should be to end at the same levels of soil nutrients that you started with - so you balance. Knowing your nutrient levels, by soil testing, tells you this, so you can plan your nutrition inputs. The availability of nutrition should be considered carefully, too. After calculating what N P K levels are needed, then supplying them to the rootzone needs to be controlled. Slow release products are the way forward here. A controlled and sustained release of what is needed is a far better than a surge of nitrogen that will lead to quick growth of weak grass, but very strong weed growth. This will also keep your mowing manageable - you won’t be chasing grass that is trying to become hay.
Compaction is a problem that occurs mostly on sports pitches, but does promote an environment that certain turf weeds thrive in. Plantains of all varieties are a key symptom of soil compaction. Winter sports pitches are especially vulnerable to compaction, which leads to the grass establishing slower and growing less vigorously. Its ability to regenerate and form a competitive sward is reduced. The solution here is decompaction to allow the grass to flourish. An expensive investment but, seen as part of a programme planned over years, the cost can be budgeted for depending on the frequency it is needed. Other benefits are vastly improved aeration and drainage - but that is another article in itself. Treatment with herbicides is the next aspect of IPM. It is also the solution that has the quickest impact and the most predictable outcome, but works far better with results that are sustained longer when put into action with the other points mentioned.
So, we have two types of weeds. The annuals and the perennials. Both germinate or emerge at different times and over a period of months. This poses the question when to treat? If you are too keen and treat too early you will only catch a fraction of the spring annual flush. The ones that germinate after you spray will taunt you for the
rest of the season! If you spray too late, you will catch a far higher proportion of the annuals and the perennials that emerge slightly later. But, waiting might not please the membership so, a fine balance is needed. The watch words here are hurry up and wait. The longer you leave your planned spring spray the more weeds you will treat. The more weeds you treat the better value you are getting from the treatment you are putting down. This further reduces the weeds in your bank - eroding what will come back at you in the future.
Effective timing is just one aspect of getting your weed control right. Selecting the right product is also crucial. If you choose the wrong product, and you get ineffective control as the weeds aren't listed as susceptible on the product label, you haven't solved your problem. Identifying the weeds you have and selecting the product that treats what you have then is crucial. If you have the usual suspects (plantains, white clover, dandelions and daisies, with one or two others) then a good three way selective will achieve a good result. If you have tricky weeds such as slender speedwell, woodrush, and yellow trefoil you need a more potent (and sadly expensive) product that will deliver a result. If you are uncertain then get advice - a BASIS qualified advisor will certainly help make the informed choice and recommendation.
Herbicides only work as well as they
are applied. Take care when applying them - and set up you sprayer specifically to do the job. Herbicides and fungicides work very differently and are applied to different parts of the sward. The key is getting the water volume
correct to achieve good coverage on the weeds with a spray droplet size that will achieve this. Coarse droplets will bounce off or roll off a well waxed leaf. Medium and fine droplets are stickier and give better coverage, but need to be used when the wind is low to avoid drift. Water volumes of 150 to
250 litres per hectare are ideal for sportsturf, as all you are hitting is a prostrate open target sitting on top of the grass. When work is peaking, from April to August, it may be you don’t have the time to spray yourself. Contractors are ideal for helping here, but choose a good one! Make sure they are a sportsturf specialist with specialist equipment.
Depending on what suits your operations, early autumn is the ideal time to treat persistent and perennial weeds. This timing takes advantage of their biology - at this time of year they are sending their nutrients down to their deep roots for next year. Taking advantage of this nutrient flow you can get far deeper penetration into the plant with a herbicide, giving a higher level of control. The results may not be immediately appreciable, but the following spring there is a significant difference. Weed control is best viewed as a
programmed approach, along with overall management. The trick is to use cultural methods to suppress the weeds to the point where spraying is needed, and then when you do spray, make every drop count.
Follow up.
After you have treated your weeds you can predict that they will leave gaps where they once were. Plan to take advantage of this by overseeding and feeding with a good rooting promoter shortly after the weeds have begun to die off properly. This will block out any opportunist germinators, and create a gap free sward that will block out a high proportion of weeds that are waiting for their place in the sun.
Paul Cawood, Business Development Manager, LanGuard Ltd Tel: 07738 885 703
www.languard.co.uk
The recession may make people nervous on committing to weed control, but the weeds don’t care and will carry on regardless
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