Weed control under fences

[Spitz]

So I've been on my new horse farm for about 6 months, and learned a big lesson for the first summer - a lot of fences means a lot of weed wacking. What a pain!

So I got this idea... if I put something along the ground under the fence as a barrier to weed growth, then I can mow alongside and I won't need to weed wack. I am thinking of laying boards flat between the posts, but afraid of things like warping and freeze-thaw troubles.

This would be used to control weeds under electric tape fences for the horses, and/or wire mesh fences for the dog. In both cases, I have 4x4 wood posts on about 8ft centers.

Anybody have a great idea for this... or seen one somewhere?

 

[RickNC]

I had (have) the same problem. I use a hand wand to spray Round-up under the wire in the Spring. It generally keeps down the grass and weeds under the wire all growing season. Next year, I do it again.

 

[cowboydoc]

Use a product called Sahara and spray when you first see growth in the spring. You won't have to worry about it until the following spring.

 

[Spitz]

Wow - you guys are quick! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Will the Sahara be safe for animals? How long should I wait after spraying to turn out horses / dog? Can you recommend a link or someplace to get more info...? Any comments on cost?

Thanks!

This sure sounds easier than the construction project I was contemplating...

 

[cowboydoc]

The Sahara is safe for animals. It costs $26 for a 2lb. box and that will make 20 gallons. I sprayed fencelines on 600 acres with only one box.

 

[daedong]

Richard

Could you give me the link to the manufacturer of Sahara if not what is the active ingredient

 

[Mogombus]

Yeah, I 'third' what these other guys have been saying... spray the fence line. I use Round-Up. So much nicer than weed wacking for hours on end.

The previous owner of my place laid old fence boards down underneath the fence to discourage growth, and I spent hours pulling the rotted, overgrown things out after we moved in. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Spitz]

Well, I decided to let google do a little work, and here's what I came up with.

http://www.ent.uga.edu/pmh/Non-Cropland/Weed_Control.htm Scroll down a page or two, and one finds a combination of diuron and imazapyr (must be a joke... I'm a Zapper) that appears to trade under the name Sahara DG. Sounds like just the stuff we're talking about.


Here's a place that sells it. Sahara

 

[cowboydoc]

That's the stuff. I wouldn't pay $49.50 for it though!! I get it in the 2lb. jugs for $26.00.

 

[mathey]

I had been using Spectracide Grass & Weed Killer concentrate...you can see the results overnight, but it doesn't hold very long...lately i've been using Amine 2-4-D from TSC, doesn't work overnight, but holds a long time...a 32 oz bottle is about $15, as i recall.

 

[JerryG]

I have to spray around my poultry house. I have tried several different versions of Roundup and also several other products. By far the best that I have found is Pramitol. It is made to spray under new asphalt as far as I can tell. All that I know is that I only spray it once a year and that it works. Everything else that I have used, required me to spray 2-4 times a years.

 

[cisco]

As with others, I use Roundup, with a 40-50% concentrate base mixed with water to the strength recommended for "tough weed" control (twice "grass control" dilution). That said, it's not effective for a full 12 months, and it costs a fair bit (best price I've found is SAMS, usually in the Spring because that's the only time my local store carries the stuff). I'd prefer vegetation killer, but have trees too close the the fence line, and I'm afraid I'll zap the roots (in addition to which some of the vegetation killer products don't break down by natural processes, and can get into your water supply if you're dependent on a well).

 

[rw2]

"That said, it's not effective for a full 12 months"

It isn't supposed to be. Round-Up is a herbicide with zero residual effect. It kills what you put it on and you can plant new seed before the weeds are even completely dead. This is good in the field during spring planting, less good for this application. What the OP probably wants is a soil sterilizer. Your local agronomist can probably recommend one appropriate for your usage and labelled for your area.

 

[5030]

I have to be careful here. CowBoyDoc probably has a pesticide/herbicide application license like I do, but for quick knockdown I use a blend of 2-4-D and Roundup Ultra. If you can obtain it in your area without a license, I'd suggest spraying it with a filter mask. We use it to control broadleaf weeds and thistle in our hayfields.

 

[RalphVa]

The patent has expired on Roundup's ingredient: glyphosate. You can get a glyphosate-containing weed killer a little cheaper than Roundup at farm supply stores.

Excess glyphosate gets tied up by clay particles in the soil. Just don't soak everything. Just coating most of the leaves will kill most green things. Some shrubs and really slick-bladed stuff may require a couple of applications.

Ralph

 

[Soundguy]

I use a herbacide.. and spray wand from a large hand held pump. Usually one application makes it the entire growing season. I usually mix in some permethrin oil emulsion product too.. That way I'm 'feeding' the termites while killing the weeds/grass.

Soundguy

 

[slowrev]

Soundguy,
Yep gotta figure on killing termites in FL for sure /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif Firewood stacks did not seem to make from one year to the next around Tampa.
A statistic I read somewhere said that pound for pound there were more termites in the world than people. Then there are the fire ants.......really fun to run over with a walk behind mower /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Soundguy]

Talk about fun... In our pasture.. near the manuer pile.. the is a nest of some sort of ground dwelling wasp.. ( yellowjacket? ).. big suckers.. mostly black.. but I do see a bit of yellow out of the corner of my eye as I shift into 4th gear on the tractor and try to get out of there as they angrilly shoot out of the hole I just ran over.... bad looking buggers. I've never been hit by one.. but I say one of my horses out there nosing around one day and then start bucking and kicking up a storm. When i put him up in his stall later.. he had a spot above his eye swelled up about half the size of a golfball....

Soundguy

 

[5030]

Soundguy:

You need to park your rotary push mower, running wide open, over the hole. When the come out, they get "blended" by the blades.

 

[have_blue]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Soundguy:

You need to park your rotary push mower, running wide open, over the hole. When the come out, they get "blended" by the blades. )</font>

Great idea, but my bumblebees, hornet, and yellowjackets always seem to be in an awkward place.