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Creating quality fall food plots requires that you first eliminate weed competition ahead of planting, and then possibly maintaining the plot after it’s established.
One of the most affordable and effective ways to kill food plot weeds is with the use of properly timed herbicide treatments.
This can be a very comprehensive topic that folks really nerd out on. I’m going to attempt to dumb in down some for us deer hunters, so that maybe it’s not so overwhelming.
- 1. Choose your herbicide(s)
- 2. Add a surfactant
- 3. Mix and calibrate
- 4. Select an application method
- 5. Time your application
- 6. Follow safety measures
- 7. Follow up and monitor your progress
Glyphosate (Roundup) is non-selective and attacks most all vegetation.
In contrast, there are other herbicides that are selective and specifically target certain types of weeds.
Glyphosate is by far the most widely used food plot herbicide, but there are times when you should consider other options.
1. Choose The Right Herbicide For Food Plots
It’s important to understand that some chemicals are formulated specifically for broadleaf weed control, others target grasses, and yet others are non-selective and attack all vegetation.
There are a couple ways to attack food plot weeds with herbicide, the most common of which is to use glyphosate (i.e. Roundup). But, let’s explore some details around how to choose the right chemicals for your situation.
- Selective vs Non-Selective
- Soil active herbicides
- Glyphosate
- 2,4-D
- 2,4-DB
- Clethodim
- Glyphosate + 2,4-D
Do you need a selective or non-selective herbicide?
Selective Herbicides: Are formulated to target specific types of plants while leaving other desirable plants relatively unharmed.
Non-Selective Herbicides: Are not specific to certain plants and can damage or kill a wide range of vegetation, including both weeds and desirable plants.
Typically you would choose a non-selective herbicide like Roundup for an initial burn down of weeds prior to planting. Conversely, you need to look into a non-selective option for already-established plots.
Beware of soil active herbicides!
In the context of this article, our focus is on post-emergent herbicides. In other words, we are focused on using chemicals that will kill weeds that have already “emerged” from the soil.
Most of the post-emergent herbicides discussed here are NOT soil active, or at least they are not soil active beyond a few weeks. If you choose a soil-active herbicide, it may be some time before you can plant after using them.
Herbicides and some of their common brand names
| Herbicide | Some Brand Names |
|---|---|
| Glyphosate | Roundup, Glystar |
| 2,4-D | Alligare 2,4-D Amine, Hi-Yield 2,4-D, Southern Ag 2,4-D Amine, Crossbow |
| Imazapyr | Arsenal, Arsenal AC, Polaris |
| Triclopyr | Garlon, Crossbow, Remedy |
| Clethodim | Arrest Max, Arrow 2EC, Arrow, Select |
| 2,4-DB | Butyrac |
5 Good Food Plot Herbicide Options
Below are what I consider to be the most commonly selected herbicides for weed control in both new and established food plots.
1. Glyphosate
Application Rate: 2 quarts per acre
Visible Results: 2-3 weeks
Kills: most all vegetation
Notable Benefits: often a good 2 qt. dose per acre of glyphosate is all you need ahead of planting a food plot
Glyphosate can be purchased under many different brand names. You are looking for something that says “41% Glyphosate” on the label, as shown above.
There are numerous benefits to opting for a straightforward approach of using glyphosate exclusively in your food plots, without the need for herbicide mixtures.
1. Simplicity – Using a single herbicide simplifies the selection and application process.
2. Affordability – Glyphosate is one of the more cost-effective chemical options.
3. Broad Effectiveness – Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide, controlling a huge range of weed species. So, it’ll knock out most weeds, without the need to over-complicate things.
4. Planting Flexibility – Because it’s not soil active, you don’t have to wait after treatments before planting your seeds.
5. No Mixing Concerns – Combining certain herbicides sometimes leads to unexpected interactions, such as gelling.
It is possible to develop glyphosate-resistant weeds in your food plots. If you find that to be the case in your plots, you may have to resort to other chemicals that attack weeds in a different manner.
