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North Central Illinois | Yep, tillage at the right time and the right way combined with crop competition.
If starting with a very happy stand of quack grass (I've rotated several pastures that were mostly quackgrass into crop production) starting a bare fallow in late July is the best strategy. A light chisel plow or heavy field cultivator with straight points run shallow to pull roots to the surface is ideal. Run again every 2-3 weeks. Seeding a cover crop in mid to late September with the plan of corn the next year is my preference.
If only a modest infestation, a couple field cultivator passes spread a few weeks apart in spring until planting in mid to late May is enough to let the corn or soy beans have a competitive advantage and cultivating close early really helps. Hilling corn as high as possible when 18" talk or so really takes a toll on it and a healthy corn canopy finishes the job. The only part of the rotation that it gains ground is in cereal grains or if I keep a hay/pasture stand a year too long after it starts thinning out. | |
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Quackgrass control in organic crops...
