Following Up Harvest with a Powerful Burndown

Evaluating late-season weed control and escapes is extremely important as harvest approaches. It gives you a head start on future management decisions and creates opportunities for fall applications. According to Helena Agronomists, post-harvest burndown can be the best time to get a weed population under control.

“When utilized properly, fall burndown can be extremely effective,” says Ben Wilson, Helena Agronomist based in Michigan. “It all depends on the weed species you’re dealing with and the life cycle biology.”

The most common problems this time of year are Marestail, Dandelion, Chickweed, Deadnettle and other winter annuals. As days get shorter and temperatures turn cooler, many weeds are not only germinating and developing above-ground leaf tissue, but more importantly, they are also putting tremendous energy into root and shoot production.

“When targeting herbicide applications during the fall season, our main focus should be getting our systemic actives into the root system,” says Wilson.

Here are his tips to prepare you for success this fall:

1. Target applications during warmer daytime temperatures above 40°.
2. Always tank mix with an adjuvant to improve coverage and penetration, provide water conditioning and reduce off-target drift.
3. Create a herbicide program that utilizes multiple sites of action, complementary herbicides and residual activity.

Contact your local Helena representation to create your post-harvest burndown program.