Weed Control

[Loom]

We've recently graded land and intend to plant soybeans and trees when the rain picks up in July. The land is pretty much bare right now but seeds from the weed/sticker plant in the attached photo have been spread around and it's sprouting up everywhere.

I'd like to get rid of it altogether. We could go and pull each plant out by the root, but there's about 13 rai out there and that would take some time. I'm sure if we ploughed everything under it would disappear for a few weeks. If that was done before it had a chance to flower, would that solve the problem? Is there any recommended inexpensive and readily available groundcover we could plant that would prevent this stuff from coming back especially during the dry season?

A herbicide might work better. Any recommendations before I head down to the store?

If we go with a herbicide, what sort of plants will die or does that depend on the herbicide? If it's applied at the end of this month, will that make it more difficult for tree seedlings and soybeans to grow in July? What would be the recommended procedure...spray it, wait for the weeds to die, then plough it under?

Any ideas about my best option?

Thanks!

[Ciaphas]

In my personal experience with our land if we don't have anything growing on it during the dry season we let the weeds grow. When they dry out we set fire to the field then plough the land. Then when weeds do grow back while we are growing a crop we weed by hand on a bi daily basis.

[Loom]

I've got a small hangup about burning. I believe it would help from a weed supression point of view if we spread rice straw and composted material around as a sort of mulch especially under tree seedlings. Would this work? Or would this attract too many unwanted pests?

[ozzydom]

We've recently graded land and intend to plant soybeans and trees when the rain picks up in July. The land is pretty much bare right now but seeds from the weed/sticker plant in the attached photo have been spread around and it's sprouting up everywhere.

I'd like to get rid of it altogether. We could go and pull each plant out by the root, but there's about 13 rai out there and that would take some time. I'm sure if we ploughed everything under it would disappear for a few weeks. If that was done before it had a chance to flower, would that solve the problem? Is there any recommended inexpensive and readily available groundcover we could plant that would prevent this stuff from coming back especially during the dry season?

A herbicide might work better. Any recommendations before I head down to the store?

If we go with a herbicide, what sort of plants will die or does that depend on the herbicide? If it's applied at the end of this month, will that make it more difficult for tree seedlings and soybeans to grow in July? What would be the recommended procedure...spray it, wait for the weeds to die, then plough it under?

Any ideas about my best option?

Thanks!

The prickly little buggar in the lower photo is extremely hard to eliminate because it is a woody plant that sets seeds and also ariel shoots,(sends up suckers from its roots.

I have tried various herbicides without great success ,in the end its been a matter of constant hand weeding ,make sure you remove them from the site to let dry and burn.

[Somtham]

The prickly little buggar in the lower photo is extremely hard to eliminate because it is a woody plant that sets seeds and also ariel shoots,(sends up suckers from its roots.

I have tried various herbicides without great success ,in the end its been a matter of constant hand weeding ,make sure you remove them from the site to let dry and burn.

I've used glyphosate with a handful of urea thrown in per 18L spray tank. The cane farming neighbor advised the addition of the urea and it has worked well.

rgds

[Loom]

The prickly little buggar in the lower photo is extremely hard to eliminate because it is a woody plant that sets seeds and also ariel shoots,(sends up suckers from its roots.

I have tried various herbicides without great success ,in the end its been a matter of constant hand weeding ,make sure you remove them from the site to let dry and burn.

I've used glyphosate with a handful of urea thrown in per 18L spray tank. The cane farming neighbor advised the addition of the urea and it has worked well.

rgds

Those stickers can slice and dice if you're not wearing the right kind of protective clothing.

Thai family is recommending herbicide as well and now would be a good time since it looks like glyphosate is most effective when growth is vigorous. I'm just a little leery of spreading chemicals around. But glyphosate doesn't seem that bad as long as it's used only on the unwanted weeds.

Any experience with how long it takes before treated areas will support growth again? A long time ago I used a herbicide product out of the can to kill grass. Whatever it was that I used seeped down and noticably stunted the growth of nearby tree.

[richlao]

hey Loom

Ploughing the weeds under would give the soybean the head start they need.

For ground cover you would need one that is not going to outgrow the soybean and one which has a root system drawing on a different soil level. Something with a deep system would leave the up ones to the main crop and also draw up "new nutrients". I have heard that sunhemp (latin ???) has been used with soybean but I thought it was to tall.

Question? What type of soybean variety are you planting and where did you get it? I have had a difficult time sourcing any seed here in Laos but was able to find some originating in Chiang Mai (CM 60). Are you in CM?

cheers

richlao

[missismiggins]

Hi,

I opened a recent thread regarding Roundup and the cost increases recently.

While doing some digging I came across a study about GM Soybeans being grown in Hungary. It appears thet Monsanto will provide a package to farmers that includes GM Soybean seeds that are "Roundup" resistant and also provide farmers with the roundup to kill the weeds as part of the deal.

