This will be your most important and probably the biggest expense for your dove field. Sit down for a minute and ponder what I am about to tell you. A lot of chemicals are tied into the price of oil. So with oil going up so are herbicides. I will provide a link to help you pick what chemicals will best suit your needs. I will also show you which herbicides I use.
http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-2150.pdf
This publication is great for those that choose sunflowers. I spoke with the author and he is on his A game for dove hunting fields.
I usually start out by burning down the field with a Glyphosphate product. Don't freak out about the Gly. It is simply Round Up , but a heck of a lot cheaper than the brand name. The main ingredient in Round Up is Glyphosphate. You need to run about 2 quarts per acre on my initial burn down application 8 to 10 days prior to planting. If this is the first time planting your field I would suggest doing this twice with about 30 days apart. This knocks out the major weeds right off the bat. Remember that a clean field under your sunflowers is the key!!!!
After your initial burndown you will want to start thinking about "Pre" and "Post" Emergence applications of herbicide. Don't get freaked out about the different chemicals. I stick with 2 basics plus the BEYOND. Your "Pre" is going to be DUAL and your "Post" is going to be Spartan 4f. I use 1.33 pints of DUAL and 14oz of Spartan 4f per acre. My sprayer shoots 40 gallons to the acre. The math on this part is crucial. Over application is illegal and bad for the soil. Make sure to follow the applicable laws per your state on this part. Know what your sprayer sprays per acre and the rest is easy math. Here is my example based on a 40 gallon spray per acre.
200 gallon tank / 40 gallons sprayed per acre = 5 acres
5 x 1.33 pints on the DUAL
5 x 4ozs on the Spartan
Above is for 5 acres. For 10 acres I just double it.
Both of these go in the tank together and are safe to use together. I usually wear a breathing mask and long clothing both on filling the tank and spraying. Don't forget to add a SURFACTANT. It is a chemical binder. It is dirt cheap and usually half a gallon does the trick. Make sure to mix it in the tank via an agitator if your sprayer is equipped.
A couple of notes:
Don't use your home measuring cup that your wife is measuring milk for the Sunday cake. tomorrow. Herbicides are poisonous and you need to take them seriously. Read the label on each herbicide and double rinse each jug into the sprayer before throwing them away.
The "Pre" and "Post" go down immediately after planting. Don't do it the next day or next week. It will smoke your plants. These chemicals will help keep the field weed free under your plants until the sunflowers get big enough to shade out the weeds. This is a must for a clean dove field.
CLEARFIELD Sunflowers are unique in the fact that they have a special chemical that you can spray that kills the weeds in the field after your sunflowers have sprouted. This chemical is called BEYOND and is pricey to say the least. If money is no object by all means us it. The results are sensational. BEYOND is applied after the plants emerge. Make sure you cleaned/washed out your sprayer before you put this in the tank. The label gives the recommended dosage per acre. I think I paid $795 for one gallon. One gallon does 32 acres. That breaks the cost down a little for me. However, this is expensive and rotary hoeing is an option for those inclined to keep their costs down.
If you are not going to use CLEARFIELD sunflowers save the money and find a hybrid variety that you can plant. It will be much cheaper to use another variety that is not a CLEARFIELD variety. Me, I am sticking with CLEARFIELD because it works and I have 2 more years of BEYOND locked in the closet at home.
http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-2150.pdf
This publication is great for those that choose sunflowers. I spoke with the author and he is on his A game for dove hunting fields.
I usually start out by burning down the field with a Glyphosphate product. Don't freak out about the Gly. It is simply Round Up , but a heck of a lot cheaper than the brand name. The main ingredient in Round Up is Glyphosphate. You need to run about 2 quarts per acre on my initial burn down application 8 to 10 days prior to planting. If this is the first time planting your field I would suggest doing this twice with about 30 days apart. This knocks out the major weeds right off the bat. Remember that a clean field under your sunflowers is the key!!!!
After your initial burndown you will want to start thinking about "Pre" and "Post" Emergence applications of herbicide. Don't get freaked out about the different chemicals. I stick with 2 basics plus the BEYOND. Your "Pre" is going to be DUAL and your "Post" is going to be Spartan 4f. I use 1.33 pints of DUAL and 14oz of Spartan 4f per acre. My sprayer shoots 40 gallons to the acre. The math on this part is crucial. Over application is illegal and bad for the soil. Make sure to follow the applicable laws per your state on this part. Know what your sprayer sprays per acre and the rest is easy math. Here is my example based on a 40 gallon spray per acre.
200 gallon tank / 40 gallons sprayed per acre = 5 acres
5 x 1.33 pints on the DUAL
5 x 4ozs on the Spartan
Above is for 5 acres. For 10 acres I just double it.
Both of these go in the tank together and are safe to use together. I usually wear a breathing mask and long clothing both on filling the tank and spraying. Don't forget to add a SURFACTANT. It is a chemical binder. It is dirt cheap and usually half a gallon does the trick. Make sure to mix it in the tank via an agitator if your sprayer is equipped.
A couple of notes:
Don't use your home measuring cup that your wife is measuring milk for the Sunday cake. tomorrow. Herbicides are poisonous and you need to take them seriously. Read the label on each herbicide and double rinse each jug into the sprayer before throwing them away.
The "Pre" and "Post" go down immediately after planting. Don't do it the next day or next week. It will smoke your plants. These chemicals will help keep the field weed free under your plants until the sunflowers get big enough to shade out the weeds. This is a must for a clean dove field.
CLEARFIELD Sunflowers are unique in the fact that they have a special chemical that you can spray that kills the weeds in the field after your sunflowers have sprouted. This chemical is called BEYOND and is pricey to say the least. If money is no object by all means us it. The results are sensational. BEYOND is applied after the plants emerge. Make sure you cleaned/washed out your sprayer before you put this in the tank. The label gives the recommended dosage per acre. I think I paid $795 for one gallon. One gallon does 32 acres. That breaks the cost down a little for me. However, this is expensive and rotary hoeing is an option for those inclined to keep their costs down.
If you are not going to use CLEARFIELD sunflowers save the money and find a hybrid variety that you can plant. It will be much cheaper to use another variety that is not a CLEARFIELD variety. Me, I am sticking with CLEARFIELD because it works and I have 2 more years of BEYOND locked in the closet at home.
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