# Wild oats in alfalfa/OG mix



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I'm going to ask even though I'm sure of the answer, any herbicides out there that will take wild oats out and not the Alfalfa or Orchard Grass? Have one farm that is lousy with em, with as strange as the weather was, I'm betting they got a head start in the middle of March as they are so ripe now the heads are falling off on their own. I got ahead of this field before years ago by cutting early, but this year I would have had to cut 6 weeks ago as strange as the weather was. I also had a second flush of them coming in as well, so even early mowing this year wouldn't have helped much.


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## Rodney R (Jun 11, 2008)

The wild oats that you have.... what is the name of it? We have a weed that we call wild oats, but it's not what other folks around the country call wild oats. That's why I ask. In our situation, the downey brome will come up in fall, and grow all winter long, so we nail it with gramoxone while the OG and alfalfa are still sleeping for the winter.

Rodney


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

To the best of my knowledge ( limited) short of killing everything or as you have done in the past cut before it heads out there is little one can do. The downey brome wild oats cheat to me look the same plant or am I mistaken?


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## SVFHAY (Dec 5, 2008)

Will wild oats kill easy with glyph? I don't see it much here. Around here a/og takes a pretty got lick to get it smoked. So couple days before you cut 2nd crop ding it with rup, maybe 1/2 quart with no sticker, cut and harvest like the label says. Worst case you have to go back and finish the job, clean field and move to next crop.

Course I wouldn't have the nerve to try it!


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Rodney R said:


> In our situation, the downey brome will come up in fall, and grow all winter long, so we nail it with gramoxone while the OG and alfalfa are still sleeping for the winter
> 
> Rodney


Here in Kansas the only thing that stays green all winter is evergreens and some lakes!! lol Martin


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Nothing stays green in the winter here either. I know what cheat and tickle grass look like. But what we've always called wild oats don't match the pictures I've seen on the internerd so far.

I've been handling this one of two ways, it's obvious where the stuff is at once raked so I bale the rest of the field first, then come back and bale the crap.

If it's a heavy "pocket" of it while mowing, a Bic lighter takes care of it rather quickly.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Marty, I think I am beginning to be troubled by a recent invader that puts me in mind of oats....sometime if you have the opportunity, it would be great if you could post a pic of it.....like to see it.

Regards, Mike


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Sure thing, I'll even grab the good camera instead of using the cell phone.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Have the pic. Burned off a two acre patch of it today before running the mower thru. Talked to somebody else today and they confirmed that the stuff took off in March and by April had already gone to seed.


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## cwright (Oct 19, 2011)

I think these are wild oats. Popped up in areas I bush hog and they seem to be spreading some.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

These are what we've been calling wild oats for years. The heads look different than what I've found on the web but the plant itself is identical. These came from a patch in a fencerow right before I torched em.


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## Nitram (Apr 2, 2011)

Try ks weed id. Your top two pics look like there downy brome pic. They have a pic with downy. cheat and japanees brome side by side. www.agromoy.ksu.edu then ks weed id. Sorry smartphone cant link yet. Op error. Martin


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Probably can't get rid of the brome any easier than true wild oats I take it?

Dad has a few cousins on my grandma's side that always just stopped the mower, got off and lit the stuff up. Burns hot enough it destroys the seed in the process. I torched a rather large area the other day and couldn't find a seed on the ground. Wilted the alfalfa something horrible and will make a ugly bale. They claimed that's what great grandpa always did to stay ahead of the stuff. Works in the heavy pockets but here its thinner I can't see it burning very well. I'll try to remember to watch that area next spring and see if it comes back.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

There's a slight difference between wild oats and cheat grass, but not so much as to make a difference. You might try a fall application of Sencor (metribuzin) after the alfalfa/orchardgrass have gone dormant.

Ref: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/r1700311.html

Ralph


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

mlappin said:


> Probably can't get rid of the brome any easier than true wild oats I take it?
> 
> Dad has a few cousins on my grandma's side that always just stopped the mower, got off and lit the stuff up. Burns hot enough it destroys the seed in the process. I torched a rather large area the other day and couldn't find a seed on the ground. Wilted the alfalfa something horrible and will make a ugly bale. They claimed that's what great grandpa always did to stay ahead of the stuff. Works in the heavy pockets but here its thinner I can't see it burning very well. I'll try to remember to watch that area next spring and see if it comes back.


Okay, baled the field where I burned the stuff off last year, still had some in that area but was much thinner than last year.


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