NEIGHBORHOOD GARDEN FOR MAY 7, 2011

NEIGHBORHOOD GARDEN FOR MAY 7, 2011 ******************************************************************

USE THE RIGHT PRODUCT, AT THE RIGHT RATE,

AT THE RIGHT TIME, ON THE RIGHT PLANT!!!!

PART #1

BY GEORGE EDGAR

The experts on Backyard Farmer and the instructors in the Master Gardener classes always talk about having the “Right Plant in the Right Place”. “The Right Plant in the Right Place” means you plan ahead and if you have a particular location you want filled, you select a plant that will be the right height, the right width, and needs the kind of soil you have. You also take into consideration the moisture and sun requirements. Or you start with a particular plant you bought or want to buy and select the location with the right amount of sun, the right amount of moisture, and has the room for the plant to grow to its mature height and width.

The same approach applies to use of any kind of herbicide (kills weeds, grasses, etc.), insecticide, miticide, fungicide, or fertilizer. The basic concept that I will be outlining in this series of articles is called “INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT”. In integrated pest management or “IPM” the first step is to identify the pest that you want to get rid of or deal with. In part #1 will talk about weeds and the importance of correct plant identification. In future articles I will write about the identification of other pests, some of the products available to control them, the correct use of the products, the importance of reading the label and following the manufacturer’s recommendations, and the correct time to apply to control some of our common pests.

We say that a “weed” is just a plant out of place. (Right now I haven’t found the right place for “Crabgrass” or “Bindweed” but I suppose there is one.) But if you don’t know what your “Plant out of Place” (the weed you don’t like) is in your yard or garden, or how to control it, take a sample (more than one leaf) to a full service garden center that has a certified nursery person or a person trained in weed identification and control. Or take it to your local County Extension Educator. Identification of the weed you are trying to kill is important and the first thing you should do.

Also it is helpful to know the life cycle of the weed. By life cycle I mean is it an annual or a perennial? Does it grow from seed or does it spread from runners, or both? If it produces seeds, when do they mature, and then what time of year do they germinate? Also, can the weed seeds be controlled by a pre-emergent herbicide? Timing in the application of a herbicide is very important and knowing the life cycle of the weed helps us to know what time of year to apply the herbicide, what kind of herbicide to apply, and how often to apply.

The most common weeds found in our lawns, flower gardens, and vegetable gardens can be grouped as follows:

· Annual grasses such as Crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis), Annual Bluegrass (Poa annua), Foxtail (Setaroa glauca) and Goosegrass (Eleusine indica). (Annual means the plant grows for one year, may flower and go to seed, and then dies.)

· Annual Broadleaf weeds such as Prostrate Spurge (Euphorbia supina), Spotted Spurge (Euphorbia maculata), Black Medic (Medicago lupulina), Pennycress (Thlaspi arvense), Purslane (Portulaca oleracea), Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) and Common Chickweed (Stellaria media).

· Perennial broadleaf weeds such as Dandelion (Taraxacum officinal), White Clover (Trifolium repens), and Ground Ivy (Glechoma microcarpa). (Perennial means the plant usually grows for 3 or more years. However, it may be a perennial in one hardiness zone but only an annual in a colder zone.)

· Perennial grasses such as Bromegrass (Bromus inermis), Rough Bluegrass (Poa trivialis), Tall Fescue (Festuca arundinacea), Nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi) and Quackgrass (Agropyren repens).

· Perennial sedge such as Yellow Nutsedge. Most people call it “Nutgrass” but it is really a sedge so does not respond to some broadleaf weed killers.

Correct identification of the weed is important as use of the wrong herbicide may kill everything or may not kill the weed you want to kill. I have heard some people say that when they applied a specific product it seemed to make the weed grow faster. That may be true, as some weed killers such as 2-4-D, Clopyralid, Dicamba, and Triclopyr are really growth regulators. Also most require more than one application and some only kill off the top but do not kill off the root. So, if you don’t have the right product, at the right rate, at the right time of year, on the right plant, and use the correct number of applications, it may seem like you are only encouraging the growth of the weed and not killing it.

Be aware that after identification, and knowing about the life cycle, one herbicide (weed killer or preventer) will not kill or prevent everything we call a weed. And some herbicides are ok for the lawn but should not be used in the vegetable garden. Also some herbicides kill the weeds that are growing (post-emergent) and some herbicides prevent the seeds from germinating (pre-emergent), and many hard to kill weeds needs two to three applications for effective control.

“USE THE RIGHT PRODUCT, AT THE RIGHT RATE,

AT THE RIGHT TIME, ON THE RIGHT PLANT!!!”

For more information on lawn weed control go to http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/pubs. In the box on the top left side of the screen type in EC1256, or “Landscape Weed Management”, or “Lawn and Garden”. Publication EC1256 talks about control products and has colored pictures of the most common landscape weeds. Under “Lawn and Garden” are many useful articles. These publications can be read on line, or printed for reading later and for reference. Or go to http://lancaster.unl.edu for garden and lawn information, good tips, and access to other websites.

In writing this article I also used “Integrated Turfgrass Management for the Northern Great Plains” by Frederick P. Baxendale, Ph.D. & Roch E. Gaussoin, Ph. D. (members of the University of Nebraska Turfgrass Science Team). Published by the Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Nebraska: 1997.