# Mow weeds before Roundup?



## bigrackHack (Jun 11, 2004)

BIG ARCHERY NUT said:


> I'm getting ready for my fall plots and after one season with the plots the weeds are quit heavy. Should I mow them down then apply Roundup or leave them tall? They are about 12"-14" high right now.


Leave 'em tall. You'll need some leaf area to soak up the chemical.


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## trixter (Jul 20, 2008)

Im using it now. if you let the weeds burn then try mowing them it may be had to mow and will turn to a rope like weed. Id mow wet or alive then. roundup. 
Do you plan to till up the lot? If so dont use roundup just till up the plot with all the weeds in it.


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## bowhunter_21_03 (Oct 20, 2002)

In a perfect world, I'd spray, till, spray, till, plant. But in most cases, due to lack of time or equipment thats not possible. If I were you I would spray now, then in another month till and plant. Try to plant just before a rain. That way, whatever you plant should germinate quickly and hopefully out compete the weeds.


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## BIG ARCHERY NUT (Oct 24, 2003)

bowhunter_21_03 said:


> In a perfect world, I'd spray, till, spray, till, plant. But in most cases, due to lack of time or equipment thats not possible. If I were you I would spray now, then in another month till and plant. Try to plant just before a rain. That way, whatever you plant should germinate quickly and hopefully out compete the weeds.


Do you mow before you spray? I know with my home garden after the second tilling you have gotten most of the weeds so I understand what you say about the repeat tilling.


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## FL-HNT-N-FSH (Dec 4, 2004)

if you mow you will need to wait about 5 days to spray for best results. i would do this only because it will get the new growth under th tall stuff


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## bowhunter_21_03 (Oct 20, 2002)

FL hit it right on the head. If you mow, you need to wait a few days in order for the weeds to begin growing again. As long as they are actively growing they will absorb the herbicide and you'll get a good kill. If the weeds around only a foot tall, you should be able to get a good kill of everything just by spraying without mowing.


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## xswanted (Feb 1, 2008)

DO NOT mow before you spray.

Roundup works by contact with the leaves on the plant. You'd get a kill if you mow but it would work better if you spray on the weeds before you mow.

You actually probably waited a little long to spray. As plants get bigger they also get harder to kill. Roundup works best when the plants are fairly young.

When you spray try not to do it right in the heat of the day. A misconception with Roundup is that it works great in the heat because it burns the plant. However I was at a chemical seminar awhile back and they told us to spray in the cooler part of the day. The plant tends to soak up more when its not really hot.


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## BIG ARCHERY NUT (Oct 24, 2003)

xswanted said:


> DO NOT mow before you spray.
> 
> Roundup works by contact with the leaves on the plant. You'd get a kill if you mow but it would work better if you spray on the weeds before you mow.
> 
> ...


Thanks everyone for the input. I would think late afternoon would be best then so it stays moist all night. My weeds are not too thick and I think I should be able to get contact on everything big and small.


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## BeeCee (Oct 22, 2007)

*No mowing!*

Do not mow the weeds before you spray at all. Use a good surfactant with the round-up and spray in the morning or evening to prevent drifting. The main thing is to know what kind of weeds you are dealing with. The younger the weeds the better. If you can find someone to spray it with a restricted use licensce (sp) then they can purchase a stronger version of the chemical than you can. If weeds are too tall then I recommend discing the ground first then wait for the weed to germinate and get about knee high and then spray. Any weed that is over knee high is going to be hard to kill this time of year. Drought stress makes it tougher. Just a few thoughts from an old soybean and cotton farmer from the delta of Arkansas.

Also if you spray and get a good kill then I recommend no till planting. I you have to work the ground to plant it then another generation of weeds will sprout along with your seeds. Just be ready to spray as soon as the plants are big enough to withstand the chemical. Always follow the label!!!!!!


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## gjs4 (Jan 10, 2006)

You mow it to 6" in height..think of it as dosage (like medicine) 600mg does not do the same thing for a 90lb wman as it does for a 350 linebacker, right? It also fores the plant to take in more nutrients (or roundup) due to the stress of being cut.