Not sure if they are available here but you may want to contact Monsanto to see if it is possible

This is the link to the document - it may prove of interest to you

<<http://www.pgeconomics.co.uk/pdf/GM_soybeans_Romania.pdf>>

Cheers!

[ozzydom]

Hi,

I opened a recent thread regarding Roundup and the cost increases recently.

While doing some digging I came across a study about GM Soybeans being grown in Hungary. It appears thet Monsanto will provide a package to farmers that includes GM Soybean seeds that are "Roundup" resistant and also provide farmers with the roundup to kill the weeds as part of the deal.

Not sure if they are available here but you may want to contact Monsanto to see if it is possible

This is the link to the document - it may prove of interest to you

<<http://www.pgeconomics.co.uk/pdf/GM_soybeans_Romania.pdf>>

Cheers!

Forget about Genetically Modified crops in Thailand at this stage.

There are numerous court challenges underway against the ruling by the previous Military Govt to allow field trials of GM crops in Thailand.

When it came to light in 2005 that Thailand was producing and selling GM Papaya to the export market,Germany and the US cancelled imports costing Thailand many millions of $ in lost export earnings.

I believe all the GM trees have been tracked down and destroyed, most were in the Khon Khaen area.

[Loom]

hey Loom

Ploughing the weeds under would give the soybean the head start they need.

For ground cover you would need one that is not going to outgrow the soybean and one which has a root system drawing on a different soil level. Something with a deep system would leave the up ones to the main crop and also draw up "new nutrients". I have heard that sunhemp (latin ???) has been used with soybean but I thought it was to tall.

Question? What type of soybean variety are you planting and where did you get it? I have had a difficult time sourcing any seed here in Laos but was able to find some originating in Chiang Mai (CM 60). Are you in CM?

cheers

richlao

Decided to keep things green and will just plough when it's time to plant the beans. The weeds seem to have a problem in the areas around the house where Bermuda grass has had a chance to get established and under the established trees.

That's an idea to mix a shorter forage grass in with the soybeans, especially something that would keep growing when things dry out, but I haven't been able to source seeds.

This will be the Thai family's first try at doing soybeans so I'm sorry I can't be much help. The seeds are apparently available at a local farmers' co-op in CM but I don't know the brand.

[SAP]

We've recently graded land and intend to plant soybeans and trees when the rain picks up in July. The land is pretty much bare right now but seeds from the weed/sticker plant in the attached photo have been spread around and it's sprouting up everywhere.

I'd like to get rid of it altogether. We could go and pull each plant out by the root, but there's about 13 rai out there and that would take some time. I'm sure if we ploughed everything under it would disappear for a few weeks. If that was done before it had a chance to flower, would that solve the problem? Is there any recommended inexpensive and readily available groundcover we could plant that would prevent this stuff from coming back especially during the dry season?

A herbicide might work better. Any recommendations before I head down to the store?

If we go with a herbicide, what sort of plants will die or does that depend on the herbicide? If it's applied at the end of this month, will that make it more difficult for tree seedlings and soybeans to grow in July? What would be the recommended procedure...spray it, wait for the weeds to die, then plough it under?

Any ideas about my best option?

Thanks!

For anyone wanting to know how to kill Miyalarp (one of the nasties in the photo's here) or other woody weeds. There is a chemical available in Thailand called GARLON (ai is Triclopyr) which is one of the active ingredients in GRAZON. Ive never actually used it here, so I don't know where to find it(although I know for sure its available). ITs made by DOW AGRO SCIENCES>.

I am pretty sure that some of the big chemical shops in the central plains area or around Chiang Mai probably stock it. ISARN I think you would have to be lucky.

SAP

[Loom]

Thanks SAP...I've read through a few of Dow's information booklets and the technology involved in the application of Garlon is over my head.

I expect as the stuff we want to grow gets better established, weed control will get easier. After the experience I had a long time ago I'm not confident about putting down plant killing chemicals that will leach into the soil.

[Loom]

Believe the weed is called the little-leaf sensitive briar in the West because the leaves fold up when touched. It's a novelty for kids but the stickers are a nuisance.

Anyhow, we never did get around to planting anything but small tree seedlings. The briar weeds spread out pretty much everywhere and it got increasingly difficult to keep the brush down using a strimmer. So we hit the weeds with glyphosate and that pretty much did the job. Turned everything brown except the seedlings. Grass and a little briar started growing back a few weeks after application.

We'll go back over the next few months and hit the spots we missed on the first pass. Hopefully, next year the seedlings will shade the ground better and we won't need to use herbicide.

[Maizefarmer]

There is no end-solution to weeds - you keep weeding and you keep applying herbicide - ultimatley they grow back.

In this climate its about control - and thats the best one can do.