Knowledgebase
Invasive grass #770364
Asked September 02, 2021, 10:43 AM EDT
Van Buren County Michigan
Expert Response
Good Afternoon,
I believe what you have is smartweed or a relative. Info taken from below article.
Management:
Mechanical
Tillage: Tilling at night (dark tillage) will reduce smartweed emergence by 30-50%. If perennial smartweed is present in the field, clean tillage equipment before moving to another field- the rhizomes will wrap and hang on the tillage equipment.
Rotary hoeing: Hoe smartweeds before they exceed 1/4" in height.
Flaming: Flaming is effective on small smartweeds (less than 1" in height).
Cultural
Crop rotation: Smartweeds are not a weed of small grains and forages.
Planting date: Tilling in the spring triggers smartweed to germinate. Therefore, tilling in early May and planting later (mid-May) will reduce smartweed infestations because many smartweed plants will have emerged and been controlled by tillage.
Chemical
Application timing and effectiveness: Herbicides are available to control smartweeds. Control can be difficult in sugar beets.
Smartweeds (Pennsylvania smartweed and ladysthumb) - Weeds (msu.edu)
Smartweed, Pennsylvania — Department of Plant Science (psu.edu)
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