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## sback05 (Oct 26, 2006)

we always mow before we spray. we tried it with out mowing 1 time and it just didn't kill everything. So we brushhog, spray, let sit for 2 weeks, till & plant. Works great for us.


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## standsitter (Feb 29, 2008)

definitely mow now then wait 1-2 weeks and nuke the area the round-up will work on all the new growth encourage by the mowing. It will be hard to kill the weeds at the height they are now. MOW, WAIT, SPRAY.


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## BuckeyeRed (Sep 7, 2006)

Spray it before you mow. Depending on the weed you may or may not be off label. At any rate, if you're worried about not getting a good kill, just up the chemical rate a few ounces and use a surfactant.


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## BIG ARCHERY NUT (Oct 24, 2003)

Sounds if the majority are saying Mow, Wait & then Spray.

Cannot locate any info from the Monsanto web site so that is why I'm trying here.

Thanks and it looks as if i will follow the majority.


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## bigrackHack (Jun 11, 2004)

BIG ARCHERY NUT said:


> Sounds if the majority are saying Mow, Wait & then Spray.
> 
> Cannot locate any info from the Monsanto web site so that is why I'm trying here.
> 
> Thanks and it looks as if i will follow the majority.


It really depends on how much time you have to wait before you plant. If you spray now, you wait 2 weeks for chem to work, then you can mow/plow. Depending on the type of weed, you may not even have to mow after spraying---the weeds may lay completely down (that's my experience with grasses and non-woody type weeds). On the other side, if you mow, wait 2 weeks, spray, wait another 2 weeks for chem kill---well, you're a month in before you can even touch the ground which puts you near the end of August. That's cutting it close in some places.

12-14" isn't a very tall weed. I've sprayed stuff up to shoulder high and had good kill with less material to mow. Less mow chaff is preferable for subsequent plowing/tilling for a better seedbed.


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## Skidoo2020 (Jul 22, 2021)

BeeCee said:


> *No mowing!*
> 
> Do not mow the weeds before you spray at all. Use a good surfactant with the round-up and spray in the morning or evening to prevent drifting. The main thing is to know what kind of weeds you are dealing with. The younger the weeds the better. If you can find someone to spray it with a restricted use licensce (sp) then they can purchase a stronger version of the chemical than you can. If weeds are too tall then I recommend discing the ground first then wait for the weed to germinate and get about knee high and then spray. Any weed that is over knee high is going to be hard to kill this time of year. Drought stress makes it tougher. Just a few thoughts from an old soybean and cotton farmer from the delta of Arkansas.
> 
> Also if you spray and get a good kill then I recommend no till planting. I you have to work the ground to plant it then another generation of weeds will sprout along with your seeds. Just be ready to spray as soon as the plants are big enough to withstand the chemical. Always follow the label!!!!!!


I just went to a food plot seminar for the second year in a row, one of the first things I learned is. Spray and till it in 30 min. When you wait 2 weeks, that’s two weeks of new weeds that develop. Spray it , till it, plant it as soon as you can. This allows your plants to get started and that gives you cover to stop weed growth


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## LetThemGrow (Apr 2, 2004)

Wow a 13 year old thread…you are 2 for 2!


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## Juneauhunt (Aug 3, 2010)

Skidoo2020 said:


> I just went to a food plot seminar for the second year in a row, one of the first things I learned is. Spray and till it in 30 min. When you wait 2 weeks, that’s two weeks of new weeds that develop. Spray it , till it, plant it as soon as you can. This allows your plants to get started and that gives you cover to stop weed growth


You should try a "how to participate properly when joining a new site" seminar. 😜


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## 12-Ringer (Jan 3, 2008)

Welcome to the boards!!! I am not sure why it bothers some folks or that some of the same general members feel the need to point out when a newer member "wakes up" an old threads? They system is set up in a "strange way" in that some of the older threads appear directly under the topic on the main page. For example, directly below the text box I am typing in is a thread entitled "spray or mow 1st??" and it was started in 2006. If I were to open it and reply it moves it to the top of the boards, there is nothing wrong with that....

