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North Central Illinois | Dad had a few areas of giant ragweed that were pretty bad 10 years ago. Since I have taken over, they are largely gone, except for a few patches next to the barnyard. I am getting that under control with goats. The key is preventing seed set for 4-5 years. I have the advantage of livestock, so I can put ground in a perennial forage for that time to get the seedbank cleared out. That leaves very few to hand pull.
Joel, I think delayed planting is the explanation. Most of them emerge early. I had probably 3-5 giant ragweed per square foot emerge early in April in one acre patch by the barn. I disked and had roughly 1/2 as many come back in another flush. Corn planted in late May had roughly one per 100' of row that I hand pulled to prevent seed production. This spring I had a large flush in the edge of a field of oats (10 rows by 200'). There were a few giant ragweed I did not catch in last year's corn in the border rows that set seed. I had the cattle graze them off, then plowed and planted soybeans June 10. I just walked those beans and pulled 5 giant ragweed plants from 3 acres.
Velvet leaf is THE weed that I fight the hardest on dad's ground. Those seeds last darn near forever. I have plowed under sod where there wasn't one for a decade and I have this 5 days later. At least the rotary hoe controls most of them in loose soil. A wet 10 days after planting would be killer though. I am hoping no till in rye will solve this. They sure don't emerge in small grains until after harvest.
Edited by Blusteryknollfarm 7/31/2016 23:35
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cereal rye and weed control