2. 2,4-D For Broadleaf Weeds
Application Rate: 1 pint per acre
Visible Results: 2-3 weeks
Kills: broadleaf weeds
Notable Benefits: typically safe to use on cerial grain plots like wheat and oats
Soil Activity: soil active up to 2-3 weeks
If you find that you have stubborn broadleaf weeds that glyphosate won’t knock out, you can typically use 2,4-D to kill them.
2,4-D specifically targets broadleaf weeds, but it does not work against grassy weeds. Therefore, you can even use this herbicide in existing “grass” food plots, such as the cereal grains, wheat, oats and rye.
You can also mix 2,4-D straight in with your glyphosate to take out everything in one go. More about that below.
At the proper rates, you can spray 2,4-D onto existing wheat, oat or rye food plots to take care of any broadleaf weeds.
3. 2,4-DB (Butyrac) For Broadleaf Weeds
Application Rate: 1 pint to 1 quart per acre
Visible Results: 2-3 weeks
Kills: broadleaf weeds
Notable Benefits: typically safe to use on clover and alfalfa plots
Soil Activity: soil active up to 2-3 weeks
Beware: Don’t use on brassicas or chicory. It will kill your chicory.
Even though 2,4-DB kills broadleaf weeds, it has a very limited impact on legume forage crops such as clover and alfalfa. Therefore, it is a great option for controlling broadleaf weeds in existing clover or alfalfa plots.
Don’t use 2,4-DB on brassicas or chicory!
2,4-DB is good for broadleaf weed control in existing clover plots.
4. Clethodim for Grasses
Application Rate: 1 pint per acre
Visible Results: 2-3 weeks
Kills: grasses
Notable Benefits: typically safe to use on clover plots
Soil Activity: not soil active
Use Clethodim in your food plots when you need to selectively control grassy weeds while still preserving your desired broadleaf forage species, such as brassicas and chicory. Do not spray Clethodim on wheat, oats, corn or rye.
You might also choose to use Clethodim on an initial burn down if you have grassy weeds that are glyphosate resistant.
Clethodim excels at grassy weed control in existing brassica or chicory plots.
5. Glyphosate + 2,4D
Application Rate: 1 pint 2,4D plus 2 quarts glyphosate per acre
Visible Results: 2-3 weeks
Kills: grasses and broadleaf weeds
Notable Benefits: thorough burn down of all weed types
Soil Activity: 2-3 weeks
Beware: Combining 2,4-D can reduce the effectiveness of glyphosate on certain weeds
One of the most common herbicide combos for food plotters is to mix glyphosate with 2,4D. This mixture works well for a scorched earth approach ahead of initial plantings. It does well to knock out most weeds, grasses and broadleafs included, in one pass.
2. Include Surfactants Or Crop Oils
A surfactant is a liquid compound that, when combined with your herbicide, reduces the surface tension between the weeds and the herbicide. This allows better coating and absorption of the chemical into the weed. In short, it makes your herbicide application much more effective!
Crop oils perform a similar duty. They slow down herbicide drying times and modify the leaf surface, both of which allow for better absorption of the chemical.
Both surfactants and crop oils make your herbicide work much better, so if your label of herbicide does not clearly indicate that a surfactant is included, you should strongly consider adding one into the mix.
Some brands of glyphosate, for example, include a surfactant, and some do not. If yours does not have it, you should add some as you mix it into your sprayer. It’s very easy to do so.
I prefer to use a commercial non-ionic surfactant like the one linked above. In a pinch you can add a small amount of Dawn dish soap to accomplish a similar effect. Beware that the foaming action of the soap can be annoying, so don’t use too much if you go that route.
Surfactants are “surface-active agents” that help herbicides to adhere and penetrate plants more efficiently. Many herbicides come with surfactants included, but some do not.
3. Choose The Right Technique
To achieve the best results you should follow the directions as found on the label of your chosen herbicide. With that said, there are some general considerations to follow.
Blanket Chemical Coverage
The most common technique is to spray the entire plot with either a backpack sprayer, atv sprayer, or 3 point sprayer behind a tractor. The goal is to evenly coat the entire plot with chemical, so that any weeds throughout the entire area are hopefully extinguished.