Again, welcome aboard, hope your membership turns out to be what you had hoped for....if you're interested we run a deer contest every fall, but registration will be closed next weekend, so get it now if you're interested....here's the 411....








Archery Talk Forum







www.archerytalk.com


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## Broadside Only (Oct 2, 2017)

12-Ringer said:


> Welcome to the boards!!! I am not sure why it bothers some folks or that some of the same general members feel the need to point out when a newer member "wakes up" an old threads?


Exactly, The board suggests topics and threads to read and comment on. Some of those are very old. It's not the fault of a member, new or old.


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## 12-Ringer (Jan 3, 2008)

Broadside Only said:


> Exactly, The board suggests topics and threads to read and comment on. Some of those are very old. It's not the fault of a member, new or old.


…what’s odd to me is those who seem to continually point it out?


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## LetThemGrow (Apr 2, 2004)

12-Ringer said:


> …what’s odd to me is those who seem to continually point it out?


You enjoy newbies spamming to get to 20? This one may not be but so many are…open a thread to find out it’s a decade old and irrelevant is frustrating.

Sorry to make this a point of contention for you. I’ll try to refrain.


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## LetThemGrow (Apr 2, 2004)

Skidoo2020 said:


> I just went to a food plot seminar for the second year in a row, one of the first things I learned is. Spray and till it in 30 min. When you wait 2 weeks, that’s two weeks of new weeds that develop. Spray it , till it, plant it as soon as you can. This allows your plants to get started and that gives you cover to stop weed growth


Why would you spray if you are going to till 30 minutes later? Sounds like someone is trying to sell chemicals.


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## EJP1234 (Aug 10, 2014)

LetThemGrow said:


> Why would you spray if you are going to till 30 minutes later? Sounds like someone is trying to sell chemicals.


 I spray and till immediately, that way the gly gets in the soil and the roots just soak it up... lmao... 


No you dont mow then spray, or spray and till in within 30min’s. I dont know where some of these things come from.


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## 12-Ringer (Jan 3, 2008)

LetThemGrow said:


> You enjoy newbies spamming to get to 20? This one may not be but so many are…open a thread to find out it’s a decade old and irrelevant is frustrating.
> 
> Sorry to make this a point of contention for you. I’ll try to refrain.


Geeze….


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## Pyme (May 6, 2015)

If somebody is going to revive an old thread, I don't mind if they do it this way, where they actually offer solid info, and use a few sentences. The "Recommended Reading" thing catches all of us now and then. 

The ones that kill me are a ten year old thread that gets bumped back up just to say "Nice". And then same guy goes on to do _THAT_ 20 times. 🥴


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## LetThemGrow (Apr 2, 2004)

Pyme said:


> If somebody is going to revive an old thread, I don't mind if they do it this way, where they actually offer solid info, and use a few sentences. The "Recommended Reading" thing catches all of us now and then.
> 
> The ones that kill me are a ten year old thread that gets bumped back up just to say "Nice". And then same guy goes on to do _THAT_ 20 times. 🥴


Joe says…embrace it!


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## 12-Ringer (Jan 3, 2008)

LetThemGrow said:


> Joe says…embrace it!


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## g squared 23 (Aug 30, 2013)

The discussion is interesting, old or new. When to spray or mow depends heavily on if you’re going to till or not.

I’m completely no till at this point. I have a riding mower and a pull behind sprayer. I’ve got a brassica planting coming up. I’m going to broadcast into standing rye, then fertilize (will have to be before a rain to work it in) and then spray. I drive slow and keep my mower deck low to the ground. This lays the vegetation over making it easier to get even spray coverage, and I have a wonderful thatch layer over my seed that will hold moisture and slowly decompose. It’s faster, easier and cheaper than tillage and achieves great results. Around Labor day I’ll overseed again with winter rye and clover to fill in the gaps, as well as to grow a thatch layer that will be used to repeat the process next year.

