Three timing options for early weed control

Canola emerges with a large population of wild oats.
Canola emerges with a large population of wild oats.

Weeds will be going strong with the sun, especially if they have established roots that reach moisture while newly seeded crop battles dry topsoil conditions. A second pre-seed burnoff may be in order or — if emergence is likely to be slow — the post-seeding pre-emergence window may be a little wider than usual. Either way, early weed control remains important to maximize profit potential of the crop.

1. A second pre-seed burnoff. If growers did an early pre-seed burn two weeks ago but haven’t seeded the crop, they may want to consider a second pre-seed application. If the weeds are there, removing them now would be better than waiting a couple weeks for a first in-crop spray. This may be important for early germinating/cool season annual weeds like wild oat, volunteer cereals, wild mustard or wild buckwheat.

2. Post-seeding, pre-emergence. Read more.

3. Post emergence at the earliest stage. Read more.

Further reading:

Weed control in cool or frost conditions