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Perfect Time for Weed Control

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Healthy Environments

If you have undertaken revegetation in the last few years now is the perfect time to for weed control to ensure your trees get the most out of soil moisture from the recent rains.

A heavy weed burden on a planting site will greatly reduce your chances of success, with the weeds competing for light, moisture and nutrients.

Studies have shown a decrease in early seedling growth by up to 70% when compared with weed free sites, and a decrease in expected survival rates from 90% to as low as 10%. Pre-planting weed control is essential.

Ideally, weed control will start the year before planting. However, if you have already missed this window of opportunity its not too late to start now.

For a direct seeding site, weed control should take place over several seasons to increase the success of seedling establishment. Realistically this is not usually possible.

A one metre diameter area around the seedling should remain weed free for at least two years post planting, so follow-up weed control is essential.

Listed below is a range of possible weed control activities:

  • pasture topping and close grazing in spring and early summer
  • mechanical methods such as scalping and cultivation
  • herbicide application.

Your planting site should be sprayed at least twice before planting.

If using a residual chemical during final spray, the 25:25 rule should be followed – wait 25 days after application, or wait for 25mm of rain before planting or seeding.

Control of insect pests such as red-legged earth mites or lucerne fleas can also be carried out during the final spray using an appropriate pesticide.