Mowing 2 acres-- mulching vs. bagging foxtail residue

[TractorTech]

Foxtails are hard to distinguish from other grasses until the seed heads appear, then it's too late. They tend to grow flat to the ground, so hard to mow the main plant.

We have lots and lots of foxtails. Ww have had about 4 incidents requiring vet tobtreat our dogs overvthe last 30 years. I would love to eliminate them. I have noticed that they can be displaced by other grasses in healthy soil. However, in California, healthy grasses require watering

 

[redman135]

I had never heard of "foxtail" and I googled it, I got "barley grass"(New Zealand term) Further down I on post # 8 by dodge man, The photo is of what looks like "yellow bristle grass", and other descriptions are of yellow bristle grass( seed head grows back, just smaller). BUT the description by the OP match that of barley grass. In sheep it will get into the wool and work its way into and through the skin and into the meat. Very painfull. Seeds can also get under the eyelid and irritate the eye causing blindness.

Can the OP identify the species which he has please?

The reason for exact ID is because each requires a different spray and follow up treatment.

Both are spread on livestock and machinery, eg mower, and in hay. If you make silage, it MUST be ensialed for 8 weeeks to kill the seed.
OP if you bag and dump, dump on a dry spot AWAY from water as the grass sap is highly concentrated and will cause a local algal bloom in a pond or swamp. This will make it easy to control the subsequent sprouting.

 

[plowhog]

I will get some pictures ...

 

[TractorTech]

Redman135, you spurred me to research this as it is a problem. Common name: Hare Barley. Great read from UC Davis on it.

https://wric.ucdavis.edu/information/natural%20areas/wr_H/Hordeum_marinum-murinum.pdf

 

[nyone]

Since mowing just makes a shorter plant I dont see how mowing and bagging will help.

Have you thought about planting something that will grow faster and taller than the plant your trying to remove?

 

[plowhog]

Common name: Hare Barley. Great read from UC Davis on it.

Still working on pix, but this looks identical to one of the varieties we have.

 

[plowhog]

Since mowing just makes a shorter plant I dont see how mowing and bagging will help.

Have you thought about planting something that will grow faster and taller than the plant your trying to remove?

The bagging would be to reduce exposure while other methods work on eradication or reduction.

Looking at my property, I see little foxtail in the greenest healthiest parts of the pasture. But where there are intermixed dirt spots, meaning less than good coverage, the foxtails really seem to pop up there.

One method I am considering is glyphosate in a spray bottle, spot killing, then dirt or mulch on top to prevent regrowth. Monitor and spray again if it pops up again-- which is likely.

 

[plowhog]

fyi I was told that using Imazapyr is effective, but this is only possible in spring as pre-emergent.

 

[dodge man]

I probably wouldn’t spot spray with Roundup. Even if your careful you’ll end up with a dead spot and for me that means weeds take over that little area.

 

[2manyrocks]

A friend got rid of Johnson grass growing in his Bermuda hay field by wicking herbicide onto the Johnson grass which grew taller than the Bermuda. He set the wick bar high enough that the herbicide was applied to the taller growing Johnson grass.