At Poles Co-Op we stock a range of weed killers to ensure the most effective weed control for your land including Grazon Pro, Clinic Ace, Pastor, Doxstar Pro and Thistlex as well as the necessary knapsack sprayers.

Good weed control depends on vigorous plant growth. This is not really surprising as the mode of action of most herbicides is to mimic plant growth hormones to create a chaotic fatal growth pattern. It is worth remembering that it is highly unlikely that you will have all three weeds, thistle, dock and nettle, at the ideal stage of growth at the same time.

Thistles are usually the first to require treatment and are invariably the last that people get around to tackling. The best time to treat them is when they are flat to the ground in what is known as the rosette stage. Once the plant has left the ground and moved into stem extension you are technically late and will not get such a good result. It is tedious pacing your paddocks peering into the sward but it will pay dividends. Keep an eye out for stragglers that you may have missed in the ensuing weeks and pop out and give them a squirt. You can pop a bit of vegetable dye (food colourant available in most supermarkets) into your sprayer to indicate which weeds you have sprayed.

Docks can be tricky as the older established plants that have gone red-brown in colour will have been affected by frost and uptake of the chemical will be poor. The ideal plant will be light green in colour and 6″-8″ high. Topping of the older plants and spraying the regrowth when they have made 6″-8″ of growth is the best option for monster docks. Spray during a warm period making sure you spray well before the docks throw up a seed head; another indicator of being too late.

With nettles it is all too easy to spray too early, just before “welly” high is a crude but effective timing indicator. Once the nettles have flowered the control rapidly declines.

Ask in store if you need any more advice about agrochemicals!