# Weed Control for Hay Fields & Marker Questions



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

I'm a little confused with some of the chemicals out there for spraying to kill weeds. Reading some posts, and some labels - some chemicals are good for both hay fields and pastures. But there are restrictions to some extent with most all of them.

Here's where I'm confused.

100% of the hay off my fields will be sold. Some to horse folks, others to cattle and goat folks. Pretty much I think I have to consider the folks who buy my hay will feed it to anything, be a pregnant mare to a bull calf! So I want to be careful as to what I use for killing weeds.

My question is - what should I be spraying on my fields to control weeds that will not cause harm to my customer's livestock? I'm OK with waiting 14 to 40 days after application or some longer before cutting hay - but what is cut will be sold and I need to know the right chemical to use.

I've always been around 2,4-D, but read there are better solutions than that. What would you recommend?

Do you spray in the spring, after the first cut, in the fall or some combo?

When you do spray - how do you know where you've been with the sprayer? I've got a 55 gallon 3-pt sprayer - a pretty simple set-up. Is there some kind of dye one puts in the chemical or is there another way to mark where you've been with the sprayer?

FWIW - we thought we were going to burn down these fields, about 12 acres total, but between rain, equipment failure and day jobs, we are going to post pone that effort until next year. Our goal is to lime per our soil sample, not fertilize until we reseed next year and try to rid ourselves of weeds for two cuts next year, one in the spring and the second in mid August after which we will start anew with a burn down of these fields. In the mean time - we want to make some weed free hay.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Bill


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

2-4d is very safe.....been around along time so it has been thoroughly tested. There are better weed killers, but their short/long term safety can still be questionable.

I spray early spring when temps start averaging 60 degree highs....I sometimes spray about 4 weeks after my first cutting hay, and sometimes I spray in early fall....all dependant on weed pressure....but early spring mostly.

Regards, Mike


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Me too ^^^

I'll add that marking a pass can be done with blue dye that is available in a concentrate and tank mixed, a foam system that drops "turds" of foam, GPS systems....and the cheapest/most expensive way watch tire tracks.....


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## Bonfire (Oct 21, 2012)

A lot of the restrictions with herbicides used today deal with the residual effects. I don't think they will necessarily harm livestock. It's the residual that is left in the manure that is the concern.

You spray a crop with something like Aminopyralid and you are going to have residual. The label shows you the cycle with pictures. You hay that crop that you sprayed, sell the hay to a horse owner, they feed it to their horses, the customer puts the horse manure on the garden/flower bed and the residual will have an effect on everything susceptible at it's final resting place. Or, the horse is grazed in a pasture that is susceptible to your residual. The dunging area will not look good.

I think you need to talk to your customers and discuss it with them. Tell them what you want to do. I still don't see anything wrong with a 2 4D and Dicamba tank mix for weed control in the spring.

I like to spray in the spring when weeds are small and before first cutting. I put down Aminopyralid because I want the residual. I throw in some 2 4D, Dicamba, and surfactant. Triclopyr is another option if you have some brush/woody pests.

How wide is the boom on a 55 gallon sprayer? You could add a foam marker. Maybe install on diffuser/outlet/drop tube in the center of the boom and just let it run the whole time your spraying? The other option is to put a diffuser at each end of the boom. You would have a switch handy to switch between left and right as you went along.


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## broadriverhay (Jun 13, 2014)

Foam marker on a 28 Foot boom , a great investment.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

What kind of hay are you making? I tend to think in terms of grass hay because that is what we grow. I have learned not to think in those terms because different areas grow different hay.

I will spray one field early next spring for fleabane. It comes out early and I want to spray when is in rosette stage. Will spray with Grazon because that is what was prescribed by the Extension Agent and it has a residual.

Another field will be sprayed with triclopry when blackberry weeds are in bloom.

Once each of these fields have been cleaned up for those specific weeds then all I ever plan to spray is 2-4,D for broad leaf. It is relatively inexpensive and has worked well for years.

I use a boomless sprayer. I have a boom sprayer, just do not like booms unless the ground is flat and smooth. The boomless sprays 52 feet. It gets easier with time to watch your tracks and get consistent coverage.

I go back a week or so later and hit the spots I missed.


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## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

Thanks everyone for your replies!!!! Very helpful info.

We are growing a mix of orchard grass and clover with a bit of timothy and fescue here and there. Plenty of weeds though.

The goal was to burn these fields down and start over, but that's not going to happen until probably next August. In the mean time, we want to knock down the weeds to the extent we can.

We have about 12 acres total and the boom on my sprayer is about 14 ft.

Thanks again!

Bill


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## broadriverhay (Jun 13, 2014)

I have 34 acres very flat no terraces . This a rare fine in Fairfield County SC. It is river bottom land. The 28 foot boom works great but would not be well suited on uneven ground.


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