Targeted Coverage
You may find that you have a weed problem in just a particular area within your food plot, or perhaps you have a scattering of specific weeds throughout. This could call for the use of a backpack sprayer for more precise targeting.
With a backpack sprayer you can target specific areas and even individual weeds within the plot. Add a herbicide dye to your mixture to tell where you have already sprayed.
4. Mix And Calibrate
When mixing herbicide into a sprayer, start with some water, then begin adding herbicide, along with more water. If you’re mixing multiple herbicides in the same sprayer, add plenty of water between the herbicides to prevent any gelling effects from the undiluted chemicals making direct contact with each other.
Do a test run
It is important to calibrate your sprayer ahead of applying herbicide. This prevents you from applying too much or too little chemical to your plots.
The best way to determine the amount of water needed for your herbicide application is to first do a test run with your sprayer using water-only.
Every sprayer is different, so you’ll have to figure out how much water it takes out of your sprayer and at what speed it takes to evenly cover a given acre. Then you can calculate the amount of herbicide that should go into your tank.
Whatever you do, don’t spray herbicide in times of severe drought. Drought stressed plants are not actively growing plants. Plants should be actively growing when you spray.
5. Time Your Application Correctly
The timing of your application plays a huge role in how successful it is.
Actively Growing: Strive to apply herbicides when weeds are actively growing and ideally while they are still young.
Rainfastness: Different herbicides have different minimum times that they need to sit on the vegetation before they transfer the full effects. This is called rainfastness. You’ll need to spray when there is no rain in the forecast for at least a couple hours.
Windy Days: You want to avoid spraying on windy days, as the chemical will drift to where you don’t want it. This both wastes herbicide and potentially harms non-target plants.
Rainfastness of common food plot herbicides
| Herbicide | Rainfastness* |
|---|---|
| Glyphosate | 2 hours |
| 2,4-D | 1-4 hours |
| Imazapyr | 2-4 hours |
| Triclopyr | 2-6 hours |
| Clopyralid | 1-2 hours |
| Clethodim | 1-4 hours |
6. Follow Safety Precautions
I personally use more PPE (personal protective equipment) than what the label often says. For example, when spraying glyphosate with a backpack sprayer I like to use a face mask to minimize breathing in the mist. I also wear eyeglasses, but if I didn’t, I might choose to wear safety goggles.
Always follow the safety precautions on the label of your chosen herbicide. At a minimum, you should wear appropriate protective clothing, including gloves, long sleeves, and pants. Avoid contact with the herbicide and wash thoroughly after application.
Keep children and pets away from any treated areas until your application has fully dried.
7. Monitor and Follow-Up
After you spray, check back in 2 or 3 weeks to see how you did.
Sometimes you may find that some areas did not die off as good as others. You may also find that new weeds have begun to emerge, especially if it has been a rainy period. Because of this, you’ll oftentimes need a 2nd treatment.
For the food plot above, I had let the weeds get tall before the first treatment. When you do that, it’s hard to get a thorough kill on the first try. I had to apply a follow up treatment to get a complete kill.
Summary of notable benefits per herbicide
| Herbicide | Strength |
|---|---|
| Glyphosate | Cheap initial burn down |
| 2,4-D | Kills broadleafs |
| 2,4-DB | Kills broadleafs in existing clover plots |
| Clethodim | Kills grassy weeds in clover and brassica plots |
| Glyphosate + 2,4-D | Thorough initial burn down |
Conclusion
For a dumbed down approach to food plot weed control, purchase generic 41% glyphosate, use a backpack or atv sprayer, add a surfactant, and apply at a rate of 2 quarts per acre. Do this on young and actively growing weeds to get a good burn down ahead of planting your fall food plots. You may have to do this twice.
If you find that you have particularly challenging food plot weed issues, I would refer you to the master of food plot weed control, Dr. Craig Harper.
Remember to always read and follow the labels of any herbicide you choose to use.
Happy Planting!
Augustus Clay
