What timing

Soometimes ya get lucky. Got a buddy out to the farm Friday evening who got the 2 ac dove field I had prepped a few weeks ago seeded with Sunflowers and got the Dual Magnum sprayed. And then the rain came. All we need now is some birds that n about 3 1/2 months

Good deal. I'm shooting to plant Friday/sat on sunflowers then turn around spray my dual/spartan/roundup then hope it rains Memorial Day.

Well maybe not such good timing. I have never used pre-emergents before and know they need to rain to activate but what happens if they get 2.5 inches pretty fast.

They get activated just fine. However in real low saturated spots it may break down faster. The deeper it gets driven in the soil the faster weeds rebound.

Can you give a little detail about your spray after the planter? I am trying to use a drill and plate clearfield sunflowers through waist high wheat and oats that I burned down last weekend with round-up and 2-4-d-ester.

It's pretty simple I guess. I burned down back in mid April with gly and 24D. Will plant then spray that day behind planter with medal 2(generic dual 2 mag) at 1.33 pts per acre, spartan 4F at 6oz per acre and gly. The key to sunflowers is keep them clean for first 30-45 days. We just had zidua get approved by EPA for over the top of sunflowers this week. Going to use it post emerge at 4 leaf for added grass/pigweed residual.

Is the Zidua something available to plot guys?I had hoped to add Spartan to the mix but could not find it in time. If there is something I can go over the top with it would be really helpful since we now have had about 6.5 inches since planting.

Zidua is over the counter no permit needed. We just got the label federally so it'll take the state a bit longer to adopt it. I'm using "test" material on mine. Keep in mind zidua has zero post emerge weed control it's activity is all pre emerge on weeds but it's good.

Oh bummer I had hoped for post emergent. Maybe if I can get it sprayed soon it will at least keep new stuff from coming up. The Sunflowers have been in ground a week so I expect with the rain there is a lot of stuff popping out right now.

Well I just priced that Zidua and I don't think I need weed control that bad. $700/80 oz is a little rich for my blood.

I planted my sunflowers last week without any pre-emergent. Can I use Clethodim to control the grass after they come up?

Yessir you sure can. No problems there

257,

I read what you usually do in regards to planting sunflowers and also that the key was to keep the ground clean for 30 to 45 days. Can you accomplish keeping the ground clean with what you did at the time of planting or do they need another spray of something after the sunflower come up to keep the ground clean that long?

I use the burndown/pre behind the planter to keep me as clean as possible. Only option much after sunflowers are up is a grass material like select. Got to get as much done up front as possible

I happen to know a guy who knows a guy

Well I may need to talk to that guy next year lol My buddy got the fence up yesterday and says the Sunflowers are popping good. Hope all of my pre-emege did not get washed to China.

I feel you man. I planted Friday. Got up super early was spraying by 530 sat Am to beat the rain/wind. Finished right at 8. That pm we got 2.9" all together at the farm. Pre got activated but just for good measures I'm putting down the zidua at 2 leaf.

Well I got good news and bad news today on the Sunflowers. The good news is the pre-emerge appears to be working well. The bad news is my buddy finished spraying after dark and about 1/2 the field he did not spray very evenly. Thats why we can tell the pre-emerge is working. It just sux being an out of town land ownerand having to depend on folks who often have little experience with this sort of stuff.

Well if it's grasses you can clean those up. Broadleaves not so easy. But yea that sucks. Mine just are getting up to a stand. Gonna topdress and put my last pre over them this weekend then it's all up to a higher power from there on.

Well a new wrinkle in the saga of the Sunflower field. Turns out it was not poor spraying. One half of the field was in Sunn Hemp last year and apparently it is a myth that Sun Hemp does not set seed because it is growing a fine new stand which will probably choke out the Sunglowers

Cuz I ain't got a clue on that fix.

May have to go old school and send the guy who helps me around there to the field with a hoe. lol I am really a beginner at this and this is my second mess up this year. My bean/corn field to the south has way too much corn because I did not figure in sprouting from last years corn. I could turn it into a bean only field with some Clethodim but want corn in there. Maybe have to break out the back pack sprayer or the hoe. Sooo glad I do not farm for a living, I would be in real trouble.

I got volunteer corn in my corn too. Just gonna let it ride since it is just for wildlife after all even though not ideal. Got some in my sunflowers too probly just do same there. Deer are jumping on my shucks. Makes me so damn mad. Gonna try some stuff we been using in row crop ground this weekend to try and run em out for a bit.

Well my buddy sent me some pics. They don't look like you guys who know what they are doing.

This pic is looking south.The clean dirt is the part of the Sunflower field I bottom plowed after being pasture for 30 years. The first green is the south 1/2 of the Sunflower plot which was planted in Sunn Hemp last year, the higher green next is a 25 foot wide border of Sunn Hemp, Quail Haven soybeans and something called Teosinate and the foregound is my bean/corn fields.


View southwesterly of same thing


This is looking northerly. The 25 foot screen can be seen by the flowering buckwheat. Corn/beans to right. They got sprayed this week and will look better next time.


View easterly from the edge of the plot screen showing the bean/corn field.

Without a soil test what would you guys suggest on fertilizer for my Sunflower fields.I know ph is not great, which will be addressed next year. 1/2 the field is recently turned pasture the other 1/2 had Sunn Hemp and peas last year which should have produced a lot of nutrients

A 60-40-40 would be sufficient enough to make fair sunflowers given a ph above 5.5 and a little timely rain.

Thamks for the info. I am thinking adequate moisture will not be a problem

Well the Sunflowers are popping. These are from a week ago.




On the second photo the green area in the top right is where I planted Sun Hemp last year. They said it would not reseed in the South, they lied.It also apparently was not fazed by the pre-emerge.

Finally the bean/corn field doing well after its recent spray. Needs to get a little fertilizer on it.