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MCPA - Does it kill seeds?

  • 30-07-2012 10:50pm
    #1
    pakalasa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,552 ✭✭✭


    Anyone know if MCPA will kill the seeds in the head of thistles? I sprayed some recently. The heads hadn't opened at that stage, but have opened since. The seeds are breaking out now, but are they dead? Anyone know?


Comments

  • #2
    bbam
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,410 ✭✭✭bbam


    pakalasa wrote: »
    Anyone know if MCPA will kill the seeds in the head of thistles? I sprayed some recently. The heads hadn't opened at that stage, but have opened since. The seeds are breaking out now, but are they dead? Anyone know?

    I'm guessing but I'd say not..
    Most herbicides recommend spraying well before the flowering stage and I'd say this why..
    Also for the last period a seed is on a plant it's essentially just sitting there waiting for the right weather to be disperced in so it probably didn't get any MCPA through the plant and was protected when the head was closed..

    Obviously I don't know but I'd strongly think the seeds won't be affected.


  • #3
    JohnBoy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,342 ✭✭✭JohnBoy


    related, but would thistles cut down at the start of flowering still manage to go to seed?

    spent an hour in the rain with a billhook two weeks back knocking the feckers, hoping it wasnt all in vain


  • #4
    Farmer Pudsey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,326 ✭✭✭Farmer Pudsey


    JohnBoy wrote: »
    related, but would thistles cut down at the start of flowering still manage to go to seed?

    spent an hour in the rain with a billhook two weeks back knocking the feckers, hoping it wasnt all in vain

    Yes as will any weed if only cut once as by a mower or billgook as opposed to a Topper.

    It is one advantage of a topper in that it shreds the toppings so weeds get choped up and will not get the nutrients to fully develop. When a plant is cut iy reaction is to send all the nutrients to the head to let the seeds develop. When Cut with a mower they can send all the nutrients in the stem/leaves to the seed head. When topped by a topper the amount of stem is reduced and so are the amount of nutrients available so less head will go to seed. When you cut/top any seeds will not spread as far as if the plant was standing when sprayed.

    MCPA will kill some of the seeds but not all the other issue of spraying when flowering is that when a plant is at the leafy stage the leaves are sending nutrients down to the roots, when flowerong it is the reverse a plant's roots are sentding all the nutrients to the seed heads. This the main reason that it is reccomended to spray at the leaf stage to help the weedkiller to go down and kill the large tap root of these weeds


  • #5
    pakalasa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,552 ✭✭✭pakalasa


    This year was so wet, next to impossible to spray at an early stage.


  • #6
    JohnBoy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,342 ✭✭✭JohnBoy


    thanks for the info.....

    feck, at least as you say I should limit the spread.


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