- Author: Douglas J Munier
Threespike goosegrass is a warm season perennial grass which is a problem weed in some almond orchards around Orland, California. It is easily identified by its distinctive (see photo) seed heads (spikes). It is usually a problem during the first years of an orchard. The bunch grass growth habit traps nuts at harvest. After somewhere between 5-8 years, it is too shaded to continue being a problem weed.
Pre-emergence control of threespike goosegrass is the best approach. Since goosegrass can emerge from April through August, a long persisting pre-emergence herbicide is needed. Alion is a new herbicide with more persistent weed control, which we are currently testing for April through August threespike goosegrass control. Alion...
- Posted by: Gale Perez
- Author: Richard Smith
Cilantro was produced on 5,543 acres in Monterey and Ventura Counties in 2011. The production of cilantro has shifted to high density 80-inch wide beds and a large proportion is now mechanically harvested. Hand weeding high density beds is very expensive and reduces the economic viability of this crop. As a result, there is a need for excellent weed control. Two broadleaf herbicides were registered on cilantro: Prefar and Caparol. Prefar was registered for a number of years and provides good control of a number of key weeds in cilantro such as purslane, lambsquarter and pigweed. Caparol was registered in 2012 and provides good weed control of a wider spectrum of weeds including the nightshades, shepherd’s purse, sow thistle,...
- Author: Lynn M. Sosnoskie
- Author: Brad Hanson
Herbicides are defined as a chemical substance that is used to eliminate unwanted plants. This is a very general description and it is important to remember that herbicides differ with respect to when they are used (for example, pre-emergence or post-emergence), their activity (for example, contact or systemic), their selectivity (for example, grasses or broadleaves), and their mechanism of action (also known as: mode of action, site of action). (See this blog post about basic herbicide terminology:http://ucanr.org/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=5973)
What is a mechanism of action? The...
- Posted by: Gale Perez
- Author: Scott Stoddard
Here's an article from the Sweetpotato Tips newsletter on hotbed cost production. Click here for a direct link to the January 2013 edition.
PRODUCTION NOTES—Hotbeds
Hotbeds begin soon. If you did not use methyl bromide in the last year, improve weed management by using Devrinol herbicide at a rate of 12 oz per 1000 ft of bed in 5-6 gallons of water (sprayer calibrated at 30 gpa). Apply before the first irrigation and prior to the emergence of weeds. Incorporate with a brief irrigation—about 10 minutes will do. This gives about 80-90%...
After writing an article about natural herbicides in the December issue of this newsletter, I was asked what I thought about the iron HEDTA (FeHEDTA) herbicides that recently came on the market. These are organically acceptable products believed to have minimal human health or environmental effects.
My first finding was it’s difficult to obtain herbicides with FeHEDTA in Southern California where I am based, but apparently products are easier to find in Northern California. Of the four nurseries I went to, I found only one that carried even a single product that contained FeHEDTA. The product I found was Whitney Farms Lawn Weed Killer (Scotts), although according to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation’s pesticide...