Back when I would disk or till, I’d spray the plot a month before the first planting date, and then two weeks before to kill any stragglers, and then only disk or till on planting day; I would only spray on the planting date if I was using a preemergent like Dual Magnum or Prowl to plant sunflowers. Tillage definitely works and it’s the best way to plant corn or sunflowers, but it does require multiple trips to a property and that is time I just do not often have.

i’ve also tried the “mow, wait a week and spray, plant same day” routine, and with timely rains and forgiving seed (rye), it normally works out pretty well. It was also easier when I only had a backpack sprayer because walking through and spraying shoulder high weeds is awful. But the pull behind sprayer has been a game changer. I’m almost always cover cropping with rye, which itself will suppress weeds. So I can plant a plot that has rye as a cover crop in one trip over there, which is huge for me when the property is over an hour away and I’m trying to balance work and family life.


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## LetThemGrow (Apr 2, 2004)

12-Ringer said:


>


I’m still waiting for his reply…I’m trying hard to engage him?


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## useyourbow (Jun 2, 2010)

If you spray before mowing you are wasting your time and money. The taller weeds will prevent the roundup from hitting the second level weeds. Mow, allow new growth to begin, spray, allow for brown up, and then disc.


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## EJP1234 (Aug 10, 2014)

useyourbow said:


> If you spray before mowing you are wasting your time and money. The taller weeds will prevent the roundup from hitting the second level weeds. Mow, allow new growth to begin, spray, allow for brown up, and then disc.


LMAO... really? Its funny, when we do kill off of the cover crop, we’ve never had that problem before putting in the corn lol...


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## Mohican (Feb 7, 2003)

There are a number of ways to accomplish this depending on the amount of time you have as well as the equipment that you have. Here are a number of ways that I have used depending on time.

Little time - basically your hunting site is some ways away and you only have one trip to accomplish. Broadcast your seed into the standing weeds and immediately after that crush all the weeds down by utilizing a roller. Then spray at least 2 - 3 quarts per acre of glysophate. the crushed weeds will die and supply a moisture barrier as well as fertilizer for your new seeds. Established weeds limit the growth of smaller weeds underneath so you should have good seed to ground contact, this works really well for brassicas, which are tiny and just need contact with the soil. This may be your best bet for your first season.

A couple of weeks - mow the weeds down to six to eight inches, wait 5 days to a week and then spray, you can then plant right away with brassicas or a cereal mix cultipack. do not mix cereal blend and brassicas as they compete. 

More than a couple of weeks - mow the weeds, wait for a good kill, then till the soil. Wait another 5-7 days spray again and then broadcast your brassicas, cultipack.

the only problem you may have is if you mow with a brushhog, you will get clumps of weed residue if your weeds are over 3 foot tall. It can prevent spray from reaching weeds underneath it. I don't like to allow weeds to get high. The best thing to do is spray in early spring, then again in late May and plant a cover crop such as buckwheat in early June, first couple weeks of August (8 weeks after planting buckwheat) broadcast seed, crush buckwheat and then spray. I like this method best as you do not need the tools and works well, especially if your plot is in a remote area.

This is all providing that your soil ph is good, which it is probably not since you are growing weeds. I would recommend a liquid lime since you are so late in the year. Plotstart is one I have seen and am trying this year for myself. Pelletized lime is easier to broadcast and regular lime, I have done by hand requires a specialized broadcaster for large amounts.

Do not overseed, more is not better. A combined brassica mixture should be no more than 6 to 8 pounds per acre total. The seeds are very small. Rye grain is a good plot by itself if your soil is poor quality. I have seen it grow in the back of a pickup truck with a little dirt!!! 100 lbs per acre and then another 100 lbs per acre 2 to 4 weeks later. I plant rye starting labor day in Ohio. 

There is a lot of information here so it looks like you will be drinking from a fire hose. I have 20 years experience and once again I have all the equipment I need now, but it wasn't that way in the beginning. The first year, especially if you are starting this late, can be a challenge.


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## LetThemGrow (Apr 2, 2004)

Definitely a number of ways to accomplish it, some of what’s listed above doesn’t match my limited testing.


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