Arkansas Valley Farmers

10/18/2021

10/05/2020

PSA - PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT!!!!

Public Service Announcement!!! TAKE NOTICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a reminder for people who have a spurw**d problem. We are coming into the time of year to treat your yards with a pre-emergent.

Timing is KEY TO CONTROL! NOW IS THE TIME!!!

The spurw**d is a winter annual w**d that germinates in the fall, producing a ground-hugging plant with parsley-like leaves. It grows in the fall and winter, blooms with tiny white flowers in late winter to early spring, then sets the seed which is the problematic sticker.

This fall (October) use a pre-emergent herbicide, such as atrazine. There are others but make sure it is compatible with your yard type, i.e. Bermuda, St. Augustine, Centipede, Zoysia, etc.

This winter/early spring (December-February) spray with a post-emergent herbicide such as a three way like Trimec Southern or Trimec Classic or Fertilome W**d Out to kill the w**ds before they set more seeds. There are numerous formulations of two and three way mixes of 2,4-D, dicamba and MCPP. Make sure you read the label before purchasing that they are safe for your particular southern grass. For instance, Bermuda tends to be more herbicide tolerant than St. Augustine, Centipede, or even Zoysia.

It may, in some cases, take an application of both a pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicide. When trying to control w**ds, it's a numbers game. You rarely achieve 100% control with one application. When using a pre-emerge herbicide, keep in mind you may have to come back with a post-emergent herbicide as a clean up to get any you missed with the pre-emergent.

What's the difference in a pre-emergent herbicide vs. a post-emergent herbicide? A pre-emergent is typically used to keep the seeds from germinating and in most cases has no effect on plants that have germinated and are already up. A post-emergent herbicide is used after a plant is already germinated and up. Timing is key here, too! It's easier to kill a small immature w**d vs. a larger more mature plant.

THE KEY IS TO MAKE THE APPLICATION EARLY ENOUGH IN THE WINTER SEASON TO PREVENT THE SEED FROM GERMINATING OR GOING TO SEED! If you can do this, you will greatly reduce the population for next year, but if allowed to go unchecked, you will have more and more stickers each year!!!

Edit: this doesn't just help control spurw**d but many other cool season w**ds as well

11/03/2017

We've had calls and questions about the Asian Lady Beetles swarming here in Marion County. It's that time of year they are looking for a place to hang out for the winter ... Are you seeing them at your house? Comment below & let us know! ... Here is a link to a publication with more information about dealing with this beneficial insect: https://goo.gl/4PZ1NF ...

06/21/2017

What is growing in your garden this summer?

12/14/2016

It's getting cold! Keep your homes warm with our premium fuel pellets! $5.20 per bag or $4.99 for 50+

10/19/2016

Make haying easy! Hay cradles $349.95

07/07/2016

Come in today and apply! We are looking for feedmill workers as well as load out help at the store. Applications available at Russellville store location.

05/09/2016

Spurw**d, aka sticker w**d lawn burw**d, stickers in my yard, or even sand bur (which is altogether a different devil of a plant and still equally as unwanted)!!! I've been getting a lot of calls lately on this little problem plant. Well, if you're having the same issues, I've got some good news and some bad news.

Bad news first. At this point (meaning May) there's not much you can do about them.

You can fertilize your grass to get it high enough to buffer the seeds (stickers), so you and the dogs can walk - but that's about it.

Good news: It should be dying REAL soon.

The spurw**d is a winter annual w**d that germinates in the fall, producing a ground-hugging plant with parsley-like leaves. It grows in the fall and winter, blooms with tiny white flowers in late winter to early spring, then sets the seed which is the problematic sticker.

This fall, either use a pre-emergent herbicide (herbicide choice depends on your yard type but atrazine is an example of a pre-emerge that works on many yard types), or spray with a three -way post-emergent herbicide (Trimec Classic, Trimec Southern, Fertilome's W**d Zone are examples but again, herbicide choice is dependent on yard type so make sure to read the label) between December and February to kill the w**ds before they set more seeds next spring.

There are numerous formulations of two and three way mixes of 2,4-D, dicamba and MCPP. Make sure you read the label before purchasing that they are safe for your particular southern grass. For instance, Bermuda tends to be more herbicide tolerant than St. Augustine or Centipede. A metsulfuron product will work for your more sensitive grasses such as centipede, St. Augustine, or Zoysia but keep in mind that metsulfuron can be damaging to oaks, pecans, other trees and shrubs so make sure to not spray a metsulfuron product on roots or under driplines of sensitive plants.

In summary: you can use a pre-emergent herbicide in mid October to mid November or you can wait for the w**ds to germinate and then easily kill them with a broad leaf herbicide such as 2, 4-D somewhere in the time frame of December to February. THE KEY IS TO MAKE THE APPLICATION EARLY ENOUGH IN THE WINTER SEASON TO PREVENT SEED SET! If you can do this, you will greatly reduce the population for next year, but if allowed to go unchecked, you will have more and more stickers each year!!!

Contact your local extension agent for more information.

05/05/2016

It is not too late to get your pesticide license this year! There will be a class on Monday, May 19th at 6:00 p.m. in Morrilton. The class will be held at the fine arts building on the UACCM campus.

04/06/2016

Getting ready to plant your vegetable garden this year? Visit Arkansas Extension Services' website to read some helpful hints on planting.
http://www.uaex.edu/yard-garden/vegetables/a-z.aspx

03/11/2016