growing winter wheat

Controlling winter annual weeds is the next important step in successful winter wheat production. Common winter annual weeds include stinkweed, shepherd’s purse, and flixweed. Due to their habit of emerging in the fall and resuming growth early in the spring, winter annuals can be very competitive and difficult to control in the spring. This makes fall control a very practical and cost effective approach to controlling winter annuals if sufficient densities are present. Herbicide applications should target actively growing plants that are able to metabolize the product quickly. According to Brian Beres of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, “Fall 2,4-D when used in the form and rate specified above is very effective in the control of winter annuals and I prefer it to any spring phenoxy applications as it’s very hard to apply in spring before the plant stage is too advanced.”