Try Pramitol … It does more than kill the existing plants. “Pramitol® controls many weeds for a extended period of time including johnson grass”
About twice the price of generic Roundup
see here … http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/pramitolreg%3B-25e-herbicide-2-1-2-gal
[QUOTE=hosspuller;8206383]
Try Pramitol … It does more than kill the existing plants. “Pramitol® controls many weeds for a extended period of time including johnson grass”
About twice the price of generic Roundup
see here … http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/pramitolreg%3B-25e-herbicide-2-1-2-gal[/QUOTE]
I don’t know that I would want to use such a powerful herbicide on a horse farm in an arena that is used by horses. It is not labeled even for residential use or anything animal.
I swear a simple hoe will do a better job and be safer than any chemical and cheaper as well.
Viney - have you ever hoed a large clay based ring when the temp is 95+ degrees, humidity 80+%, bugs are biting and you’re over 60 ? Unfortunately you can’t stop weed seeds from blowing in to your ring.
Glyphosate is your friend !
I gave up on weeding by hand because I just cannot keep up with it. Maybe if I had a week off to completely clear it and could spend an hour a day maintaining by hand after that…but who has that kind of time?! I agree with the poster who said sometimes it takes a few days for the plants to wilt and turn brown after you’ve sprayed - at first you think it didn’t work and then they die. Now if it would just stop raining so I could do some spraying!
Glyphosate products (RoundUp/Touchdown/Cornerstone/Abundit/GlyStar/etc) will only kill emerged weeds. In order to prevent new weeds from germinating or emerging, you will need to ask your ag supplier for a residual herbicide (use the word “residual” or “pre-emerge” - that’s the lingo to say you don’t want any more weeds after you kill the ones you have).
Even the best residual herbicide has a point where moisture and sunlight breaks down the particles in pieces (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, etc) that no longer kill weeds. You WILL have to reapply multiple times in a season - weather will determine how many times.
The problem with most residual herbicides is that they will be VERY expensive to purchase a whole container. (Example: Sharpen is $775 per gallon - but you only use 1 liquid ounce per acre = $6.05 per 43,560 square feet - my outdoor arena is only 30,000 ft2.) It is against the law to sell partial containers, unless it is custom applied.
So it may be worth it to ask if they have a small commercial applicator and are willing to spray it for you.
If not, use a mix of 2,4-D and glyphosate. Both are safe for horses to be around as soon as the spray is dry. I wouldn’t necessarily let them eat the sprayed weeds in bulk, but if one grabbed a nibble, they will not be harmed. You may have to spray a time of two more than if you can use a residual herbicide, but it’s a quick process once you do all the math for how much you need.
As always - feel free to PM me if you have any ag chemical questions!
[QUOTE=goldenrow;8208974]
Glyphosate products (RoundUp/Touchdown/Cornerstone/Abundit/GlyStar/etc) will only kill emerged weeds. In order to prevent new weeds from germinating or emerging, you will need to ask your ag supplier for a residual herbicide (use the word “residual” or “pre-emerge” - that’s the lingo to say you don’t want any more weeds after you kill the ones you have).
Even the best residual herbicide has a point where moisture and sunlight breaks down the particles in pieces (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, etc) that no longer kill weeds. You WILL have to reapply multiple times in a season - weather will determine how many times.
The problem with most residual herbicides is that they will be VERY expensive to purchase a whole container. (Example: Sharpen is $775 per gallon - but you only use 1 liquid ounce per acre = $6.05 per 43,560 square feet - my outdoor arena is only 30,000 ft2.) It is against the law to sell partial containers, unless it is custom applied.
So it may be worth it to ask if they have a small commercial applicator and are willing to spray it for you.
If not, use a mix of 2,4-D and glyphosate. Both are safe for horses to be around as soon as the spray is dry. I wouldn’t necessarily let them eat the sprayed weeds in bulk, but if one grabbed a nibble, they will not be harmed. You may have to spray a time of two more than if you can use a residual herbicide, but it’s a quick process once you do all the math for how much you need.
