would work right though.

The spot spraying might work if you kept it up too. I just don't have time to keep at it. I do know I don't have time to let it spread more either.

Ken Macfarlane · Aug 6, 2008

If I had a good wipe weeder I'd try that. I'm not keen on spraying much 2-4-D onto the hill that runs down into my houses water supply.

Anonymous-0 · Aug 6, 2008

We always had milk weeds on the farm until dad switched from herefords to black angus/herdford cross cattle. They pretty much wiped them out.

Weldon K · Aug 6, 2008

You stated that you used a " heavy dose of Roundup ". How much roundup in how much water is that ? Label of a generic glyphosate for milkweed-- 3 quarts per acre in 3-40 gal. acre. Hand held solution -- 2% . A 2% solution could be this-- 1 pint glyphosate in 6-1/4 gallons (50 pints) water. I have sprayed with backpack sprayer using 2% or stronger and killed milkweed dead,with no regrowth. Also killed it(very little regrowth ) with 2% or more solution of 2-4-D sprayed /dribbled directly on plant.

Tim B from MA · Aug 6, 2008

Roundup (glyphosate) works best on perennials in the fall just as they are turning colors / browning up for the winter - or just after they begin to turn.

This is because, at that time the plant will start to translocate all of the food and nutrients in the leaves and stalk to the roots for over winter storage. Glyphosate hitches a ride to the roots and kills the whole plant (or close to it).

My dad sprayed a big patch of poison ivy with Round Up in June one year, all the leaves fell of then grew right back. I spray poison ivy in September and I kill just about every little darn plant.

Iowa_tire_guy · Aug 6, 2008

Nothing controls weeds like crop rotation as in winter wheat and hay.

Dan-IA · Aug 6, 2008

I was taught you can't pull a milkweed. It will break off above the growing point and leave the root behind, and then it will come up as two plants. best you can do to a milkweed is to chop it up with a cornknife or break it in a half dozen places and let it bleed to death.

Update on milkweed fight

Ken Macfarlane

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Anonymous-0

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Vernon in Ks

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oklahay

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Bus Driver

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Ken Macfarlane

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Ken Macfarlane

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Anonymous-0

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Weldon K

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Tim B from MA

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Iowa_tire_guy

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Dan-IA

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