As we are in the mid-summer, many fields in the low desert region are preparing for soil solarization. Soil solarization is a widely adopted pest control method by organic growers in the low desert region. With the increase in organic production acreage in recent years, we are seeing more fields implementing soil solarization during summer.

Soil solarization is a method for controlling soilborne pathogens, insects, nematodes, and weed seeds & seedlings by disinfesting soil by the solar heat. Solarization is implemented during summer months, where soil is heated by covering with transparent polyethylene mulch/tarp. The plastic covering permits solar radiation/energy to penetrate and trap in the soil; thereby, building heat in...

A few months ago I wrote about starting some tests looking at various postemergence herbicides for non-crop use. This project was initiated due to new ordinances some cities in southern California were considering or adopted that limited the use products containing glyphosate on city owned property. I changed up some of the products from the original test I did and repeated some others.

Some are listed as organic and some are organic but not be organically approved by a certifying agency e.g. OMRI. One is listed as a biopesticide (Fiesta). One is a synthetic pesticide (Finale) that may be a good replacement in certain situations.

When Richard Smith tells you that he is impressed with efficacy of an organic herbicide you better take notice. Richard shared his results on this blog site last year and showed good weed control with 'Suppress' from Westbridge. This OMRI approved herbicide is a mix of caprylic and capric acids and is a contact material that interferes with plant cells membranes causing leakage and desiccation.

It looked like a good fit for organic plasticulture systems such as strawberry that have wet weedy furrows which are difficult to access with mechanical tools because of proximity to plastic. We placed a trial in a very weedy field that also had one of the SoCal...

New Organic Herbicide Registration for California
Richard Smith, Farm Advisor
University of California Cooperative Extension, Monterey County

A new organic herbicide, Suppress, from Westbridge Company is now in the 30-day waiting period with the California Department of Pesticide Registration and should be fully registered by mid-February of 2015. The active ingredients are Caprylic and Capric Acids and were approved by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI). It is a contact burn-down material that is registered for use in and around food crops including vegetables, trees and vines. I...