Whitetail NEWS

Spraying herbicides, such as Slay and Arrest, is a highly effective tool to maintaining healthy food plots.
Photo by Whitetail Institute

A favorite catch phrase in the hunting food plot industry is, “plant it and they will come.” Those words have been thrown around so much one would think that the mere planting of a particular seed will automatically guarantee long-lasting success for food plot practitioners.

When done right, a lush new plot of Imperial Whitetail Clover is a sight to behold and incredibly attractive to whitetails. However, without nurturing and maintenance, grasses and weeds can gradually choke out the site.

In the past, most who have planted food plots for wildlife attempted to control unwanted grasses and weeds through mowing. This strategy often offers a degree of success, but in severe cases, there is a better way. With each passing year more and more property owners are discovering how effective herbicide applications can be for maintaining quality food plots.

Like so many aspects of the hunting industry, the practice of planting food plots for wildlife is an evolving process. Part of this evolution involves herbicides.

Few within the industry understand this better than Mark Trudeau of Paris, Tenn.

“When herbicides first started being considered for clover and other legumes, there was confusion among food plot practitioners,” said Trudeau. “This stemmed from the fact that the herbicides on the market were not labeled for the various seed choices hunters were planting. In simple terms, nearly every herbicide available was developed for big acreage commercial farmers, not those who wanted to plant 1- 4 acre food plots. Consequently, herbicide manufacturers marketed their products in large volume containers. In most cases the instructions for using them was confusing to the small food plot practitioner and the minimum quantities required for purchase were too great.

“Five or 10 years ago the food plot market wasn’t even on most manufacturers’ radar screens. Now that more and more hunters and landowners are becoming interested in helping wildlife with food plots, the marketing strategies of many agri-related companies are changing.”

For the last 20 years, the Whitetail Institute of North America has been at the forefront, providing products to assist those interested in food plot management. Their engineered seed selections are legendary. To complement their true-and-tested line of seeds and minerals, they’ve recently introduced two herbicides developed specifically for food plot use. The offerings, Arrest for grasses and Slay for broadleaf weeds, were developed to assist landowners in maintaining their food plot investment. Both herbicides will be discussed later in this article.

Carroll Johnson, PhD, is a weed scientist with the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Georgia. He’s a serious whitetail hunter who practices food plot management on the lands he hunts and understands as well as anyone the role herbicides can play in improving food plot production.

“Weed control greatly improves the quality of the forage and adds longevity to the planting without weeds competing and weakening the forage being grown. Because of this, we are seeing more herbicidal tools available through packaging and marketing of chemicals for food plot use,” Dr. Johnson said.

Trudeau adds to this when he says, “Once soil testing, liming, tilling and planting are done, one of the biggest hurdles is getting the forage’s roots established. When you begin a food plot, there is a time lag between its start and establishment. During this time lapse, grasses and broadleaf weeds can rear their ugly heads and take control. Herbicide application during this critical time can make the difference between whether your food plot is great or just average. There’s no question that the proper use of herbicides can be the real deal maker when it comes to having great food plots.”

The cost effectiveness of proper herbicide spraying gets your attention when you consider the $200 to $400 it takes every time you have to replant a one-acre food plot. Consequently, the absence of herbicide maintenance can really add up if a food plot has to be replanted every year or every other year. The cost of continual replanting of perennial legumes can be lessened with sensible spraying. The reality is that for less than $30 per year you can spray a one-acre food plot to assure its appearance and productivity. The bottom line is that herbicide management can be a real money saver.

When I began planting food plots many years ago, the tools available to me were only a fraction of what they are today. Back then no one I knew used herbicides to control grasses and weeds. The best grass and weed control I knew of was frequent mowing. Like the plots of some hunters, my plots looked great the year they were planted, but by the second year, they began deteriorating, and by the third year it was time to replant. Now, with the aid of both mowing and herbicide control, having great looking 5-year-old food plots is not out of the question.

By way of example, I have a 7-year-old Imperial Whitetail Clover plot on our farm that looks nearly as good as the year I planted it. I’ve been able to do this through frost seeding, mowing and herbicide maintenance. The cost saving of not having to till and replant has been huge. It’s all about weed and grass control.

“Weeds and grasses are going to compete with crop plants for water, soil nutrients and sunlight,” said Johnson. “Whenever you have unwanted grasses and weeds, they can eventually overtake the forage you are trying to grow. So, in order to get the most out of a perennial food plot investment, spraying is sometimes needed. There’s no question that a small spraying investment can easily double the life of a food plot.”

