CULTIVATION AND WEED CONTROL 



Cultivate new seedings frequently to control weeds between rows. Use 

 selective sprays such as 2,4-D to control weeds within rows. Use the 

 selective sprays any time after the plants are 6 weeks old. Selective sprays 

 injure some of the broad-leaved grasses more than the fine-leaved grasses. 

 If you provide plenty of irrigation water, however, the damage caused by 

 selective sprays will not be excessive. 



Before seeding you can control some weeds by shallow cultivation with a 

 harrow. Keep the soil moist enough to germinate weed seeds to control 

 weeds effectively before seeding. Weedy grasses that occur within the 

 rows must be removed by hand. If you use pure seed to begin with you 

 will have less hand labor to do on your grass stand. 



You can treat established grass stands rather roughly in the early spring 

 before they start growth. Use a spring-tooth harrow on bunch-type grasses 

 and a double disk on sod formers. This helps control winter annuals and 

 volunteers that may occur. If you use a spring-tooth, run it deep enough 

 to get most of the weeds within the rows. If you use a double disk on the 

 sod formers, run it about 1 inch deep. Do the early spring cultivation 

 before the plants make more than an inch of growth. This type of cultiva- 

 tion helps reduce the depth of the furrow between rows, a help when you 

 harvest. Use regular cultivating equipment such as a duck-foot to cultivate 

 between rows after the early spring operation. Cultivate only as needed 

 to control weeds or volunteers. Do not throw the soil over the grass during 

 cultivation. You will find that one or two cultivations before and after 

 seed harvest are enough. Do not use selective sprays on established stands 

 when the head has started to form in the boot. 



CARE OF STAND AFTER HARVEST 



You may graze the aftermath of a grass crop provided an adequate 

 supply of irrigation water is available. Stop grazing early enough to permit 

 at least 6 inches of regrowth before freezing weather is expected. If the 

 grass stand is to be used for aftermath grazing, irrigate it as you would a 

 pasture. The stand may need additional amounts of fertilizer above what 

 would be required if the grazing were not done. 



PLOWING OUT THE GRASS STAND 



• 



Plowing the grass after the last seed crop is harvested should be done in 

 the fall. Disk the sod as deep as possible before plowing. Plow about 5 

 inches deep on the contour or cross slope on sloping land. After plowing, 

 disk the sod once or twice to break up the clumps of roots. Leave the soil 

 rough over winter to help conserve moisture and prevent water and wind 

 erosion. 



You will be able to prepare a better seedbed for following crops on a sod 

 that is fall-plowed and left rough over winter. You can use the land for a 

 crop such as grain or for a new seeding of a legume. The undecomposed 

 sods may cause difficulty in cultivating and harvesting row crops. 



Remember that soils plowed out of a grass stand will rapidly absorb 

 irrigation water. The time needed for proper irrigation may be much less 

 than was needed before the grass was grown. Check the depth of water 

 penetration to prevent overuse of water. 



U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: 1951 



For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office 

 Washington 25, D. C. - Price 5 cents 



