To successfully tackle weeds in onions, it is crucial that the plot is clean just before emergence. This is the most reliable way to prevent problems with weeds that are too large after emergence. "Burning is the important weed spraying in onions," says Steven Dorrestijn.
Many onion growers still have to wait a while for their onions to emerge, but since last weekend, an estimated 60% of the area is already in the ground. "Sowing has already been done in all regions, but the differences are large," says Steven Dorrestijn. "Whether one could land on the land depends mainly on the moisture condition of the soil, which varies greatly. I am in an app group with arable farmers from all over the country and within that group the precipitation over the past six months varies between 550 and 900 millimeters. But there isn't really a line, except maybe the Northeast has been a little drier lately."
Burn down the advance
The recipe for weed control has basically not changed, says the Syngenta advisor. "The product package has not changed. Compared to a few years ago, we have fewer contact products and soil herbicides have become more important. But I think the most important spraying is burning off with Touchdown Quattro. If you plan that spraying as sharply as possible, so as close to emergence as possible You can enjoy this throughout the spraying season. If weed pressure is high, you can wait until the first onions emerge. You may spray them, but if you spray too early, you will not be able to do anything for a long time and you will have problems after emergence weeds that are already too large for the LDS approach. And if you then work with higher doses, you will probably spray more damage." To determine the right time for burning, Dorrestijn advises to look for the first seedlings twelve days after sowing. Or after ten days with shallow sowing.
More possible with Boxer
Last season, Dorrestijn had news about Boxer's broader employability. "I was then able to report that we have discovered in tests that you can use Boxer in a low dose already in the staple stage in combination with Stomp. Then you benefit from the contact effect of the Boxer at an early stage." The cultivation advisor adds that there is a risk of plant failure under certain circumstances. See also the box at the bottom of this article. "But we didn't have any bad experiences last year," Dorrestijn reflects. For further weed control, Dorrestijn recommends the following strategy:
Dorrestijn urges onion growers not to forget that last spraying. "I have seen too often that a plot is covered in weeds when it rains a lot later in the season."
Size is more important than quantity
In addition to the choice of products, the regularity of spraying is also very important when controlling weeds in onions. "If possible, an interval of a maximum of seven days," Dorrestijn advises. "And if that is not possible due to circumstances, always spray earlier and especially not later." Dorrestijn's last tip is about the dosage: "Adjust it to the size of the weeds. Some growers look too much at the onion plants or they take a lower dosage because there are few weeds. But then there is a chance that you will under-dose with: The result is that you do not spray the weeds to death, but you spray them sick. And a sick plant will not absorb anything during the next spraying. But an onion that has stood still for a while will recover."
When are the risks associated with early onset Boxer (cramp stage)
The use of Boxer in the cramping stage can pose a risk in the following circumstances:
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