Buckwheat and Smartweed

[Mike Bolin]

My 1/4 acre clover plot was overrun with Smartweed last summer. There was still some clover, so I sprayed for the smartweed and hoped for the best. I sprayed the plot as early as I could this spring and lightly tilled it, waited a couple of weeks and sprayed again then planted Buckwheat as soon as the rain/ground conditions allowed. Heavy rains set in again and about 1/2 of the buckwheat grew.
The plan was that the buckwheat would be good for the soil and help keep the weeds at bay and I would mow and then till it under in mid August before planting my fall rye/clover.
Well, I walked the plot this week and the smartweed is thick wherever the buckwheat didn't germinate. There is a pretty fair amount of smartweed growing in the buckwheat as well. Not sure what the best plan of action is at this point. Should I-
1.mow and till it in next week, then wait for the smartweed to pop up and spray
2.mow and spray, wait a couple of weeks to till
3.Spray now and then mow in a couple of weeks...my concern with this is the I won't get good spray coverage on the smartweed growing in the buckwheat
4.? open to suggestions
Your opinions and suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. Mike

 

[Creek chub]

I’m in the same boat. I think smartweed comes on strong in midsummer after crops are down and aggressively fill voids where germination is thin or didn’t happen.

I hit my small clover plot yesterday with gly focusing on the smartweed. I won’t be back to the farm until two weeks but will use gly again on any survivors with the plan to overseed with WR and clover in late August

 

[Dr. Wally]

not sure if gly is super good on smartweed, it makes a lot of seed and loves the moisture. Its all over my garden now

 

[Mike Bolin]

I bush hogged the buckwheat on August 5th. The buckwheat showed very little browsing when I was there on July 28th, but when I went to mow the entry road to the property, it had been hammered hard. Since I had the bush hog on I knocked the stalks down. Went back on the 8th and sprayed the smartweed, then spot sprayed again on the 16th. Had thunderstorms roll thru yesterday morning and again this afternoon so it will mid-week before it will be dry enough to get back in there. If the weather cooperates, I should be able to plant my oats/clover mix before the weekend when they are predicting showers off and on. All I can do is hope for the best!

 

[farmhunter]

that sounds like a viable plan -

 

[Mennoniteman]

The oats will help keep the weeds down.

 

[MarkDarvin]

I bush hogged the buckwheat on August 5th. The buckwheat showed very little browsing when I was there on July 28th, but when I went to mow the entry road to the property, it had been hammered hard. Since I had the bush hog on I knocked the stalks down. Went back on the 8th and sprayed the smartweed, then spot sprayed again on the 16th. Had thunderstorms roll thru yesterday morning and again this afternoon so it will mid-week before it will be dry enough to get back in there. If the weather cooperates, I should be able to plant my oats/clover mix before the weekend when they are predicting showers off and on. All I can do is hope for the best!

I think you need to convert to rye/clover/chicory for a few years. If you've got that stuff, it's always going to be a first responder every time you till or spray. If you get to a point where you're driving your straw content up as high as possible and halt the stimulation of new smartweed, it will probably go away. But take the iron or chemistry to it, and it'll likely keep showing up, just like the cops come each time you dial 911.

 

[Mike Bolin]

MarkDarvin. I may do that. Thanks to all for the input!