# Queen Anne's Lace management



## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

One of my fields (7 acres) is having a bad issue with Queen Anne's Lace. I've yet to find a fix for this as 2,4-D never wants to touch it, and the lady who owns this field wants it to stay 'organic' with no 'chemicals' on it so there's not a lot I can do. It's just a grass/clover mix, and last year 3rd cutting I made incredible hay off this field, some of the best I've ever done.

Tonight I started mowing the field with my brush hog raised up about 14 inches or so just to cut the tops of the QAL off (but not any grass) before they turn to seed and spread more babies.

Will this help some or am I just wasting my time? Mowing a 7 acre field with 5' rotary mower takes time, and the field is pretty bumpy so I can't just haul ass either.


----------



## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

We used to have a bunch of Queen Anns lace years ago. When the pasture went from 1 mowing a year to 3 it pretty much eliminated it.


----------



## ozarkian (Dec 11, 2010)

*Queen Ann's Lace* is an "Indicator Weed". It indicates poor soil, but on the Sweet side.

Sweet soil is defined:

*Alkaline soil* is referred to by some gardeners as "*sweet soil*." The pH level of *alkaline soil* is above 7, and it usually contains a great deal of sodium, calcium and magnesium. Because *alkaline soil* is less soluble than acidic or neutral *soil*, availability of nutrients is often limited.


----------



## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

PaMike said:


> We used to have a bunch of Queen Anns lace years ago. When the pasture went from 1 mowing a year to 3 it pretty much eliminated it.


This field was mowed three times last year, and has been mowed twice this year so far, and it's like nothing ever happened to it. The same with my horse pastures. I keep them mowed down nice to keep the grass from getting too tall and tough, and my fence lines are all mowed and weed whipped, but you wouldn't guess that by looking at the QAL on the fencelines right now! I'm going through and mowing it all down again before it goes to seed hoping that controls it somewhat.

I'm guessing it might have to do with timing of when you mowed it?


----------



## Hayjosh (Mar 24, 2016)

ozarkian said:


> *Queen Ann's Lace* is an "Indicator Weed". It indicates poor soil, but on the Sweet side.
> 
> Sweet soil is defined:
> 
> *Alkaline soil* is referred to by some gardeners as "*sweet soil*." The pH level of *alkaline soil* is above 7, and it usually contains a great deal of sodium, calcium and magnesium. Because *alkaline soil* is less soluble than acidic or neutral *soil*, availability of nutrients is often limited.


This is what I've read before too but I think it's a lousy indicator. I know for a fact that my pasture soil is low pH and one of my fields is also lower pH because I have that soil tested regularly and fertilize it annually, trying to bring the pH up.


----------



## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

Queen Anne's lace here is an indicatior there is someone else with Queen Anne's lace next to you with seeds blowing into your field. Doesn't seem to care about soil fertility.


----------



## VA Haymaker (Jul 1, 2014)

We sprayed Pasturegard and haven't seen it for a long time.


----------



## 2ndWindfarm (Nov 11, 2014)

2,4-D will kill QAL (Yarrow) if you use adjuvant - Spreader 90. Allows the 2,4-D to stick, stay on the plant for absorption.

Mowing is not really effective as QAL is a very robust under-ground spreader via rhizomes growth. It is one of my worst weeds in my hayfields but after an early Spring application followed up with a late summer - early fall hit with 2,4-D (when the plant is trans locating nutrients to the roots) you'll see results.


----------



## Fossil02818 (May 31, 2010)

I had a similar situation with a landowner who did not want any herbicide spraying on their 5 acre field. It had a fair amount of QAL and also a little bit of milkweed starting to establish itself as well. I explained that taking two hay cuttings a year was not enough to eliminate the weeds and that she should hire some one to walk the field and pull them out if she insisted on no spraying. I don't know what it cost her , but, she had 5 or 6 people out there for a few hours and they pulled all the QAL and milkweed. They may have missed a few plants but the field was much cleaner for the next couple years that I hayed it for her. BTW, She was feeding it to her horses and didn't want the weeds in their feed.


----------

