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| wheat farming questions: killing army worms and weeds https://www.dirtdoctor.com/efl/dirtDoctor/wheat-farming-questions-killing-army-worms-and-weeds-t5416.html |
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| Author: | dandd [ Sun Oct 31, 2004 11:56 am ] |
| Post subject: | wheat farming questions: killing army worms and weeds |
I was wondering if anyone might have any tips for killing army worms in winter wheat. Last year they moved in and completley ate up one of my fields which had 160 acres in it. I was hoping to be armed with the knowledge of how to kill them with an organic and more cost effective method than chemicals. That way if they move in this year I can know how to get rid of them. I was noticing the other day while out in the wheat that the weeds are going to be a problem. The freezes will kill the ones that are there now but next spring I am sure we will have some heavy pressure from them since we are going into the winter with very moist conditions. I am looking for a way to kill them, without damaging the wheat of course, that will be safer and cheaper than commercial herbicides. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks |
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| Author: | Brad Watson [ Mon Nov 01, 2004 11:49 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Here is what we have found with hay and grazing pastures, I am sure it would also help with your wheat! Anything grown Organicly has a higher sugare content. Armyworms can not stomach sugar, it causes gas in thier system and they can not pass gas up or down out of thier system so they literally blow up inside. I have seen this for years now. My fields as well as my customers fields have never been wiped out from armyworm. You see a little damage here or there, where the moth laid the eggs, around oak trees and around the perimeter of the pasture. But that's it. We are also Applying Galic Spray with the Foliar Fertilizers, so that the garlic becomes systemic in the pant. This helps with other leaf eating insects but does not harm the Benifitial Insects. The animals love the garlic, and it does not pass on a garlic taste to any fruits or vegi's. We recently had a customer with a 1,500 acre ranch that had armyworms pass thru the area and they had less than 10 acres of damage, and that was mostly in the bottom area, and they ate water grass? The cost is very reasonable, usually around $9.00 to $12.00 per acre if you apply it yourself. As far as weeds? We have found that the healthier the ground the less weeds you have. If you were to study the weeds instead of kill them they are trying to replace nutreints in the soil. When the soil is healthy and blanced the weeds tend to go away. We do see new weeds pop up when we disturb the soil. My old time farmers in this area call it "new ground" and say thats the price you pay when you work the ground. In the past when I use to spray herbicide for weeds, I would see the same weed come back the next year on customers properties, plus I was killing mostly lagumes. On the customers that were competely Organic they would have less and less weeds and more and more lagumes each year. So that sold me, We stopped using herbicides an pesticides. Let me know if you have anyother questions, |
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| Author: | user_48634 [ Tue Nov 30, 2004 12:26 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Birds and wasps eat caterpillars so anything you can do to encourage them to linger in your field is good. You probably don't want birds that eat wheat, though. Also there is BT, a caterpillar disease that you can spray. They stop feeding after the first bite of BT. |
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