Tall fescue

[jlane35]

I cut an acre of an old hayfield about a month ago. It is starting to grow and I was wondering if I should spray it with Gly or a grass selective herbicide?

My goal is to release the seed bank.

This section is about 10 acres but I want to make sure I get the results I wan before doing the entire field.

 

[SwampCat]

I am definately no expert - but, I usually spray my fescue in the late fall or late winter - while it is still actively growing, but most everything else is still dormant. That way, I get rid of my fescue without doing too much damage to the other vegetation.

 

[jlane35]

That was my plan, that's why I was asking now so I know if I should buy a different herbicide or just use the Gly I have.

I assumed cutting a section would make it easier and have a more efficient kill. But if I'm wrong im wrong.

 

[SwampCat]

I would cut it and this fall the fescue will out pace everything else. Fescue is tough - I spray 3 qts per acre 41% gly

 

[dogghr]

That was my plan, that's why I was asking now so I know if I should buy a different herbicide or just use the Gly I have.

I assumed cutting a section would make it easier and have a more efficient kill. But if I'm wrong im wrong.

Tough stuff to kill perm. One of the few times I still revert to tillage. Spray, till, plant, then spray Cleth twice next year. Or you can let go fallow.

 

[Native Hunter]

Tough stuff to kill perm. One of the few times I still revert to tillage. Spray, till, plant, then spray Cleth twice next year. Or you can let go fallow.

It was easy to kill in my neighbor's hay field. The Johnsongrass took care of it in no time....

 

[Cap'n]

If your thinking that you want to release the seed bank next spring then you could do it with Gly this fall when the fescue is at it's peak. You have to keep in mind though that with gly in the fall, that is also going to get control of everything, broadleaf and grassy. That may not be what you would want. If not you would want to chose a herbicide selective to fescue and or cool season grass only. Gly in the spring just as it is actively growing would probably be good too, but there again you are going to get control of everything that germinated in the fall. You might want to consider using a selective for fescue and let the rest survive. As far as whether to mow before of after, refer to the label. There are different modes of action and different schools of thought about that.

 

[Native Hunter]

I sprayed gly twice in the spring (a few weeks apart) when I put in my NWSGs and it got the fescue really well. We had an amazing amount and variety of broadleaf species to immediately come up. You will kill some broadleafs with the gly, but chances are that the seedbank will bring them back pretty fast.

Some broadleaf annuals like partridge pea are really late germinating. If you do what I did in the spring, you will have lots of those late germinating plants. And, they really take advantage of the open space quickly.

 

[Brushpile]

Do you want fescue dead? If so don't worry about other plants, they are in the seed bank. Spray now, then burn to get rid of the thatch. In the Spring spray again and this time the spray will make 100% contact. Like Native Hunter, I released Johnson Grass!

 

[George]

I had no problem killing fescue with 1 1/2 quarts/acre, September is a good time.

G

 

[jlane35]

So the general consensus is to use Gly and not a selective herbicide. Thanks guys. I plan on spraying in a month or so. And possibly again in the spring but only after I see what is coming up.

Once I see the results of this one acre and they are the desired results. I plan on doing the entire field.

 

[j-bird]

Take a good inventory of what you have naturally around in that area now. More than likely the plants you see in that area are what your going to get out of your seed bank. As such if you have invasives be prepared for the result to be you simply releasing more of them. Fescue is good for 2 things. Hold the soil and smothering out competition. Sometimes that competition is undesirable plants as well. I like that your doing a small area first to see how it goes. I did an area of fescue like you are talking and I now have "weeds" that are 5 to 6 feet tall in that area.....nothing invasive, but nothing overly positive either. Mostly ragweed, marestail, golden rod and the like. I sprayed in the fall, burned it off in the late winter and then sprayed again in the early spring. In my area many trouble weeds and the fescue are cool season plants so targeting when they grow the best and hitting them with herbicide can kill them and then allow the warm season perennial and annual "weeds" to come thru and have a chance. Good luck and let us know how it goes.