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upson22

weed spray for sunflowers

upson22
14 years ago

We have been growing sunflowers for our market for 5 years now, each year increasing the amount we grow. It is getting hard to keep up with the weeding, so although I am not a big fan of sprays I am looking into possibly spraying my sunflowers for weeds. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions?

Comments (20)

  • budb
    14 years ago

    upson
    I use eptam and prowl or eptam and dual preplant incorporated
    with good results. If necessary I use poast or select as a
    post-emergent for rhizome johnson grass or common bermuda.
    I also grow vegetables in rotation with suns and have had no
    residual problems with the above.
    Bud

  • upson22
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks for the information, I think I will try the preplant, hand weeding is taking too much time!

  • l_james
    14 years ago

    What type of sunflowers are you growing?

  • upson22
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    I grow Pro Cuts, Sunbright, Sunrich, soraya, mostly single stems for cut bouquets.

  • all_bout_flowers
    14 years ago

    I use black plastic as a weed block. Cut a 10" hole in it stick the start in with some bone meal and then put some fertilizer on the side. Come back in a few weeks pull out the few weeds around the base and repeat every so often. Seems to work just fine.

  • budb
    14 years ago

    all bout
    Sounds easy enough.....but, do you wanna do that with
    5 to 8 thousand stems every ten days? I'll stick with
    the herbicides and direct seeding.
    Bud

  • boston3381
    14 years ago

    budb i sent you a E-mail..

  • budb
    14 years ago

    boston
    Re-send e-mail...I did not receive it.
    b

  • boston3381
    14 years ago

    budb email is gone but.

    you said ,I use eptam and prowl or eptam and dual preplant incorporated
    with good results. If necessary I use poast or select as a
    post-emergent for rhizome johnson grass or common bermuda.
    I also grow vegetables in rotation with suns and have had no
    residual problems with the above.

    my question is do you allways use this as a post-emergent? when is it applyed. right befor planting, week befor, after?? if you dont mind what is your mix mixing ratio?
    we grow abought 15 acres of sunflowers mostly Sunbright and Sunrich. in the past we just cultivated. i do have a sprayer 500 GAL 45foot boom, witch i use dual and sencore for potatoes "after we plant" for the weeds. growing rate on potatoes is anywhere from 80 to 110 days,where sunflowers are 50 to 60. we try to get 2 crops a year on the sunflowers.

    if you rather answer me with a e-mail thats fine too.i didn't start this post and didn't want it to turn into something other than what it is. e-mail is redsox3381@yahoo.com

    thank you,
    you whould be saving me and my family from alot of twisted ankles and extra work.

  • budb
    14 years ago

    boston
    I use Eptam (31/2 pints/acre) plus Dual (1 1/2 pints /acre
    incorporated preplant. The Poast or Select is used after
    crop and weeds are up and growing only if necessary. Rate for Poast is 1 pt/A and Select is 12 oz./A. plus equal amounts of crop oil concentrate with either.
    I plant two drills 16" apart on 48" centers and occasionally
    will cultivate or hand weed to clean up anything that might
    escape the herbicides.
    Hope this helps...good luck!
    Bud

  • boston3381
    14 years ago

    budb thank you for your help..i might pick your brain as we get closer to spring... thank you, thank you

  • boston3381
    12 years ago

    just wanted to know if member "budb" or "upson22"
    has been online??

    how are your sunflowers doing?
    upson22 did you spray for weeds?? did it work?

  • boston3381
    12 years ago

    i know we are all bussy with cutting sunflowers!!!!!

    but "budb" or "upson" you out there??

    i just picked up a small used 100 gallon/15 foot boom sprayer.that im going to try next year for weeds.

    how is everyone year going with sunflowers?

  • upson22
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I did not use any spray this year, I plant 8-10 150' rows every 2 weeks or so, couldn't figure out how to spray and incorporate before planting such a small area, so...for now I am planting and hand weeding each row a couple of times until the plants get big enough to canopy and block the weeds. Our flowers are doing great, we've had some timely rains here in Michigan, and after those hot humid weeks we are enjoying the 80 degree days!

  • budb
    12 years ago

    boston
    I am still here...have not been posting...only reading.
    You had a question?
    Bud

  • boston3381
    12 years ago

    yes i do budb... just give me a day or so to post my questions..
    OMG we are cutting sun flowers non-stop.... its been a good year for them, but still lots of weeds.. ( 15 years of doing this and we have never sprayed for weeds at all )

    so you know i did pick up a used 100 gal. 3 point hitch sprayer with 15 foot boom span.
    but like i said befor we have a 500 GAL 45foot boom sprayer but it realy didnt work for sun flowers at 30/gals. per acre
    we only plant abought a 1/4 acre at a time for sunflowers.

    i am not going to spray this year for weeds, only one more planting left witch we will do this sunday.

    so all the questions abught spraying and what to use will be for next year.
    also just so you know we are licensed for commercial chemicals.

  • boston3381
    12 years ago

    bulb, sry took so long to get back to you.

    i dont know if you plant the same way we do?
    we plow then disk harrow draging a pipe to make smooth.
    then plant with a small 65HP tractor with a 3 point hitch rack with 2 planet jr's abought 16" apart on 48" center.

    my question is, do you spray Eptam plus Dual AFTER YOU PLANT? or do you do, what we call a STALE-BED PLANT where you spray then wait 7 days then plant?

  • budb
    12 years ago

    boston
    I apply Eptam and Dual prior to planting. Usually just a short
    time before. It is incorporated with a 48" tiller, forming
    a slightly raised seed bed to facilitate drainage.
    This year I went to a closer spacing with 3 drills twelve
    inches apart and 7" in-row seed spacing. Rows are 48" OC.
    I plant with a Matermac vacuum planter with double disk openers. I can no-til, minimum till or stale seed bed plant
    with it also.
    Hope this helps.
    Good Luck!
    Bud

  • boston3381
    12 years ago

    bulb,
    your tiler, dose it spray and till at the same time?
    i have seen large tilling equipment that can till and spray at the same time. but yours is 4 foot wide ?

    if your tiler dose bolth? is it tilling then spraying or visa versa?

  • budb
    12 years ago

    boston
    It is actually separate operations. Chemical is applied
    with a 3 row sprayer followed immediately by tiller on another tractor.
    Quite often I will shred or remove old crop residue, till, spray, till again, and plant....same day. Usually followed by sprinkler irrigation if soil is real dry...such as now.
    Seldom is any plot vacant very long...something is growing
    year around.
    Bud

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