DocHolladay
Well-Known Member
Pigweed has been talked about on here several times. I found this little tip and figured it might help some of you that have to deal with it. I bet it might work with some of the other harder to kill species.
I like learning....
- Thread starter DocHolladay
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Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
I always use AMS with most of my herbicides. And crop oil, which he forgot to mention. These additives are cheaper than herbicide and allow you to use less herbicide, unless you really have some tough weeds to kill.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Mix 17 lbs of AMS to 100 gallons of water, or 4.25 lbs of AMS to 25 gallons of water (before adding herbicide to the water or it won't do any good)
Mix 2 quarts of crop oil to 100 gallons of water, or 1 pint to 25 gallons of water.
I have a sixteen ounce measuring cup and usually just use the "a pint a pound the world around" conversion rate as being close enough to measure out the dry granulated AMS.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
You would probably still benefit and save money by adding AMS, you could use lesser amounts of the more expensive and potentially contaminating herbicide in your mix to realize the same results. All water has mineral in it except rainwater, distilled water, and reverse osmosis water.
Drycreek
Well-Known Member
Thanks very much. Two places I have good water, one place none, and the farthest place ( wouldn't you know it ) has the worst water. Good info to know for the future.
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
Rainwater actually has a few minerals in it such as sodium and magnesium, but the thing that makes rainwater great for spraying is that it's acidic. Most herbicides that we use are weak acids such as: glyphosate (Roundup), paraquat (Gramoxone), bentazon (Basagran), clethodim (Envoy), sethoxydim (Poast), and 2,4-D. These all work much better with acidic water, which reduces the need for adding AMS to the mixture first There is another family of herbicides, sulfonylureas such as Permit, and Escort that aren't weak acids, and work better with hard water. If it has sulfuron, muron, or nuron in the chemical name it's one of these. But if you use AMS you don't have to figure this out, you are covered either way..I guess I've never thought about rainwater not having minerals. I fill my sprayer from plastic drum cisterns that catch rain from the camp roof. Never used AMS and always have good kills. Now I know why.
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I just use either well or rural water and snuff everything dead...2 oz gallon GLY...
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
That is a very strong mix. I don't mix quite that strong even to do a burn down in heavy vegetation. For light spraying like cleaning up grass in RR beans I will do a half oz per gallon, 25 gallons per acre, 4.25 lb AMS, and 16 oz crop oil per acre.
I can spray 3 acres with 20 gallons of mix and kill it dead! I always wondered why folks said it wouldn't work on mature serecia lespedeza...
Mennoniteman
Well-Known Member
That's not so strong after all, because you are covering more acres with less water. I drive slower and usually do 1 acre with 20 gallons of water.