“Roughly 80 percent of a food plot’s problems come from grasses and 20 percent from broadleaf weeds,” said Trudeau. “The most common grasses that encroach on food plot forages are fescue, orchard grass, Johnson grass, crab grass and goose grass.

“The major broadleaf weeds are ragweed, cocklebur, chickweed, thistle, pigweed and dock weed, to name a few. All of these grasses and weeds can be aggressive, steal valuable nutrients from the desired forage and shorten the life of a food plot. Mowing will slow them up; but unless herbicides are used, the longevity and performance of a food plot may be greatly shortened.”

Up until this year, about the only way a food plot practitioner could attack unwanted grasses and weeds was to purchase herbicides like Poast (for grasses) and Pursuit (for broadleaf weeds). Because they are only sold in large commercial size containers the cost is prohibitive for many. Fortunately this is no longer a problem.

Now, for the first time, the Whitetail Institute is making available two herbicides, Arrest for grass and Slay for broadleaf weed eradication. They are specifically designed for the practitioner who doesn’t want to have a five-year supply of herbicides sitting around.

Arrest: This herbicide controls grasses. A surfactant is not required for the product to be effective.

For those who are not aware, a surfactant is often mixed with an herbicide to enable the herbicide to “stick” to the plant so it can seep into the plant’s spores. So, Arrest is a “stand alone” grass herbicide, which does not require mixing a surfactant with it.

For best results Arrest and Slay should be on the plant for at least one hour prior to any moisture hitting the plant, be it dew or rain. If rain or dew falls on the plant before this time frame, you may have to respray.

According to Trudeau, “ Arrest will kill grasses effectively right after spring green-up, or when the grass is up to 12 inches high. If the grass is higher than this, mow it back to 6 or 8 inches before spraying. Also, best results will occur when the ground temperature is 60 degrees or higher.”

Slay: This herbicide kills broadleaf weeds. It is best to spray when the weeds less than 3 high. Unlike Arrest, Slay must have a surfactant mixed with it to be effective. For best results, use a non-ionic surfactant or crop oil surfactant with Slay. (Sure Fire Surfactant is available from the Whitetail Institute.)

As with Arrest and most other herbicides, it is not recommended to spray for grasses and weeds right after mowing or when the plant you are trying to save is stressed from heat and drought, as such stresses alter the degree of absorption. However, grasses taller than 12” tall must be cut down and allowed to produce a few inches of new growth for Arrest to be most effective.

Be aware that Arrest and Slay should never be tank mixed together. Due to their chemical nature, they should never be mixed together. Each should be sprayed individually, at least three days apart.

It’s important to note that some herbicides have residual (long lasting) effects on the soil to the point that they may affect future plantings in a particular food plot site.

Arrest has no residual effects on the soil so there are no lasting traces of the herbicide Slay, on the other hand, does offer residual control. The benefit of the residual effect is that Slay will continue to control susceptible weeds that emerge after application. [Note: In alfalfa and clover, Slay label only allows a maximum of 6 oz. per year – or two applications at the 3 oz rate.] The down side of Slay and other residual herbicides is that if you decide to till and replant the site in something other than legumes, the crop will probably not grow until the herbicides works its way out of the soil. So, if you are going to continually use Slay for broadleaf weeds, it’s best to replant the site with other legumes.

Imperial Clover: The world’s most popular food plot forage can be sprayed with both Arrest and Slay.

Alfa-Rack: Like Imperial Clover, Arrest and Slay will offer the best results for any unwanted grasses and weeds in an Alfa-Rack food plot.

Alfa-Rack Plus: Use only Arrest on this forage. If Slay is used, it will kill the chicory in the blend.

Extreme: Due to the nature of this blend only Arrest should be used. Broadleaf weeds found in an Extreme food plot should be controlled with mowing.

Note: The mixing and application instructions should be closely followed whenever using Arrest or Slay. If in doubt, consult the herbicide experts at the Whitetail Institute of North America.

Fertilization can be very beneficial when used in conjunction with herbicide spraying because the fertilizer can go to the clover or other forage and not have to be shared with grasses and weeds. Smart herbicide spraying will give you the biggest bang for your buck – every time.

In closing, it is always important to know the capabilities of the sprayer being used. Consequently, users need to be particularly attentive to sprayer calibrations. Also, make sure there is no overlap spraying. If overlap spraying occurs, the forage you are trying to help may become severely stressed.

CAUTION---Always read and follow the herbicide’s label for proper use and care of herbicides.