As always - feel free to PM me if you have any ag chemical questions![/QUOTE]
The info on pre-emergents is really helpful, thanks golden! Is there any possible value in trying to use salt to prevent new weeds (actually my main problem is just plain grass)? I have been at barns that used rock salt to prevent freezing in the winter, and my horse suffered no ill effects. I do know that it would dissolve and wash out with rain though, so I’m thinking the amount of salt I would have to use and the frequency with which I would have to reapply it would probably make this a no-go. Any thoughts?
The only time I’ve ever had weeds in my ring is when my tractor was broken. But I tend to rake a lot; at least twice a week.
I was just talking to a BASF ag chem salesman about herbicides for pastures. There is one for most broadleafs and brush that is relatively new that is called Clarity. It has a residual effect, is immediately safe for grazing, and might be what you want to start. He recommends 3 sprayings per season: 1 in the late fall, 1 in March or April, and one mid-season (July/August). Then you’d kill grasses throughout the year with Round Up–if you were unwilling to use a hoe.
My uncle, a row crop farmer, used to keep a sharp hoe in his truck. When riding the farm throughout the growing season, if he spied a weed, he’d stop and chop. Had the cleanest fields in the county.
I still like the goat idea. That was the most successful weeding program I ever had.
The other cool thing about Clarity herbicide, is that it is one of the few that are actually labelled for asparagus!
The active ingredient of Clarity is a form of Dicamba, called diglycolamine salt. ( Die-Gly-Call-A-Meen )
Libby - Although I think using a salt can be helpful on a small scale, on a large scale, I think that you’ll get more “bang for your buck” using a herbicide. If you notice the one above, you’ll see that a lot of herbicides ARE based on a salt chemical formulation, but add in a few other compounds to become more effective.
Also, using a straight NaCl or CaCL2, can have negative impacts on your soil with the amount you would need to do the job you are looking for. A loose salt can be quite mobile in adverse weather conditions, moving to places you may not desire to kill the vegetation.
ETA: I DO love the goat idea, but my chore boy/husband nixed that idea. And, oh how I wish I could stay ahead of the weeds in my arena! However, that takes a backseat to killing weeds in my customers’ fields in April, May and June! But it’s July now, right?!?
Put your foot down and tell hubby it’s either get a goat or he does it by hand. You’ll either get a goat or a divorce.
[QUOTE=Bombproof;8213501]
Put your foot down and tell hubby it’s either get a goat or he does it by hand. You’ll either get a goat or a divorce.[/QUOTE]
I actually have about 30 goats.
Knowing their dietary preferences they wouldn’t go for the weeds and WOULD go visit the neighbors since the arena fence is not goatproof.
I haven’t had any problems with my grass jump field. 
If you have a TSC nearby, they sell a Roundup Super Max. It’s a 2.5 gallon container and about $90.00 or so. I believe the recommended dosage is something like 9 oz. to a gallon. I usually mix it up a bit stronger more like 11 oz. to the gallon and it does seem to do a good job killing weeds. I don’t know how long lasting it is as this is the first season I’ve used it. I did spray my ~35’ long X 4’ wide walkway from the back of the house to the paved driveway completely whether there were weeds that emerged or not and so far, except for the very edges, no new weeds have shown up. I did that probably the end of May so I’m very happy with it.
I did use it on the edges of my outdoor for a border as an agricultural sprayer was supposed to come and spray the rest. Unfortunately we’ve had a very wet June and I know he’s way behind on his spraying.
He did spray for me last yr and it seemed to do a good job, probably only15% came back last fall but it’s horrendous this year. So, I’m going to go out and spray tomorrow and hope I can finish most of it.
When I was still riding and using my outdoor I had very few weeds, mostly the corners but then I also would drag the ring at least once/wk and often twice/wk. Unfortunately I stopped riding in '07 and the weeds are winning the battle. 
I’m seriously considering just have several loads of top soil spread over the ring and then throwing grass seed out and making another pasture. I just hate that thought though as the outdoor was compacted, graded and tiled and really was nice for riding. The only month I never rode outdoors was Feb simply because the first horse I had here was certain there were boogiemen in the indoor arena so I went outside as much as possible.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
