By ANN ALLEN
Indiana Correspondent

AKRON, Ind. — There’s no doubt the heavy rains this spring brought forth a plethora of weeds, some of which seem to defy eradication. BASF Corp.’s Dan Westberg, recognizing that resistant weeds are on the rise, offers such tips as beginning with clean fields and early spraying.

“Growers should scout their fields for changes in weed population,” he said. “They should especially watch for weeds that survive an herbicide application. Even subtle changes can be an early indicator of potential weed resistance.”
He suggests instituting an integrated weed management program employing multiple modes of action, following label directions to achieve optimal performance and using such agronomic practices as crop rotation, cultivation and cleaning equipment between fields.

While many producers and agronomists believe it is too late in the season to apply herbicides, Mike Norman, an Akron, Ind., farmer, disagrees. “I have two sprayers,” he said. “My Hagie can be used in shoulder-high corn. If the corn is still knee-high, I have my homebuilt sprayer.”

That one, a Polaris 6 x 6 with a 40-foot boom on the front and a pallet mounted on the back to hold spray tanks, has proven invaluable in muck. “You feel like you’re walking on water” when you drive through a field with it, he said.

Best of all, Norman can take his mini-sprayer apart in 10 minutes and use it the rest of the year as an ATV. “It only takes 10 minutes to reassemble it,” he added.

Noxious weeds
Noxious weeds – those pervasive intruders detrimental to the health and physical well-being of human or animal – also are on the rise. They include all species of thistles, jimson weed, loosestrife and a variety of grasses. Each state has its own list and its own rules in their regard.

Fulton County extension educator Mark Kepler says of jimson weed pods: Eat one and get high; eat two and die. “Get rid of them,” he said. “They’re lethal.”
Indiana farmers have contended with Canada and bull thistles for years, learning that bull thistles can be dug out but Canada thistles cannot. Both are especially bad along roadways, where funds are low for continued mowing.
According to Henry Township Trustee Becky Gearhart, Indiana law mandates thistle removal. If the landowner does not have them removed, she can send someone to eradicate the thistles and then bill the owner. If that is not paid, it will be added to his/her property taxes.

So far, she has not had to take these actions, but she will if thistles get out of control.

Illinois farmers are being alerted to biennial thistles becoming more pervasive along roadsides, rights-of-way, waste areas and pastures. Robert Bellim, University of Illinois extension crops system educator, said mowing is beneficial, but it must be done on at least a monthly basis with the mower run as close to the ground as possible.

If thistles are mowed only once during the season, basal and root buds often will break dormancy and produce new flowering stalks. “A combination of mowing followed by a herbicide applications works better than mowing alone,” he said.

In addition, Bellim encourages systematic management and avoiding overgrazing so that forages will compete with the weeds, and reseeding forage species into overgrazed and disturbed areas.

In short, weeds are unwanted, whether in a field or in a garden.