Warm Weather Problems: Winter Annual Weeds Going Crazy
Posted: March 5, 2012
I’m not sure how far ahead of normal temperatures we are as of March 20, but certainly the forsythia blooming and many of the winter annual weeds in bloom is an indication that we are ahead for this first day of spring. In Lancaster County on March 19 we observed common chickweed, corn speedwell, and dead nettle all in bloom.
By Bill Curran and Dwight Lingenfelter, Penn State Weed Science
Whether they are in winter wheat, barley, a cover crop, or just in a fallow field going into corn or soybean, consider some attempts at control weeds earlier than you might do otherwise in a “normal” year. Remember that flowering winter annuals are going to generally be more difficult to control than weeds that are still vegetative. Also, those weeds are using up valuable soil moisture that may become scarce unless April showers are frequent.
