Dow AgroSciences warns that weeds are worse than normal

Lambsquarters is germinating in some fields and will come up quickly with giant ragweed soon to follow.
Lambsquarters is germinating in some fields and will come up quickly with giant ragweed soon to follow. | File photo

Weeds are worse than normal this year due to warm soil temperatures, and lambsquarters and giant ragweed will be especially harmful to young plants this spring.

“Lambsquarters is germinating in some fields and will come up quickly with giant ragweed soon to follow,” Kent Bennis, market development specialist for Dow AgroSciences, said. “Growers should continue to be vigilant and have a management plan in place to stay ahead of early germinating weeds.”

Growers need to have a plan to combat the winter annual weeds, which will be increased in size this year. They should run tillage equipment four inches deep when applying pre-emergence herbicides like Sonic or Surveil.

Jay Wilburn, a corn and soybean grower from Missouri, treated his 300 acres with Sonic pre-emergence herbicide which will protect his fields until late June.

“When it comes to early season weeds,” Wilburn said. “If there are weeds in the field, yield potential is being robbed. If you don’t control them early, especially waterhemp, it's almost impossible to control them at all. You need to control weeds to have a successful crop.”