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Fall burndown can help growers control weeds, prepare for 2020

WinField United Agronomist Joe Rickard says growers should consider a fall burndown program to control weeds.  

“In controlling those fields with a fall burndown application, if it can be done, we can get some of those winter annual weeds and the biggest one that comes to mind is marestail,” he says. “Those fields come springtime will look 110 percent cleaner.”

He tells Brownfield fall burndown will help growers prepare for the upcoming growing season.

“That’s going to set growers up for a good, clean field here in the spring of 2020 to get started off right,” he says.

Some growers won’t be able to apply a fall burndown because of the late harvest and potential for frost.

“So if I’m in that 30- to 28-degree range on those nighttime temperatures for four hours or more then we probably have to shut that fall burndown application down,” he says. “But, if I’m still above 32 degrees on nighttime temperatures, it’s still okay to go ahead and put a fall burndown application on because some things are still going to be translocating in that plant.”

Rickard is based in Beloit, Ohio.

Audio: Joe Rickard, WinField United