# Chickweed in Alfalfa



## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

Talking with my mailman, who is also a farmer, the other day--he asked what I was going to do about the amount of chickweed in my alfalfa fields.

Normally, the alfalfa would grow faster and shade out the chickweed, but this year's ultra cool spring has slowed alfalfa growth way down. The chickweed is taking over not only in my fields but everybody else's around here.

I'm concerned about the effects on first cutting. Lots of trash? Poor quality? Chickweed won't dry very well, so spoiled bales?

I have thought about running a shredder over it, but haven't decided. I've also thought about running the sickle mower over it and cutting it real short.

What would you all do? Shred it? Mow it? Not worry about it? Something else?

Ralph


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

I too had alot of chickweed coming into my alfalfa, but I sprayed back in March with glyphosate.....that is a great thing about RR alfalfa. But the big negative is not being able to grow Orchard grass as a companion. Probably try drilling Orchard grass in a few years and then quit spraying....but I am afraid it is too hot and wet here in E TN for this to be successful as we are blessed with a near tropical like climate in the summer this close to the Great Smoky Mountains which really encourages superior weed growth.

Regards, Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Seen the same thing here, not going to worry about it as at this point in time if I tried to get over the fields to spray I'll likely cause more harm than good, it's wet here and I won't risk tracking a field up to save one cutting.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

mlappin said:


> Seen the same thing here, not going to worry about it as at this point in time if I tried to get over the fields to spray I'll likely cause more harm than good, it's wet here and I won't risk tracking a field up to save one cutting.


It's wet here also. What would you spray with? (I don't have RR, but next field for sure!)

Ralph


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Actually upon closer inspection this AM my fields appear pretty clean yet, however anybody that took a late cutting last year and had little or no regrowth before it went dormant is most likely going to have some ugly first cutting.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> It's wet here also. What would you spray with? (I don't have RR, but next field for sure!)
> 
> Ralph


I'm not the guy to ask, rarely do I spray hay. Most of the time if I'm getting a weed problem I'll stop planting row crops jsut long enough to make the hay early before any weeds go to seed and then feed it to my beef cows.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> It's wet here also. What would you spray with? (I don't have RR, but next field for sure!)
> 
> Ralph


Ralph,

This might help:

http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/pubs/agr148.pdf

Look at Pursuit for post-dormant use on alfalfa for broadleaf weed control...


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## discbinedr (Mar 4, 2013)

Used Pursuit and it did a good job but that was a few weeks ago when the alfalfa was 2-3 inches.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Thought for next year, spray sencor while dormant. I sprayed march 30th on heavy infested chickweed and mine is clean as a whistle. I took a very late cutting last fall also. Also, it is almost never too wet to spray alfalfa. I ran warrior today for weevils but I spray multiple times per year and run the same tracks each time. I will not make ruts but lug tracks do not scare me.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

haybaler101 said:


> I ran warrior today for weevils but I spray multiple times per year and run the same tracks each time. I will not make ruts but lug tracks do not scare me.


What kind of dosage did you feed them?

Regards, Mike


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

2.5 oz. of generic (Warrior 1)


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